Jellybean Beagle

Hi! My name is Jelly because when I first arrived here, my belly was so huge, it hung almost down to the ground! I had dandruff and fleas and my fur was greasy and gross, and surgery to remove a cyst had left my tail looking like a deformed stump! But Annie saw something special in me when she visited the animal shelter that fateful May day. I knew she did but she told her friend that she couldn't adopt another dog. She said it was too bad her dad wouldn't let her mom have another dog because I would be perfect for Mom!
I traveled a long road to get to New York. I started out being a mommy in a puppy mill but someone came and rescued us! I went to the University of Georgia where I earned my PhD in Human Psychology. Ok, I'm kidding about that. I went to the university to get my shots and to be spayed and then I was on the road again, this time to a shelter in Mississippi. My time was running out so I was sent, along with a bunch of other dogs, to New York and there I sat with my biological clock winding down.............I just couldn't let this nice girl, Annie, walk away! I'd come this far - I wasn't going to stop here! I sat inside my kennel and pressed against the bars. I put one white paw through the bars and waved and waved and Annie turned around and saw me waving at her and "talking!" I was saying, "Come back! Come back!" And she did! She adopted me right then and there but asked if she could return the next day - Mother's Day - to pick me up. I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to see my new home and whoever this "mom" person was.
Things didn't go exactly as I'd planned, though. I leaped out of Annie's car the next afternoon and galumphed up the steps of the new house with Annie proudly holding my leash. Mom took one look and said, "What the heck is THAT THING? You know I don't like beagles." Annie said, "Come on, Mom. Look at her! She's SO CUTE! If you don't like her, I'll keep her or take her back." Mom was reluctant, I could tell, so I was on my best behavior that day (although I wish someone had told me I wasn't supposed to pee on the floor!). And Dad? Well, don't get me started on what HE thought that day.....
When Annie got ready to leave, Mom said, "You can't take this poor dog with you. Lucy (Annie's minipin - what a pain) is obviously upset about this dog and Nick (Annie's fiance) is going to have a fit if you go home with a beagle. You CANNOT take this dog into such a negative energy situation. She can stay here tonight and you can decide what to do with her in the morning." Annie said, "Wellllllll.....Ok. If you're sure." And she and I winked at each other when Mom wasn't looking.
I'll be honest and tell you that my cuteness factor and my gentle, loving ways won Mom over very quickly so when Annie called the next day to say that Nick would not let her have another dog and that she would pick me up and take me back to the shelter, I didn't worry. Poor Mom, though! She sat on the floor and held all 35 pounds of me on her lap (despite the dandruff and greasy fur and ugly, stumpy tail) and cried and cried and said that she wouldn't let me go to the shelter; that she would find me a home herself because how could she send me back there? She hoped I understood that she couldn't have another dog because Lucy came every day for doggie day care and there was also Sassy the old yellow lab who was sick and needed lots of attention from Mom. On and on she went. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dad standing in the doorway, arms folded, a funny look on his face. Mom didn't notice. She just kept crying. Finally, Dad sighed and said, "Alright. If you want to keep the dog, keep the dog." And that's how I got here.
Look at me now!!! A sleek 25 lbs., shiny coat and no dandruff! AND, for some reason no one can figure out, my tail grew REALLY LONG! I get to walk through meadows and woods every day! I can bark at rabbits and dig in the snow and run and run (with Mom puffing and panting behind me! ha ha)! Life is grand!!!
So....how 'bout it? Next time you think about getting a dog, think about adopting one!! I'm not saying you'll be as lucky as my Mom and get someone as intelligent, loyal, loving, and fun as me but then again.............maybe you WILL!!!!!!
Thanks for reading my story!
"Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe, we are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made." - Roger Caras