jetty
Posted : 2/5/2008 8:39:34 PM
HoundMusic
It's generally NOT a good home for a Beagle if there is no fence or other enclosure such as a kennel run to keep the dog on the property.
I am sure that we will have to agree to disagree on this issue but I am honestly curious to know how a fence or 6x6 kennel makes a good hound owner? Why dismiss potentially good homes on such a trivial detail when it doesn't reflect a persons dedication, commitment, lifestyle, knowledge or competency to provide a good home for a hound??
HoundMusic
The point is to get the dog adopted to the appropriate family. If you ain't right for a Beagle, I'm certainly not going to make an exception to sell a pup, so why should a rescue cave in to make an adoption?
I agree that a rescue's priority is finding a good home for the hounds in their care. But I think they've taken the fence issue to an extreme. Fences don't = good hound owners. Not to mention, there's tens of thousands of hounds in shelters and while rescues reject owners without fencing [and wait for the "perfect" home for the few in their care], hundreds more die.
HoundMusic
...however it is a breed tendency to take off...Same with the Beagle fence thing. The odds are stacked against the dog that it will come into serious physical injury if it's placed in a home w/o a fence.
A fence does not reduce the breed's tendency to take off. Most fences will not keep a hound in that wants to get out so how can it reduce the risk of physical injury? How is a hound safer in a fenced yard than on-leash with his/her owner (in close proximity and under direct supervision)?
In my experience, the 2 most common reasons for roaming hounds are: 1. they escaped accidentally (bolting from the house/car or from jumping, climbing or digging their way out of fence or pulling the leash out of the owners hands) 2. they were deliberately let off-leash away from home (hunting, at the dog park). I think it would be much more productive to educate owners about training a hound and the importance of exercise/stimulation and leash safety. Confinement is a false sense of security.