Ronix & Us (similar to Marley & Me..read below why!)
Well, it has been about a month now since Eddy Arnold, now Ronix, has been adopted. And let me tell you, this boy never fails to make us laugh. I don’t know where my words can start with Roni. He is now living a California life and loving every bit of it!
Prior to getting him, his foster mom suggested maybe we fly him from Tennessee to the Bay Area. I told my husband I’d feel sooooo horrible putting a dog into cargo for about 8 hours. So, he and I decided we’d drive from California to the very northeast part of Tennessee….all in a week! We were very fortunate enough to stop in beautiful Yellowstone National Park on the way, so I cannot complain about that. From Yellowstone, we b-lined it to Tennessee, yup, 42 hours of straight driving.
We met Eddy at a La Quinta hotel in Tennessee. He was so calm and docile, and laid with my husband on his new doggie bed in the parking lot for a bit. After lots of good-byes, we brought him inside…and the first thing he did was pee in the lobby. Silly boy!
He had NO clue what a bed was, so he slept in his crate the first night. The next morning while my husband was putting all the stuff in the truck, I helped him figure out what a human bed was. They gave us a 2 bed room, so after figuring out what a bed was, Roni had a BLAST jumping from one bed to another…not down and up to another, but jumping over the gap between the beds. He found this so entertaining that he went “mental” and ran around as fast as he could, up onto one bed, jumped over to the 2nd and down and back around again, I’d say for about 5 minutes. You could tell he was just soooooo happy!
From Tennessee, we booked it all the way to Albuquerque, NM where my husband's family is from. Before we left for New Mexico, we stopped at a local Midas to get an oil change. They LOVED Roni there. He just chilled on the shop room floor while the guys were working on the cars. It was so cute! They wanted to keep him. We also stopped at a local Petsmart to pick up some toys and bones to keep him occupied for the ride back to California. Everyone inside Petsmart just commented on how beautiful he was and said, “that’s a good lookin’ coonhound!” Not to mention his swagger he has when we trots around adds to his beauty! =)
Now, on the way home, he obviously has to go bathroom, and boy did he let us know. He started baying and howling, so we’d pull over at the next gas station and let him out on the long lead. We then discovered, he only goes #2 ON bushes. He wiggles his little booty on top of a bush and does his duty….not grass, bushes.
We eventually made it back to California a week later from the date we originally left. We introduced Roni to his brothers, Bongo and Tonka, on neutral ground, and they did fine. Bongo was a little bit unsure at first, but I think its because he’s a little scaredy cat!
Now this is where all the fun begins. Ronix is a B & T version of Marley from Marley & Me. Not AS destructive, but definitely thinks that pillows, sandals, tennis shoes, my $200 pairs of UGG boots, TV controls, Tonka’s ears, Tonka’s legs, scarves and so many more things are the most amusing things to play with. He does thankfully like playing tug-of-war with his brothers with the ropes, and LOVES his kong toys. Him and Tonka steal each others toys. Its so funny. The other day, Tonka stole Roni’s rawhide and took off outside with it. Roni thought that wasn’t fair, so he stole Tonka’s “indestructible” gigantic rubber-plastic bone and took off with it inside. Speaking of inside, Ronix has found the luxury and comforts of being inside. He now loves being on the couch, and watching TV. Yes, he watches TV and especially pays extra attention if he hears a dog barking or doggie noises on the TV and cocks his head. He loves it inside so much, I have to sometimes pick him up and place him outside in order for him to go outside so he can go potty.
But when Ronix is outside, you better believe ALL is energy comes out. He has blossomed into such a different dog. He was very docile when we first got him, but now he’s just loving his life. He runs around the backyard like a mad man, and wont stop. Of course, Tonka is usually there to chase him until he poops out.
Every night before it gets dark, my husband and I make it a ritual to run around with him. Roni loves chasing people. We go around and around and around in circles around the pool. There's an occasional fall in when he gets too speedy around the turns, but he gets himself out. His brother Bongo loves going into the pool. He’s like one of those labs that run and then jump for length in those competitions. Roni must get worried that Bongo jumps in the pool after my husband and I because Roni attempt to “gently” place his paws in the water, but eventually goes ker-plop in the water…completely underwater too sometimes. When he does go into the water, its not a jump, he sort of dives in! =) We’re definitely going to get him a life vest because it seems to happen quite often. Thankfully its only when we’re in the pool, so we can guide him to the stairs.
Today, my husband was running around the pool with him, and they usually both stop half way so they are across the pool from each other. Roni of course lets out his hound dog bark until my husband starts running again. Well today I was watching them, all comfy in my sweatpants and a t-shirt, and Ronix somehow thought that he could jump across the pool (mind you the pool cover was on), well, he jump/fell into the pool onto the pool cover, and I freaked out because I thought he was going to get stuck or something, and I jumped in with my clothes fully intact to save him. I lifted him onto the ground and he stood there almost with a huge smile on his face like as if he were saying, “Thanks mom, lets do that again, that was fun!”
To make a long story short, Roni is such a sweet and fun and charismatic dog. We think that he might be a little bit younger than 2-3 because he acts VERY much like a puppy. Bounds everywhere and pounces on everything, and has a lot of “puppy” skin. He’s put on some more weight too since he came to us, maybe a good 5-10 pounds. I am also so amazed that he has no distrust in humans coming from the background he came from. We think that he might have been abused too because sometimes when a loud noise arises, he crunches down and squints his eyes…poor guy. I wonder if he ever remembers his past, because the first few nights he was with us, it was almost like he had doggie nightmares. He’d let out this bloody curdling scream, or a defensive bark-growl, and it’d wake me up, and I’d go check on him right away, and he’s sound asleep snoring.
But all in all, he’s such a sweetheart. It kills me to hear all the horrible backgrounds these hound dogs come from and how they are treated like “dogs” and not like children or family members. And on the good note, the lady who first found Ronix when he walked up to her farm completely emaciated said that they found out who his old owners were and they apparently have been prosecuted for animal cruelty and are no longer able to own animals….HOORAY! I just pray that he/she wont move to a different county or city and do the same thing to other animals. But at least Ronix got some justice!
Many thanks go out to everyone at AB&T Coonhound Rescue and all the foster parents of these wonderful creatures. Thank you very much, Salem, for giving our guy another shot at life. Keep up the excellent work everyone and lets give these hound dogs a life that they do deserve.
Best Wishes & Woof!
Amanda, Noah, Bongo, Tonka and Ronix
