Big on Beagles Rescue

Sassy Boy Auggie celebrating Tongue-Out Tuesday! 😋

"Hello Dolly,
Well Hello, Dolly
It's so nice to have you back where you belong…"
(Song by Louis Armstrong)



Some rescue stories happen in the wink of an eye.
In the time it takes to sing an old, familiar song of joy and optimism.

Not to say our hearts didn’t break a little at first sight of Dolly.
No, our hearts didn’t sing then.

One of the worst cases of obesity this beagle repair shop has ever seen.

There is a 9-point scale used by veterinarians for optimal body condition, ranging from too thin
to the other end of the spectrum.
Dolly is quite literally tipping the scales to that other end at 9 - the worst grading for excessive weight.

She is the very definition of obese.
And at 8-10 years old, poor Dolly is at high risk for a multitude of health complications.
It truly is an emergency situation that unfortunately cannot be resolved quickly but must be addressed immediately.
We’re grateful for the opportunity despite what led to it.


Dolly was adopted from a shelter local to us just 6 years ago. The good folks at this shelter still have the records and a pic of a cute young starry-eyed beagle that looks nothing like Dolly does now. She was guessed at around 2 back then but could have been older. She’d come in as a stray. Age is always a guessing game for the abandoned.

6 years later, Dolly is back at the very same shelter. But this time, she was escorted by relatives of her owner, after her owner suddenly passed away. Nobody in the family was prepared to take her in.

It’s not a blame game. It’s just sad.

But there’s a rainbow to this story. A rainbow that connected us with the beautiful staff at this shelter.

I don’t think I could ever shine the spotlight on the unsung heroes of our animal shelters enough.
They are the first responders.
They witness the wreckage in real time.
And somehow, their hearts remain whole and fiercely determined. Their focus solely on trying to find a better future for these unwanted pets. How they do this day after day is a mystery to behold.
All I know is, this grateful rescuer is awfully glad they do.

Dolly launched a hunger strike as soon as she arrived at the shelter no matter how kind and caring the strangers surrounding her were. She couldn't help it. She was scared and confused and so very lost.

But there was that rainbow, don’t forget.

Dolly arrived at the shelter on Monday. I visited her on Thursday thanks to the beauty of compassionate collaboration between our animal shelters and our animal rescue groups. By Friday, we had Dolly’s foster home secured (Howl-Out to BOB Foster Mom Kathy who was ready to open her heart again after losing George Bayley in the fall) and an initial veterinary appointment scheduled for that afternoon.

Mission Dolly was underway.

After miraculously hoisting her into the beagle-mobile with bended knees and lots of grunting by yours truly, it was a short but interesting drive from shelter to vet clinic with Dolly attempting to do the driving but we got there safe and sound. Once there and sitting so pretty and patiently on the scale for us, we confirmed it…a whopping 28kg of pure Dolly.

That's close to 62lbs if you were trying to calculate the conversion.

By Friday night, a tired and restless Dolly was going back and forth between the fancy orthopaedic doggy bed we proudly presented her with and (no surprise) foster mom’s comfy couch…at least as soon as she kicked off all those pesky pillows.
Yet another proud member of the Pillow Haters Club is our sweet Dolly.

Medically, we have our work cut out for us. It’s a long road to recovery and comfort. First and foremost, we’ve got to chip away at the pounds. Slow and steady wins the race! (Another howl-out to foster mom in that regard)
But we’re also scheduled back for an 8-hour Low Dose Dex testing for Cushings…sigh. The dreaded condition might be playing a factor. She’s also got dental disease but no dental surgery until she loses some weight. Too risky otherwise.

And yes, there’s that wee “bauble” on her nose. It may be the elephant in the room you simply cannot help but notice but it’s really the least of her problems. It'll bid us farewell when she's fit for dental surgery. For now, it just adds to her character!

We think she’s BEAUTIFUL!

Don’t you agree?

Hello Dolly!
No questions about it.You're right where you belong …with us.


If you’d like to make a donation towards Dolly’s repair work, THANK YOU
Just Click the Link below for our 11th Annual BEAGLE WIGGLE WALK!

Because we’re wiggling for Dolly now too…

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/big-on-beagles-rescue/p2p/our-11th-annual-beagle-wiggle-walkathon/

Happy National Beagle Day, everybody! 🤭