Welcome to the Long Ears Blog, celebrating coonhounds as pets

5/10/2011

Welcome to the Long Ears Blog! Let the stories begin! But, first, an introduction to our dreams and goals for the Coonhound Companions web site. A group of coonhound fanciers got into a discussion on a chat group about the sorry state of coonhounds and foxhounds in animal shelters across the United States. Coonhounds in animal shelters are often overlooked. Potential adopters are led past the kennels containing our hopeful long eared dogs with nary a glance.

This view is puzzling to us coonhound lovers who know our hounds to be loving, sensitive family companions of the best sort. They never knew a stranger and they are sweet on kids of all ages. They love other dogs. They make us laugh on a daily basis. There are hounds competing in the highest levels of companion dog sports like obedience and agility. And there are hounds sleeping at the feet of their people as you read this.

All dogs were originally bred for a purpose, yet most breeds fulfill many roles in society far beyond their original development. Many hunting dogs never ever meet the game they were bred to pursue. It's past time for coonhounds and foxhounds to join family life like retrievers, pointers, and setters do. It's time for them to be loved and celebrated like their cousins, the Beagles, the fourth most popular breed in America according to recent statistics by the AKC.

A surprising true fact: coonhounds are all-American bred dogs, did you know? Yes, they are true-blue American originals. As such, they deserve our respect, admiration, and devotion. They deserve to be adopted into loving families.

We decided to create a series of posters that portray coonhounds as adoptable family pets named the "Long Ears Campaign." That led to a web site and blog, and lots of ideas for the future. We hope to share some of the joy we receive every day from our beloved coonhounds by sharing the tales of their exploits, sharing new features like an upcoming poetry contest, and sharing brags and news of hounds all over.

19 Comments

Gina Mason

6/21/2011 02:58:49 pm

What a great site! How neat to see a dear friend's daughter Maddie & Solomon on one of your posters!

Wendi Goodhew

6/21/2011 02:59:21 pm

Hi Everyone: I am certainly hooked on hounds! Right now we have a wonderful bloodhound, but my first experience with hounds was a Coonhound my son named "BUD" he was priceless. After hockey games he would hang out with all the guys from my son's team, they would take turns talking to him, if they said what are you doing Fri. night Bud? you would swear he would answer "I don't know" in his houndy lingo.. He was a real character, lots of personality, friendly, and NEVER chewed, or ate things he shouldn't. He could pick a coat pocket though better than any thief I'd ever seen... but always just brought you what he had scored as if to say see what I got. He even did a photo shoot for Warner Bros. they thought he had such character, they approached us after seeing him out and about one day. We had Bud for 10 great yrs. he was our best friend, a member of the family . When he passed away a part of our hearts went with him.. we will never forget him, and because of the great companionship he showed us we got another hound!!! Of course we ALWAYS rescue, Never buy from stores or breeders, although there are some good ones out there, there is so many in need of adoption and it seems HOUNDS are so misunderstood. If you want a true friend, loyal pet, and one that seems to appreciate being loved so much that they will go out of their way to please you.. ADOPT/RESCUE A COONHOUND ...
Wendi Goodhew

Penni Lowery

6/21/2011 02:59:54 pm

I am so excited to find this site and blog. An artist friend sent me the link to this site via Facebook. I subsequently posted the site link on the Treeing Walker Coonhound Lovers Faecbook page.

I have been smitten with the Coonhound Bug since I found a lost TWC on June 10th of last year. I have known and dearly loved, many dogs in my life. I must say my Walker, Fincastle, has convinced me that there is nothing quite like a Coonhound. I had no idea how goofy, loving and smart they are. He is a treasure of a dog.

I am so pleased that this site now exists so that the word will be spread and hopefully many of those loving hounds in shelters, waiting for their forever homes, will soon find them.

Anna Nirva

6/21/2011 03:00:25 pm

Gina, Wendi, Penni,

It's exciting to read your comments --- this work has been a labor of coonie love for many months. I'm so glad you like what we have done so far and most of all to hear of your love for coonhounds! Love the characterization of "goofy, loving and smart" because our adopted TWC Austin is exactly that.

Thank you for telling us about Bud and Fincastle and the coonie joy they bring to your lives. I hope you visit our blog again.

Kellie

6/21/2011 03:00:54 pm

I am so glad to have found this site as well as the others. I grew up in hunting country and loved hearing the sounds of the hounds having found their prey up a tree. Once on my own and having moved to the West coast I longed for a hound of my own. I have since rescued three and bought one from a competion breeder. One of my rescues I even had shipped from back east to me. I just could not resist his big ears and deep brown eyes. There is nothing like coming home and greeted by their songs. I can tell each ones apart and when there is a problem. I ride horseback on trails and they amazingly never leave my site. Even on scent they seem to stay just within my eyesite. I even had to buy a bigger bed because they take up so much room sleeping at the foot of it. There is nothing like a coonie. I am always trying to talk friends into adopting one as they all love mine. They are truely an American treasure. My life would not be as fullfilled without my buddies at my side. I will always have hounds.

Anna Nirva

6/21/2011 03:01:17 pm

Hi Kellie,

Lovely to hear that your hounds don't leave your side even on the trail! My Austin is also good that way.

Could you download some posters, print them and ask your local shelters to post them, so potential adopters maybe will not just pass them by? We need an army of coonie lovers to advocate for them.

Eric

6/21/2011 03:01:45 pm

Thanks for making this site. We have a rescued American Fox Hound (Daisy) and a rescued Bluetick Coonhound (Joe). They live with us here in Hollywood and we love them dearly. Joe and Daisy helped me make it through chemo therapy and radiation and recover form a fairly intense cancer treatment. i work at home and they are my constant companions and coworkers. Joe keeps me laughing and keeps our bed warm at night, sometimes he even leaves enough space for me. People often stop their cars on the street to ask us what kind of dogs they are and comment on how beautiful they look. And the whole neighborhood knows Joe's singing voice.

We love our hounds and hope that you continue to add to your site!

Penni

6/21/2011 03:12:23 pm

It would be fun to have a place on this site to post photos and stories of all the hounds out there that have forever homes. I know there are plenty of sites for this (Dogster.com, Facebook), but for those visitors to this site who are "not yet converted to being hound lovers," it might inspire them.

Anna Nirva

6/21/2011 03:12:54 pm

Hi Penni, thanks for the suggestion. It is a wonderful idea and we hope we might be able to implement it eventually. In the meantime, another way to inspire people is to take your lovely coonie to doggy events so people will learn about our beloved dogs and have a chance to interact with them. Be a coonhound ambassador!

Josh Tucker

6/21/2011 03:13:23 pm

Great site. I'd like to see more coon hound pics.

Anna Nirva

6/21/2011 03:13:45 pm

Josh, we hope to add a photo page sometime. Do you have photos? We can contact you when we've got the technology in place.

The Wagners

6/21/2011 03:14:23 pm

This is the first time I have ever blogged! We have a Black and Tan Coonie and a Bluetick/Blue Gascon that we rescued in August and Spetember of last year as puppies. They are awesome awesome companions. The Black and Tan is a stubborn female that does not like to listen so we're are trying to make headway on that issue. The Blue is a male and he is a smart boy and learns very quickly. I just thought I'd drop a line and say hi!

Ashley

7/31/2011 02:38:16 pm

What a great website. I rescued my Redbone Coonhound 'Finnegan' almost two years ago, and now I can't remember what my life was like without him. I can't imagine not having him by my side with those expressive eyes and velvet ears. I had never even heard of Redbones before him but I don't think I can ever have a home without one now. He's my best bud.

Jen link

8/7/2011 05:43:37 pm

Much like many of you, we brought our TWC home three years ago, without a clue what we were getting into. Living in SoCal, we don't have many coonhounds around, so when I came across those deep brown, all-knowing eyes in the local pound I melted! So much for the smallish dog we went for, we came home with a 6mo old pup at 45lbs who is now 75lbs! Because of our pup, I've since taken up running. She has brought so many joys into our lives. She great with kids, mostly good with other dogs, and the perfect companion for my husband and I. I can't remember how we got along before her...

Erinn

8/11/2013 02:59:57 am

Great Site, I recently purchased my female red bone Rookabeey ( Rooka for short). Shes full of beauty and energy. She loves trips in the jeep and days at dog daycare ( we live in the city) however she has the typical coon smell that could knock a grown man down. Iv switched shampoos, clean her kennel daily, but can't seem to calm it, does anyone have any suggestions?

Emily link

8/11/2013 03:32:14 pm

A coonhound living indoors does not typically have a bad smell. Those legendary "stinky old hounds" live kenneled outdoors in pens that aren't cleaned often enough, or on absorbent ground that smells like a sewer after a couple of years. I lived with my two redbones in a second floor apartment in Brooklyn NY and they imparted a mild, animal smell, and we never washed them. They still sleep in the bed with us and actually smell good.
Rooka could have a health problem, be eating a food she's not doing well on, or have a skin allergy of some sort. For instance, dogs with a flea problem often smell bad.
Anal gland issues are fairly common in hounds and smell really skunky. Anal glands can get infected/impacted., or sometimes just swollen with fluid that isn't draining properly. Usually a dog with this problem will scoot along the floor or lick its anal area obsessively, but not always. There's a hilarious website about anal glands here:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_anal_sacs.html
You can learn to express the dog's anal glands yourself, but it is a messy job, and I highly recommend you get an in-person lesson from someone experienced before you try it yourself--the fluid in the anal glands is very stinky and very hard to wash off yourself. Also, someone experienced can tell whether they've become infected just by the smell--she may need a course of antibiotics if they've become infected.
Some coonhounds "molt" twice a year, usually spring and fall. Not all of them do. My first hound did, and he smelled kind of funky when he was molting. Brushing the loose fur will help if that's the problem. Also, neutered dogs usually smell less strong than in tact ones.But even my intact male smells o.k.--kind of meaty, like dried sausage or jerky.
Hounds on a diet with corn in it (most commercial kibble, except for fancy high-end ones) tend to smell a little like Fritos, especially on the pads. Not a bad smell, though. Some dog food kibbles smell pretty bad to humans, and hounds that live on those tend to smell like the food they eat too. You could try switching foods.
Some hounds get skin irritations from cleaning chemicals, especially strong smelling ones like pine cleaners. If you use one of those to clean her crate or swab your floor, you might try switching to something milder. A seven-one water-bleach solution is a cheap all purpose cleaner on hard surfaces and is unlikely to irritate hound skin.
Even though my hounds hunt in swamps and roll on dead things, they are pretty well self-cleaning. An hour after coming home covered with mud, they are pretty clean. I wipe them down with a damp cloth if they've gotten into something really foul, but I never bathe them and they smell fine. The blankets and rags we put on the back seat of the truck and in their crate get pretty rank fast, and have to be washed fairly regularly...A cleaner person than me would do it weekly.I do it whenever the smell gets noticeable to me..

sue

9/19/2015 04:46:06 pm

I rescued a black & white coonhound. I think maybe a treeing walker coonhound. She consistantly digs for moles and jnjests sand in the process. She has had to have surgery 3 times in a year for impacted sand. How do I get her to stop digging? She cannot have another surgery due to the amount of scar tissue and dialated intestines.

Vicky link

10/29/2015 08:56:39 pm

I have a 21 month old female Redbone. I'm thinking about in ground fencing. I live in the country where there is a lot of game. Any real life examples of the inground fencing either working or not? Thanks.

Sue

10/30/2015 06:39:17 am

Hi Vickie, I have the inground fence made by SportDog. I have mine attached to my above ground fence though because my dogs kept digging under the fence. We have 3 acres and it was a lot of digging to put it in the ground so we chose to hang it on the fence. It works perfect. The colors will vibrate and beep before the static kicks in. My dogs know exactly how far they can run before the colors start beeping. I got mine at www.radiofence.com. you can also call them, they are very helpful and knowledgeable. Shipping is fast and they warranty everything they have. I hope this helps.

Welcome to the Long Ears Blog, celebrating coonhounds as pets

Leave a Reply.

The Coonie Team

Archives

Categories