About Me

UPDATE – 28 NOVEMBER 2021 (from foster dad): Koko is a fun-loving, sweet, adorable girl with a few funny quirks, and she would make a great family dog. She loves to play, especially with other dogs. She’s been introduced to other dogs a half dozen times, and has always been friendly and wanted to play, often running high speed circles around the other dogs. She has never shown any sign of aggression, so I think she would do well in a household with another dog and/or children. She loves attention and can be a little mischievous if left alone. She likes to steal things, and not just the usual socks and shoes, but also items like paintbrushes, sandpaper, and even a full-size broom. But she’s more curious than destructive, where her plunder remains intact.

Koko is terrific in the car, content to lie down in the back seat and go to sleep for the entire ride. She will also sleep in the morning as long as her owner does without wanting to go out or hungry for breakfast – perfect for someone who isn’t a morning person. She has been sleeping in a dog bed, which can be on the floor, a chair, or at the foot of the bed. Koko does have some separation anxiety and doesn’t like to be left alone too much. When I’ve left the house for a period of time, she does okay by herself, but her welcome-home greeting can be over-the-top overjoyed to see you, as if she believed she’d lost you forever. It’s hard to get mad at her jumping on you when it’s clearly because she’s so happy you’re home.

She is a contradiction when it comes to food. Koko can go a little crazy when her bowl is about to be provided, and commands like ‘sit’ or ‘wait’ or ‘stay’ are completely ignored. On the other hand, she doesn’t beg at the table, and when the family is eating dinner, she will often just go into another room and lie down, preferably on the couch. She’s gentle when receiving treats and doesn’t take off a finger for a cookie, but treats tossed to her will just bounce off her head. She can’t catch anything on a parabolic trajectory. I wouldn’t want to be rodent or a rabbit in her vicinity though, since she can be pretty fast off the leash.

Getting out a door can be a little tricky because she wants to follow, and is quite willing to put her nose into harms way in order to stay with whomever is leaving. She’s got a strong talent for squeezing out thru people’s legs. But she doesn’t bolt if, and when, she makes it out. Instead, she walks a few dozen feet at most, and then stops to sniff and wait. Catching her is so easy a child could do it, and I’ve only had to walk over and pick her up.

House-training is a mixed bag. She doesn’t really get the ‘inside vs. outside’ paradigm exactly, and she doesn’t signal to go outside. Instead, she seems to have learned to always do her business in the same place. In my house, that’s become a specific location in my walk-out basement. Her initial choice was the living room, so I gated that room off until she moved her spot to the basement. While she’s getting better at going to the bathroom on a walk or in the backyard, it’s apparently a new concept for her. My suggestion for a new home would be to concentrate right away on getting her to know an acceptable potty spot before she chooses one on her own, and then start retraining her to signal and/or wait for a regular walk.

Walks seem to be another activity that is, oddly, new for Koko. She doesn’t pull on her leash, which is a good thing. But she does like to stop every few feet to sniff the ground. Our first few walks took 15 minutes to go half a block. She’s speeding up now though. If she sees another dog or person, she’s likely to stop and stare intently. She rarely barks, and it was several days before I heard her the first time. And her rare sound is a relativley low-pitched howl and not a short sharp bark. Finally, Koko doesn’t really know her name well, so I think a new family should feel comfortable changing it.

UPDATE – 6 NOVEMBER 2021: Koko made many friends today at Beaglefest and is now off to a foster home. Stay tuned as we see how this sweet girl adjusts to living in a house.

UPDATE – 25 OCTOBER 2021 (from kennel manager): KoKo had a chance to hang out at a dog park and was little Miss Social Butterfly, soaking up all the attention she could get. She is quite the chow hound and a little mischievous – typical young beagle mix! She will need some training, but she is a fun, happy girl!

UPDATE – 13 OCTOBER 2021: Koko is now fully vetted and available for fostering or adoption.

NEW – 18 SEPTEMBER 2021: Koko is a beautiful beagle girl who is friendly and good with other dogs. She was a stray at the Culpeper Animal Shelter in Virginia, so her history is unknown. She will be available soon.