Sunday, June 8, 2014

Adopt Gretel A Coonhound Dog in Virginia

Gretel is a Black and Tan Coonhound in foster care in Virginia waiting for a forever home.
Long silky soft ears, big ‘ole brown hound dog eyes, noses to the ground. We’ve all seen pictures of coonhounds as “hunting dogs” or seen them lazing around on a front porch in the south somewhere. Has it ever made you wonder what it would like to have a coonhound as a furry family member? 

Coonhounds are one of the most often overlooked breeds in shelters because of the stereotypes – loud, smelly, stubborn. And unfortunately for them, whether they are picked up as strays or dumped by their owners, coonhounds often don’t make it out of the shelter alive.

In reality, coonhounds make wonderful additions to your family. They are a very social breed and interact well with other dogs (and even cats if properly introduced) and they do well with children. They can be vocal with their “hound song” when outdoors, but are typically quiet when enjoying the comforts of being indoors with their human family.



Coonhounds were bred to be hunters so they generally have fewer health issues than other breeds. The most common issue is an ear infection, which is often due to those long gorgeous ears, but it’s easily treatable. While it’s best to keep them leashed when walking due to their “wandering nature”, a coonhound can be perfectly happy as a couch potato or roaming around in a fenced backyard.

Gretel is a Black and Tan Coonhound girl waiting in Virginia for a forever home. No more than 1 year old, Gretel was picked up as a neglected and starved stray. Her sad start in life is now over thanks to the American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue (ABTCR) 
  

Gretel is safe and learning to love life as a young hound. She’s very food and treat motivated and loves to romp and play with her foster siblings. Her best buds in the house are another hound and a young shepherd mix. 


Gretel does well in a crate as she is crated during the workday, but sleeps out at night, either in a big dog bed or with her foster parents. She is a little shy at first, but is learning to trust the humans around her. Her foster family believes that she would do well with children. She's working on house manners and has come far since she joined the foster family.



Gretel is on the petite side but has a huge heart and is so deserving of the love a forever family could give her. Check out a video of Gretel trying to decide which toy she wants to play with! 




To adopt Gretel, visit the American Black and Tan Coonhound website at www.coonhoundrescue.com to fill out an application 

Jayne Schlegel and Molly Smith founded American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue in 2004. In 2012, ABTCR rehomed over 640 coonhounds and bloodhounds, many of whom would have died in shelters had they not been pulled for rescue.

ABTCR has been able to save these hounds because of an extensive network of over 70 active foster homes in 39 states across the country. And foster homes are always needed. To foster means opening up your home to a dog that would have otherwise been euthanized in a shelter. It’s a second chance for a dog that might have been treated badly, neglected, or simply unwanted. 



Fostering a dog is extremely rewarding; words can't describe the feeling of watching a scared, thin dog thrive and become the beautiful companion that can be placed with a new family. The foster family also provides valuable insight into the dog's personality so that a good match can be made with a potential adopter. How many times can you say, “I saved a life today.”?

Take a few moments to watch this fostering video made by volunteers with ABTCR and if you think you’d be interested in fostering for American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue, fill out a foster application here.



 

If you’re still on the fence about coonhounds, check out these links: 
Note:  Huge thanks to Kristi Austin, foster mom to Gretel (and many other dogs) for providing this guest post.

We are participating in the Tuesday's Tails blog hop hosted by Dogs N Pawz and Talking Dogs.  This is the blog hop that features shelter pets.  Find a pet at your local animal shelter or rescue and join us!  Please help spread the word about these beautiful animals via social media and let's find them forever homes!
 
Talking Dogs is the official blog of For Love of a Dog Jewelry.

13 comments:

  1. What a beautiful girl. Hope she gets a home soon.

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  2. OMG, a Coonhound. I have five Treeing Walker Coonhounds of my own, and would have a dozen more if I could. Hounds are great family pets - they a sweet, loving, playful dogs that do well in "packs", whether that pack is made up of other dogs, of people, or both. I'd suggest having two dogs or more if you have a Coonhound, since they love to play and romp together in the yard and will keep each other company when you're not home. Praying this week girl finds a loving forever home. (Oh, and my Kyoko was just 30 pounds at the shelter I adopted her from - she's now on a diet, since she got up to 79 pounds, is down to 74, and her target weight is 65.)

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  3. Oh my goodness, isn't she beautiful? I think I shared her yesterday after stopping by briefly, but I'm going to share her again anyway! :)

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  4. Oh, man, Gretel is SOOOOOOOOOO gorgeous! We love black & tan Coonhounds - I wish we could add another dog to our family now! Sharing this to spread the word about Gretel.
    Cathy Armato
    www.dogsluvusandweluvthem.blogspot.

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  5. Gretel is beautiful! I hope she finds a home soon. I am also a huge fan of fostering, it is one of the best things that you can do to help a shelter and help an animal prepare for a new home. Sharing

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  6. What a beautiful pup!!!!!
    Sharing!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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  7. Coonhounds rock! Thank you everyone for your comments and shares! And thank you Sue!

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  8. I hope she finds her forever home soon, sharing.

    Sheba.

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  9. Aw! Sharing this beautiful girl!

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  10. Gretta is adorable. What a beauty! Will Share.

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  11. She is beautiful. Love coonhounds. Hope she finds a great home.

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  12. What a cutie. She looks so much better since she is in foster! I will share her info and hope she finds a furever home soon :)

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