The Ballad of Bagel the Coonhound
The Ballad of Bagel the Coonhound
How we rescued a dog and she ended up being awesome
It happened in September of 2021.
My wife and I were at a wedding with some of our best friends. We were in the middle of Arkansas, a beautiful spot nestled in the Ozark Mountains.
Our Friends have an organic farm on 80-plus acres of wild, mostly untamed forest near Ozark National Forest.
We made a 6-hour drive to the wedding from our house in Missouri to spend a long weekend at the venue.
We did not expect to come back with a puppy.
Meeting Bagel:
We were staying at the wedding venue, not at the farm.
The venue was absolutely beautiful, with a bunch of large cabins, a lake with a private dock, and tons of watercraft to use.
Perfect, really.
During the first day there - the day before the wedding - we did a farm tour. Everyone drove to the farm to meet up and hang out.
Our friends have a few doggos on the farm, but there was one we didn’t recognize.
A skinny little runt emerged from underneath their picnic table.
Enter Bagel.
The Problem:
Bagel didn’t belong on the farm. She was skinny, young, and skittish.
She had no collar and no one came looking for her.
She was at the farm for a week before we showed up. That whole week, she would not leave the back porch and slept under a picnic table.
She needed a proper home.
The funny thing was for being a stray she was remarkably clean. Her teeth were all grown in and perfectly white. Her coat was a little dull from being malnourished, but beyond that, this good girl just needed some love.
She couldn’t have been out on her own long…
What we suspect might have happened:
Bagel is a hound-dog.
We came to the conclusion that someone in the area was breeding puppies, and that she was the runt of the litter.
We imagine that life was hard and one day she ventured out on her own to try and find a better life.
That is when our friend saw her walking on the road, and Bagel followed her car back to the farm. One week later, we showed up and she melted our hearts.
The Solution:
After a little convincing, my wife got me to CONSIDER, bringing Bagel back to Missouri.
What if she has worms?
What if she doesn’t get along with our other dog?
Will she be good with kids? Other dogs?
What if she has something wrong with her that is expensive to fix?
Then, my wife and I made a deal. We could take Bagel home to Missouri if she ran up to us before we left. We would pass the farm on the way home and if Bagel ran up to us, we would take her home. That was the deal.
We pulled up to the farm and at first we didn’t see Bagel.
Then Hana whistled and Bagel SPRINTED over to us. Looks like she’s coming home with us.
The Ride Home
Bagel does this face we call, “Kermit the frog Face” We learned she does that before she pukes.
So we had to stop a few times for her to pee and puke (so she didn’t mess up the rental car) but other than that, it was fine.
Bagel 6 Months Later
What we’ve learned about Bagel:
Her bark is loud and long (she hates turtles)
She has unlimited energy until 9PM (it’s her bedtime)
She loves snuggling
She enjoys her crate
She loves food and eats bugs (crickets are her favorite)
