Joey

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This is a tribute to a great dog.

Joey passed away on December 17, 2009. He was about 14 or 15 years old and died quietly in his home surrounded by those who loved him.

Joey arrived at Penny Angels in December 2002. He was diagnosed with heartworms and underwent treatment. By the spring of 2003, he was ready for adoption. And he was adopted, six times. Each time, Joey was returned to the rescue.

I adopted Joey in October 2004.

Joey had the classic Beagle appearance. He was a tri-color with the big ears and sad, brown eyes. His most distinctive characteristic was his bark. Joe’s bark had a honking type of sound and has been described as a sea lion, people talking and a dying animal.

Joey was a retired hunting dog and enjoyed tracking his entire life. His hunting ability caused the police to come to one foster home. One of the rescue’s long-time volunteers offered to foster Joey for a week. They took him home on Saturday. On Sunday, Joey somehow got loose and chased ducks onto a nearby frozen pond. The family panicked because they thought he would fall through the ice. The police were called and Joe was saved. He was back at rescue later that day.

One day at the rescue, Joan returned home to find her refrigerator open and several beagles having a feast. She could not imagine how they the door open so she secretly observed them one day. She was surprised to see Joey wait until he thought she was gone. He used his front paws to dig at the door and opened the refrigerator. They had to lock it a long as Joey lived there.

One day, I have taken Joey to Pet Smart for a visit

on the side of the building. Being a retired hunting dog, he found a trail and began barking. Joan and Ken were in front of the store when two women walking passed stopped when they heard Joe barking. They were stunned to hear such a noise

and when Joan said that was a Beagle, they had to see for themselves. They were amazed when they saw the honking was coming from Joey.

Joey would never walk around anything. He would walk over whatever may have been in his way. One day my Dad was installing a new kitchen faucet at my house. He was lying on his back under the sink when Joe decided he wanted to see what was in the cabinet. He walked over my Dad and thought nothing of it.

I had borrowed a friend’s car that had heated leather seats. I had to pick Kim up from field hockey practice so I decided to take Joey for a ride. I did not notice Joey had stepped in mud as he was walking to the car.

I placed him on the front seat and turned the heat on. Joe enjoyed the warm ride. The next day, I realized Joe left a muddy footprint on the seat. I tried to remove the mud but it is still there to this day.

In February 2006, Kim and I took Joey to the Cumberland County shelter to get his rabies shot. Joe was well behaved in the car and peed a few times outside of the building. When we got to the main entrance Joe decided to have a BM just outside the door. I thought Joe was just being Joe and everything else would be fine.

I was wrong.

We entered the building and told them why we were there. Joe was fine until he saw

“Is he vicious?’ she asked with a surprised look on her face. I assured her he was fine and just wanted to get to the cats.

She took him to the exam room for the vaccination and he was still barking. We paid the bill and he was still barking. Joe did to stop barking until we were half way home.

The staff later told Joan they could not get Joe out of the clinic fast enough. He made such an impression they remembered him almost 4 years later when Joan and Ken told them of his death.

Joey was only with me for five years but he gave me a lifetime of love and great memories. I am sure there will be other Beagles in my life but there will never be another dog like Joey. He was my handsome Beagle Boy and I will love him forever.

Good-bye Joey. See you at the Rainbow Bridge.