by Doranna
“Hold on there!” the astute among you will say. “Rena Beagle is a girl name. And you have two boy Beagles.”
Yes. And now they have a girl Beagle.
(Or she has them. As I suspect the case will be.)
Rena upon arrival. (This isn’t a sneer. This is “My lips are stuck to my teeth, pretend not to notice.”)
About six weeks ago, the universe slammed me upside the head. It said, in short, “You are about to lose your Princess Belle Dog.”
(Off I go to tear up quietly for a few moments, because of course it’s still like that…)
Okay, I’m back. And the universe was talking. It then said, “As it happens, I know of a girl dog who needs a home. She is much loved, but things have changed in her home and she can no longer do the working Beagle things she craves.”
The universe then explained, “She is five years old, and she is a wee thing who once came from a shelter. She loves obedience and agility. She is a very good girl. And her dogmom will make arrangements to send her most of the way across the country to you.”
And oh. Her full name is Bellerena, because she’s named in honor of another girl dog named Belle.
AKA, the universe slam.
Obviously, this is not about replacing Belle, because…that’s not possible. Ever. It’s about a gaping hole in the pack, the boys in need of a girl, Connery’s very uncertain future (we carry on, we just don’t know where it’s going), and a girl in need of the chance to work…and a dogmom who loves her girl so much she’ll do what’s necessary to give her that chance.
I haven’t said anything before now, because I have a jinx superstition. Yes, I do–and it’s deep. Comes from years of sitting on contract news until the ink is dry, and an additional stunning series of lessons in not assuming on events until they’re here, or ELSE. But now Rena Beagle has arrived. She came via shuttle, which did a wonderful job, and she arrived in the dusk of last night with just enough time for her first raw food snack and some outdoor time before bed. And I would say that was her big adventure, but I think our big adventure is just starting!
Welcome home, Bellerena CDX OA OAJ!
Frog dog in the office. Already taking over!
PS: Also, the the universe further explained, “And don’t worry about when you’ll have time to get this blog written. Because Dart Beagle is still Dart Beagle, and he will be so excited to have his new girl dog that the vibrational sound of it will come wailing out of his throat during the wee hours no matter how hard he tries to be good, and therefore you will have some unplanned extra midnight oil of which you can take advantage.”
So I am.
Rena inspects her first desert yucca… She does not entirely approve.
But Connery approves. Oh yes he does.
Hello, Rena. Welcome to the neighborhood
Rena says she’s still inspecting the place. She thinks that it will earn her stamp of approval, but it must go through the process first.
But of course. She will need to assure herself that every detail is Right, and announce the need to fix it if it’s not. To my inexpert eye, she seems to be built a little different than the boys, esp. Connery. Is that true, and if so, is it sex or bloodline difference?
It’s very true. She’s lighter on bone, shorter on leg for her body length, and she’s carrying some weight that affects her silhouette. She’s a shelter girl, but she looks field bred as opposed to conformation or pet bred. It’s one of the things that contributes to her good drive. 8)
Welcome, Rena!
Rena says, “I will wag as soon as I get this household arranged properly.”
Oh my. Bellerena for a girl named Belle. Universe KNEW what needed to happen! Welcome, Rena, to a wonderful rest of your life!
I think the universe did a pretty good job. 8) And that Rena and I will have fun together! The boys already adore her. (Dart adored her all night long. Loudly. Endlessly.)
Welcome, Rena–and you’ll soon be happy again. You look a little wary, pleading, and embarrassed in your crate (yes, your newmom told us–nobody’s upset with you.) But you are such a pretty beagle-girl, and I love your expression in your frog-dog phase. It won’t take you long to make friends with the beagle-boys. Wait until you find out that you’re in a home with other performance beagles–are you as fast as Dart? As wise as Connery?
Rena needs to get an account, for sure. She tells me that the boys will serve her well and right now she thinks Connery is quite, quite handsome and appropriately easy to control with a glance. She has her paw drawn back and ready to give Dart an inevitable bitch slap–if he ever gets close enough. Currently he bounds around her like a Tigger on springs, driving her nuts but never getting close enough to take the slap.
She was not pleased with that crate (even before…you know…) and happy to be out of it! It clearly had a different meaning for her than her new den in the kitchen. Now to stretch and take a breath and go see how she feels about breakfast! I’ll try to get some video of any morning antics with the boys…
I am so happy for all of you. Rena will be a wonderful addition to your family. I’m anxious to hear all about her getting to know the boys and her new mom. I’m sure you are all making her feel welcome—even if only Dart is being vocal about it.
It’s been hard not to talk about her for the past 6 weeks. But my jinx superstition is pretty strong!
Welcome Rena!
I am glad Rena is safely home! To my inexperienced eye, she looks more like what I though beagles did look like!
Oh, you need to see how Dart has matured, these past months–so handsome! But yes–there’s a difference between field and show, for sure. To the point that when I first started taking Connery out to trial and to seminars (in AZ), even the clinicians didn’t recognize what breed he was. It was a shock to me at first–I mean, seriously? He’s a champion!–but I came to expect it; people so so many more pet-bred (and frankly, horribly bred puppy mill lines) Beagles than they do show lines, their eye is trained to that. I’ve gotten it about Dart, too–just last fall, in fact, when I took him to hike on Sandia.
Oh, lovely! Ms. Rena, you are a beauty. Welcome to your new home, pack, and (very soon to be) devoted fans, both 4- and 2-footed. (Love ConneryBeagle’s tail in the above picture that looks like it’s doing the helicopter wag.) As soon as you feel comfortable, we await your FB & Twitter posts and tweets. If you need any help in finding your way around the computer, I’m sure CB will be more than happy to help. I only wish I could do that frog dog position!
Connery’s tail is definitely doing the helicopter wag. 8) He’s such a gentleman–he just crouches down that way and wags and waits for her to make up her mind, instead of getting in her face. His great big thought bubble is “Oh, please love me back!”
Welcome Rena! Bet she’ll keep those boys in line.
This is so wonderful for all of you, including Rena’s former mom who loved her enough to send her some place she could do what she loves, and who knows that her Rena will be well-cared for and happy. And wonderful that Connery approves. Will Dart vibrate himself to pieces with excitement? We’ll have to tune in to the next installment to find out!
Dart has already come close to vibrating himself to pieces, that first night. At this point he’s quietly tying himself in knots trying to woo her while respecting her nearly invisible signals that his attention is not yet welcome. He wants SO badly to pack up with her!
Rena, you are a lovely lady, beautiful Beagle, and just what your precious mum needs to brighten every day! Keep those boys in line, lass, for you will find that to be the best of games!
That’s exactly her job! Her tail is wagging a little more each day. 8)