Sadie's 9 Years Old Today

Sadie is 9 years old today. Considering she came from a 'backyard breeder' from the local area that isn't bad. She has never been sick but has made a couple of vet trips to get stitches when her nose had led her to some kind of injury. To celebrate she will get a 3rd walk with just her and I. No cake but will get some extra treats and additional scoop of kibble for each meal.

Her puppy photos were destroyed by "user error" in 2008. I was having malware problems with my Windows PC and reformatted my hard drive thinking I had captured all of the hound photos during my backups the week before. They were gone ... so what you see in these first three photos are all I have of her. Based on the two rabies tags on her collar I can only assume she was two years old in these first three photos.

She was never one that liked sleeping on blankets or dog beds when she was a pup. By the time I got home from work she had scooted all of the blankets inside her large kennel to the corner and was sleeping on the bare black plastic kennel floor. At night she only liked this small Mexican blanket to sleep on.

As a puppy she was the most obnoxious and destructive puppy I had ever owned. I found out later her strong natural instincts to track scent led her to boredom quickly ... then she'd find anything to keep her busy. Even trying to chew her way out of a strong wired indoor kennel. Those large black ones you see in the pet stores could barely keep her in control while I was gone all day.

Winston did his best to train her to be a good house dog but it took almost 5-6 years before I could stop "puppy proofing" the house when she was around the house. Even if I was sitting at my desk, she would sneak off and find things to get into.

To this day she loves playing fetch. When cabin fever hits her during the winter months or rainy days, she will toss me a bone or a ball wherever I am sitting so she can fetch inside the house.

I also did not let her walk the field off leash until she was almost 7 years old. I had tried when she was younger but one snowy December day she took off after deer, flying as fast as she could into the large field behind the one we walk every day. I couldn't find her and it wasn't until 5-6 hours later that she showed up at the door wanting back inside. After that she was back on the leash for daily walks and the tether when roaming in the field on her own.

Once she is in this pose, she is unconscious of what is going on around her or what is being said. She is has only one thing on her mind and that is tracking.

Before buying the 25' retractable leash, I use to walk her on a 40' lead through the field while Winston and later Heidi walked leash free.

She was around 7 years old in this picture. Her gray hair on her muzzle is not quite showing up yet ... nor had Stella arrived. He best friend at that time was Winston.

It doesn't matter if it's 95° and humid or 7° and freezing, she always likes spending time outside. 

In August 2015 at the age of 7 Stella arrived on the scene and for the first time Sadie had someone just as big, just as strong and maybe a little faster than her. She had not had this much energy since she was a puppy. Winston and Heidi were not only much smaller but also older and past the age of any kind of playing or running with Sadie.

Not only did Stella get Sadie running and playing again like a puppy but taught her that it was okay to kickback and enjoy the outdoors without tracking scent 24/7 whenever she was outside. Sadie had a new friend that I have no doubts added years to her life.

At 8 years old the gray hair started showing up more under her eyes and around her black nose. That did not decrease the amount of food she wanted nor the number of walks she likes every day. After she had outgrown the last hole on her collar she went collarless, except for her annual trip to the vet of her checkup.

Anytime she is outside she always has to be doing something ... this is her 'stare' to tell me she would like to go on a walk. That stare happens more times during the day, than we take walks. If we do 3 walks in a day that is just shy of 1.5 miles.

Just a few days before her 9th birthday she is still tracking scent in the yard or field. Her newest hobby of 2017 is chasing swallows out in the field. They fly just low enough over the top of her that she thinks she can catch them.

She has turned into a great house hound. She no longer destroys my shoes, paperwork, books or cell phones. Her favorite hobby as a puppy was chewing off the plastic tip on shoestrings and only the tip ... and only one per shoe. Luckily she grew out of that.

She is already telling me it's time to eat lunch ... so I have to go.

Sadie Is 8 Years Old Today

Sadie turns 8 years old today and still acts like a puppy in someways. You can read here a lot about her first 7 years, so today I'll just write about this past year. She is living proof not to give up on hounds when they are puppies and destructive, no matter what you try.

She also had separation anxiety up until the age of 5 years old. At that time I was working and gone around ten hours per day from the time I drove to work and returned home. She would spend those times in the biggest indoor heavy wire kennel you could buy. It wasn't much taller than she was but it was long enough for her to turn around. The teeth that she has lost or are damaged today is from her attempts of chewing her way out of that steel rod kennel.

When I would relay the stories of her destruction as she was growing up (many were funny) to co-workers, ALL of them suggested I get rid of her. ALL of them suggested she was a nut case ... she wasn't, she was just a bloodhound, a breed that is somewhat obnoxious when they are young.

So I turned down those opinions, and even the one person that wanted her, because I never give my hounds away no matter what. As she grew older she turned into a great house dog that has the run of the house.

She still loves to roam the field, taught as a 12 week old puppy by Winston. He showed her where all the good spots were in the field and could tell she had tracking tendencies.

Even with fewer teeth, she still likes to chew on an occasional stick. Where she use to use just her small front teeth, now she will try to get the stick further back in her jaw.

Last August I decided to get a 2nd bloodhound, more to help Stella have a permanent home and not really realizing just how much she would change Sadie's life for the better. That first night Sadie wasn't real excited about her new companion ... she had always been the "leader of the pack" ... still is.

After spending all of her 7 years with short legged basset hounds while following The Bloodhound Property Laws, she now had a hound almost as big as she was, just as strong and also followed those same Bloodhound Property Laws.

Her life was about to change ... as it turns out it was for the better.

Stella had Sadie running more and playing like she was a puppy again. It reminded me of the time Sadie was a puppy and was tormenting Winston with her abundance of puppy energy.

Sadie shared her water, gave Stella the chance to choose what bones and balls she wanted but still kept her bed and daily meals off limits. I bought this dog bed the day I picked up Heidi and for Heidi ... but Sadie took over the bed and Heidi decided my bed was a better place to sleep anyway.

She still likes a game of fetch, inside on bad weather days or outside. Once she is playing that game it is all she focuses on, even when Stella tries to get her to play.

Stella has also taught Sadie how to lay down and relax, enjoy the sunshine, and the yard without having to explore and track stuff all the time.

Of course after the week camping trip to Colorado and Utah last June, Sadie has liked riding in the FJ. She and Stella make all the local trips around town as long as I am not going for groceries and the temps are below 80° if I am stopping somewhere. If we are just out driving with no stops, then she rides with the air conditioning on.

Last December the morning that Winston hurt his back and couldn't walk, it was the first time I could ever remember that Sadie got up on my bed. Being the "leader of the pack" she knew something was wrong with him ... She showed concern for him the next few weeks.

The morning I came back without Winston ... Sadie knew her good friend was gone. Winston was the basset hound she chased as a puppy, played with him as a puppy and would sleep with him when it was cold outside.

She could tell what happened to Winston.

She continues to roam the field, run in the backyard just like Winston taught her as a puppy. She still gets so excited for her daily walks and her meals that she hops up and down on her back legs when the word food is mentioned. She always grabs my hand with her mouth as we start the daily walk ... every time.

She is still 'the leader of the pack'

Deep in thought about what she will be doing in year 9 ... never a dull moment in her life in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.