Charlie’s Adventure Report

Hi! I am ready to drive as soon as Mom will let me. I would drive to Sadie‘s house to play, and maybe I would go get a pup cup or a hamburger! I’d go to the dog park if I could remember how to get there. There’s a map thing, but I don’t know how to make it work.

I did go to Sadie‘s house a couple of times this week. We like to chase a ball and go for a walk. I play with her toys and she barks at me. We have a snack.

Here’s a Caturday picture for those who celebrate.

One day I noticed something different on the deck. I went to investigate.

It looked suspicious. Mom said it was the bird camera and she had put it on the floor because of the storm the night before.

We had some good adventures this week. One day we went for a walk behind the old mill.

A boy was feeding the ducks, but I was not allowed to go down there because ducks are scared of dogs.

Yesterday we went to Seven Bends State Park down at the river.

We watched some people bring kayaks to shore. It turned out to be Ranger Tom and his family. I got to meet his children and his sister-in-law.

Today Mom took me to Camp Roosevelt to walk in the woods.

On the way home, we drove by a place that has horses.

This was a good week for me. I hope you had a good week too.

Another Deer Picture and Charlie’s Report

A week ago we shared a cell phone picture of the deer that visits our backyard. I also took a few shots with my Nikon. This is one that I took as I stepped out on the deck. She saw me and ran off seconds later.

I know some of you are waiting for Charlie’s report so here it is!

Hello, friends! I had some fun this week, but the weather did not cooperate. It got very hot every afternoon, and then yesterday the air was smoky. It was still that way today until a thunderstorm came. There wasn’t much rain, but the wind blew some of the smoke away. 

I went to the state park a couple of times. I like to get a good view. 

Mom takes a lot of pictures. She tried to get a picture of both of us, but I don’t really like to pose. She gets enough handsome pictures of me when I’m not paying attention.

Some days it was too hot to go to a park so we stayed home. I take walks early in the morning, first with my mom and later with Miss Deborah, unless she has to go somewhere. We usually go out on the deck at lunchtime so I can watch for critters. I saw a groundhog today but it ran off, as critters often do.

The place where I sometimes go to daycare was closed this week, which was fine with me. I like to stay with my mom or go play with Sadie. On Wednesday, Mom had to go to Harrisonburg and I got to go with her. We met my sister Lynn for lunch, and the I stayed in the car with her while Mom went in a building. We took a walk, but it was hot. I climbed on the seats and tore my harness. We had a good time.

The next day Mom took me to the state park. It’s a little cooler by the river but we didn’t stay long. I got to lie in the grass.

Yesterday and today the air was smoky so we didn’t spend time outside except for walks in the neighborhood. I saw a rabbit.

That’s all the news I can think of. Oh, we found a picture of a horse to show you.

And that’s all for now!

Deer with Fawns and Charlie’s Week

Can you see the baby deer?

 

Hi, it’s Charlie the beagle! I got a new leash and a light vest for summer.

Here’s my friend Tripod. I was out for a walk and heard a meow. Tripod wanted to say hello.

We got our deck painted. The gate is not back up yet, so I have to stay on the lead.

Look what I saw next door! It’s a groundhog, but some people call it a woodchuck or a whistle pig.

One day my sister Lynn came to see me and brought a friend. We all had hamburgers!

Today we went to a history thing and saw some horses. I was not very scared because I was with Mom and Miss Deborah and Mr. Frank.

Some men were dressed as dragoons, which is not the same as dragons. It means soldiers with horses.

I met a nice dog named Tigger.

Those are the highlights of my week. I also went to the vet and got my shots. I was glad to go back home.

Mid-May with Charlie

Hi! Here’s a picture of me at Edinburg Park.

We also stopped at Edinburg Mill to see the ducks in the creek. I had to stay in the car, but Mom got out to get some close-up pictures. They weren’t afraid of her, but she said they might be afraid of me. 

We didn’t go to many parks this week, but I did get to visit Sadie. One day I went to day boarding at the veterinary while Mom went to Harrisonburg. 

Our driveway was blocked by construction all week so we didn’t park in the garage. I watched the men working, and when I went for walks, I met some of them. 

Do you like horses? I haven’t decided if I want to meet one or not. They are very big.

I don’t have much else to report. Mom already told you that Lynn came on Mother’s Day. Maybe I’ll have some adventures to write about next week.

Beagle Drama

Before I turn the blog over to Charlie for his brief report, I feel compelled to say something about the Ridglan Farms beagles. They are confined in a breeding facility in Wisconsin which is similar to the place in Virginia where Charlie was born and spent his puppyhood. Both facilities got in trouble for not treating the dogs humanely. The one where Charlie was born was closed after repeatedly failing to keep their promises to bring the conditions up to acceptable levels. Ridglan Farms has denied the charges against them, but agreed to give up its breeding license on July 1st as part of a deal to avoid prosecution for animal cruelty.

The beagles are bred to be sold to laboratories or veterinary schools, where some of them will suffer painful experiments. This is sad enough, but made worse by knowing that the breeders are not meeting government standards for animal care. (I try not to think about the awful details because it’s painful to picture my own dog being hungry and dirty and traumatized, with his life and health in danger. There were undercover videos made at Envigo in Virginia, but I decided not to watch them.)

Activists are concerned about the health and safety of the dogs at Ridglan Farms. There are no guarantees as to what will happen to the beagles, and a couple of attempts have been made to rescue them. Last weekend, a protest turned violent when some animal lovers attempted to breach the fence around the facility. They were met with rubber bullets and tear gas from law enforcement, and  some of the activists suffered injuries requiring emergency room visits. Photos from the scene showed law enforcement officers  brutalizing civilians. 

I have no answers for questions of when do wrongs make a right. Personally, I would probably not trespass or try to steal puppies, but I understand the motivation of the people who did. The animal welfare system is not working fast enough in this case. And once again, we saw policemen acting like sadistic bullies. Ugh!

They are political leaders in Wisconsin who are trying to get the beagles free before they suffer any more. There are questions about conflict of interest in the Dane County sheriff’s department. I hope the beagles are released soon, and placed with animal rescue organizations that can get them adopted.

I’ll turn this over to Charlie now. I didn’t tell him about Ridglan Farms. I think he still has bad memories of his own.

🐶 Hi! Here I am coming back from one of my walks with Deborah and Sadie. Good times!

I have a couple of animals to show you, a cat and a horse.

Let me tell you about my afternoon yesterday. Mom took me to Seven Bends State Park again. It was warm so we went down to the river for a while.

We watched some birds, but they didn’t come very close. 

After that, we went to the car wash. Usually I keep my head down and try to nap, but I decided to watch this time.

It was noisy, but I was brave. Mom says I am growing up.