In November of 2007, we had to suddenly put to sleep our family dog, Haley. She had a very aggressive form of cancer. We found her abandoned in the woods when she was just a pup. The vets told us she was part B & T Coonhound. For the next 9 years she was the most wonderful dog a person could ever have. Our hearts were broken when we had to have her put to sleep, leaving us without our Haley.
One day, out of curiosity, I googled “Black and Tan Coonhound”; that’s when I came across this wonderful web site dedicated to rescuing the Black & Tan Coonhound. We couldn’t believe how cute all the dogs were and they all needed homes! After some very persistent persuading by my daughter, we applied, hoping for a puppy. Hopefully, one of those cute little Winter Wonderland Pups! Jayne called, we were approved and had our pick from the Winter Wonderland Pups!
Due to holidays, snow covered roads, and under-the-weather puppies, we had our puppy pick-up date delayed several times. The first chance we had was the day after Christmas. We drove 4 hours to pick our puppy out and bring him home. We met Phil, the foster dad, and the three puppies and three more beautiful full grown coonies. Now we had the difficult task of picking which puppy we wanted. They were all so cute! After much deliberation, we chose Sleigh Bells and drove the 4 hours back home with a sleeping puppy in the back seat.
On the way home we debated over which name to name him. We had several to choose from. We chose the name Apollo. In our family all our dogs have had celestial themed names. Pluto, Venus, Haley (the comet) and now Apollo, the Handsome Fellow.
Apollo has become the perfect new little family member. Well, not too little anymore! He is 45 pounds at 6 months. Vet says he has a lot more growing to do. Some of ‘Pollo’s favorite things to do include, sleeping under the covers with us, jumping in the shower while someone is showering and playing with his best puppy friend from next door. If he is outside and sees Jelly Belly, he will bay to no end, loudly, until someone brings her over to play. Then he bays loudly the whole time they are romping around, none stop. Did I say loudly? I meant loudly! Neighbors have come from all around to see what’s causing this bizarre noise that’s new to the neighborhood. He is loud; it’s funny. It’s annoying. He is the clumsiest pup I have ever seen; big paws, long legs and no coordination! To our amazement he is very flexible during his rough housing with his BFF. He is always the one on the ground, falling and rolling and somersaulting, only to jump up quickly for another run around the yard, ending in another duo-summersault!
‘Pollo is very smart. He caught on to potty training quickly, trust worthy with the full roam of the house, by 4 months, with no major problems and soon learned the basic tricks of sit, paw, lie down and stay. Once he gets his coordination, he will have “sit up” mastered. He is learning the basics on walking on a leash with “no pulling”. Apollo also has become my running partner. He has gradually worked his way up to 1 ½ miles.
As you can tell with this long update, we love our new puppy! Many thanks go to Jayne and her rescue volunteers. Also to Apollo’s foster family, Phil and his entire family who are amazing for taking in so many puppies/dogs and giving them a great foster home!
Thanks!
The Streckfuss Family
