I am rapidly approaching Most-Hated Neighbor status. My brother and his wife lived down the street from us. They had four dogs: 2 Cardigan Corgis, a German Shepherd, and an old (OLD) Beagle. Now, they have moved to an apartment in Little Rock, and while the unit does allow pets, it will not allow four of them in less than 1000 square feet. My S-i-L’s sister took the German Shepherd, and we agreed to take Old Annie, the beagle.
They dropped Annie off today, and she’s howled non-stop since then. I have always grumbled about yapping/howling/noisy/nuisance dogs, and now I find the dog on the other foot, as it were…
We’ve given her her favorite food, treats, she has company (our old Pembroke Corgi, Judge), and they seem to get along okay. Still, though, I need a way to get her quieted down before folks start trying to unwind and eventually sleep tonight! Suggestions? Please?
Well, they came back and dropped off her doghouse. We had one for her, but I asked if they had to have her old one for the other dogs. They said no, so, voilà, she had her old house. That has calmed her down some, but she’s still whining rather pitifully.
::sigh:: At least the howling has stopped, and perhaps the neighbors have put away their weapons.
Beagles do one thing really well - howl. There is no way to convince them not to; don’t be fooled stopping for one night is just a breather. To keep your neighbors from shooting her (I’m serious, even living in the middle of the woods Pete has garnered death threats from neighbors) you should invest in a soft muzzle - it goes on every night after feeding. They can still whine, (and more importantly drink) but it’s less irritating to hear.
Since they’re not bright enough to understand there’s a connection between barking/howling and being muzzled, you’re going to have to use it for the rest of her life. Pete’s worn one at night most of the eleven years we’ve owned him and he.does.not.get.it.