Category: Pets

Do you have a dog?

We have a dog. Not that this is anything special. Millions of family’s own dogs. But dog ownership is a recent occurance for us.

It started with Denver. Not the city of Denver, the dog names Denver. Denver is a Whippet with just a touch of a German shepherd. Somewhere about the tip of his tail, I am told. Even though he belongs to our daughter, he stayed with us from when he was 6 months till he was 2 years old. So when he left, we got ourselves (My wife and other daughter) a rescue from a shelter, a then 6-year-old adult beagle. She was almost 35 lbs and missing her left front leg. She was born Jan 11, and due to lack of originality and family consensus, we opted not to keep her old name and called her Eleven instead. Stranger Things shown on Netflix may have had a subtle role in that choice.

New dog means new experiences and challenges. That means new products and gadgets to try out. And with eleven, a little more challenging. A little background on Eleven.

Eleven is a beagle. She lost her leg when she was two. We were told it was because a previous owner tied her by the leg rather than on a collar. It was too late to save the leg when she was first rescued. Her second stint at a high kill shelter (Or so we are told) would eventually lead her to a shelter in Baltimore and into our home.

During afternoon walks, Eleven likes to stop to sniff everything. She is a beagle, after all. Eleven was 6 years old when we got her, almost a senior. She is untrained, will barely listen to instructions. Untrained, she does not do well with other dogs. She prefers to sleep on her side. She sheds an insane amount of rough hair just standing there. She is untrained. But she has become very vocal. That can be a blessing or a curse.

But she knows when to eat, where and when to poo and pee. She knows better than to growl for food or to get out of her sleeping quarter.

Eleven needs more attention than Denver. More attention, more gadgets and devices to help along the way.