Farewell, my sweet Milo

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Two weeks ago today we said good-bye to Milo, our sweet, joyful Beagle boy. Milo added so much light and joy and laughter and love to our home. He was irrepressibly cheerful, with a nearly constantly wagging tail, often dancing and flipping his ears and baying with joy just because I came up from the basement or asked him to join me for a walk in the yard. He loved tracking and nose work and any other reason to use his nose, but what was really special about that was how much he wanted to do that with me, not just on his own. Milo lived for connection, and especially as his health declined, he always wanted to be wherever I was. 

I don’t think Milo ever met a person he didn’t like. He loved everyone who came through our door, and he especially loved children. When our neighbors were little and would come over to play in our yard, Milo would run to greet them. If one of them sat down, Milo would immediately curl up in his lap.

Milo also liked almost all dogs. He was one of those dream dogs to take out in public; he wagged at every person he saw and ignored every dog he saw. He loved playing with his friends, and especially when he was younger, any friendly dog was a friend.

Milo and Lucy Yamamoto
With baby Kippy
Gomez and Milo

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Tug with Petra
Petra, Rowan, Milo

Milo’s joie de vivre was especially amazing considering his beginnings as a laboratory dog, who never saw sky or grass or the outside world until he was ten months old. At that time my friend and mentor, Sarah Wilson, adopted him and began the process of housebreaking a dog who’d never pottied anywhere but wherever he was and of teaching Milo that strangers are just friends he hadn’t yet met and that the world was full of fascinating smells he would grow to love. It took time, but with Sarah’s patient guidance Milo gained confidence and delight in all the world and its inhabitants, whether people or other animals. When Milo was two and a half years old he came to live with our family, brightening and warming our home with his silly playfulness and sweet cuddles for a dozen happy years.

My sweet Milo Bean, I miss your dark eyes watching me, your velvety soft ears, your warm snuggles, and your happy baying. I hope to see you again someday, dancing and baying and tracking in sunny fields full of delightful scents. 

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My amazing tracking partner

There are stories of Milo and me tracking on this blog of Sarah’s and mine (and also great, basic tracking instruction by Sarah): Nose Down, Tail Up

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Helping me paint at FDR’s Top Cottage
Always happy to play, no matter the weather

n15304797_30600038_3210 Milo on Rail Trail Walk 2 062408

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Watching me come to the door-look at that wagging tail!

Happy 14th Birthday, Milo!

Milo is fourteen today! I wasn’t so sure he’d still be here for this birthday, so I’ve been very much appreciating the time with him and making it a special day for Milo and for me, doing the things we’ve always enjoyed doing together. I’ve been pretty busy recently  and, though I’ve had nice snuggle time with Milo, I haven’t had time to do some of the things Milo really loves, so I set aside time today to do some of his favorite things.

This morning we did some Nosework, which we hadn’t done since last winter. He was so excited when we went down to the basement and I told him to “Find It!” I wasn’t sure how well his nose would be working, given his advancing age and kidney disease, but he was on fire! He scarcely even had to search; I hid the odor three times, and each time, as he crossed the room, he caught the scent and headed straight for it. I might pull it out to play again tomorrow, since we had so much fun with it today.

Tracking has always been Milo’s most favorite activity, so this afternoon when the sun came out and it warmed up into the upper 30’s, I took him to some nearby fields where the ice had melted (unlike our sloped skating rink of a yard). I left Milo on his fuzzy bed in my car while I laid a track for him through three fields. When I got back to the car, Milo was standing on the seat eagerly watching for me to return. He knows all the signs of a tracking outing and can hardly wait for me to put his harness on and tell him to “Go Track!” As with the Nosework, Milo did great with his tracking (as he almost always does).

Milo tracks much more slowly now, and I realized, with some sadness, that I no longer need to wear leather gloves to protect my hands from rope burn. He used to track so fast that he has burned through a couple pairs of good sport leather gloves. No need for gloves today, but that’s okay. Milo and I were in sync, as usual, connected not just by the tracking line but much more by our bond with and our understanding of each other and our shared love of being outside in a field working together.

Happy Birthday, my joyful Milo Bean! You enrich my life every day.

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Happy 13th Birthday, Milo!

Thirteen years ago today a little Beagle boy was born in a kennel where Laboratory Beagles were bred. The eldest of eight puppies in his litter, puppy CVBAJJ, went a few weeks later to be a part of a dog food trial, testing the use of DHA as a food supplement for puppies to determine its effect on trainability and bonding. From what I’ve heard, Milo excelled and was at the top of his class, which certainly seems likely to me, given his problem-solving ability and his fabulous bond to me and love for everyone he meets.

Whenever I tell people Milo started life as a laboratory dog, they express great sympathy for him and outrage at the cruelty he must have endured, but Milo tells a different story. To be sure, he was under-exposed to the world when Sarah Wilson, my dog training mentor, first got him from rescue. He didn’t know what the green stuff coming out of the ground was, nor what the incredibly high, blue ceiling was, and he found new places overwhelming. But, he was healthy and clearly had been well-treated, looking to people for affection and security, and through Sarah’s skillful guidance became confident and happy to be out in the world (that story will be the subject of another post soon). And, though I often underestimate him because he is so silly and funny, he is an incredibly intelligent dog and a great problem-solver.

I found this information that I think could have come from the trials Milo was a part of:

…it is becoming increasingly evident that nutrition can also significantly impact the achievement of genetic potential in the puppy in ways not previously appreciated. Such is the case with increased puppy trainability with appropriate dietary concentrations of DHA. The benefits of improved trainability can have long-lasting effects by strengthening the owner-companion animal bond and thus increasing the likelihood of a puppy’s successful integration of the puppy into various environments, work or households. (from http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/article/nutrition-and-dha)

I think it’s really cool that my little Milo has contributed to strengthening the owner-companion bond and increased the likelihood of puppies being successfully integrated into homes!

And now, though Milo is thirteen and his face and whole body are getting whiter all the time, he is wonderfully healthy and active, and in many ways still acts like a puppy, flipping his head and ears around and tossing toys high in the air. Outside he gets the zoomies and flies around the yard, never getting out of breath. He’s still an awesome tracking companion, and now we’re learning to do Nosework together, which we especially enjoy when the weather isn’t conducive to tracking. At home Milo is my constant companion, sleeping near me wherever I am in the house, moving with me if I go to a different room, and snuggling on my lap whenever he can.

Happy Birthday, Milo Bean! You truly are a delight!

Some photos from the past year

Beagle lap warmer
Joy with a favorite toy– chipmunks in a log
Joie de Vivre
Solar powered Beagle loves the summer sun
Soulful eyes
Playtime with Paul

Happy 10th Birthday, Milo!

It is hard to believe that my little Milo Bean is ten years old. He is as full of spunk and fun as ever, playing and making me laugh every day, which is his primary job in life. He rips around the yard playing chase with Petra, and though she is faster, he has more endurance and isn’t even panting when she’s lying in the grass to catch her breath after many wild loops up and down hills and around trees, shrubs, and the old hay rake. During a fast game of chase, Milo loves to run full tilt to the inside of the hay rake, then peer at Petra through the tines, baying and teasing her to come and get him. Those two are the best of friends, and watching them play can lift my spirits any day. 

Sometimes Milo is seized by the simple joy of running, and he takes off skimming in giant loops around the yard, tail out behind him, ears streaming back, moving with surprising grace (unusual for him, since normally all four legs move comically in four different directions), ignoring Petra and Rowan, just caught up in the joy of the moment. Whenever he does that, Stephen and I have to stop whatever we’re doing and watch; it’s impossible to ignore such pure delight in being alive.

No matter how caught up in play with Petra or running with abandon, though, if I call him, Milo immediately banks in my direction, races to my feet with delight and enthusiasm, and stops with a huge smile on his face and wagging tail. I think I often underestimate this little dog. Because he is all hound, he has the intense interest in scents of any sort that comes with being a scent hound, and can seem to block everything else out when he’s following a rabbit trail, but even so, in his mind and heart, I trump all that, and he will drop a trail to race to me the moment I call his name.

In addition to all the fun and laughter, Milo is a first class snuggler and lap-warm, loving to curl up on my lap and sleep for as long as I sit and read. Recently, too, he has decided that Steve is the most wonderful fire-provider, and we are sure that Milo thinks Steve gets the fireplace going just for Beagle-warming purposes.

How could I not adore my marvelous Milo Bean. Happy Birthday, Milo! I hope you share many more years of joy with me.

Coming!
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Sunbathing
Happy Milo

Happy Birthday, Milo!

It’s hard to believe that my Little Bean is EIGHT today. He is such a fun and funny member of our family, making me laugh every day, no matter what might be on my mind. He is also a world-class lap snuggler, keeping me warm on those cold, windy days that make a 270 year-old farmhouse house feels drafty.

Keeping Mom warm

From the connection we have when tracking, to Milo’s overflowing joy every time I walk upstairs from the basement, to his silly, happy dance at mealtimes, Milo is a delight and has been a gift from the day he joined our family. Happy Birthday, Milo Bean, and may you have many more!

 

Rolling with Lucy!

Playing with Kippy