Sapphire

• Born in October, 2012.

• Blue Tri AKC/UABR beagle, ~27+ lbs.

• Microchipped

• Spayed, April 2021.

• Sapphire's Needs:

  • Someone home almost all the time, or another dog in the home (she has always had other dogs/people around, and gets stressed when left alone).

  • Patience...she has rarely left our farm, so would take a while and a lot of patience to get her used to town/city life.

  • A promise to not let her get obese....we try to keep our dogs in a good, healthy weight range, as that helps them to live longer!

  • A quiet household:  Probably, a home without small children. She has always been a safe and NON-aggressive dog. I do think the noise of small children will cause her a lot of stress during her acclimation period in a new home, so probably won't let her go to a house with small kids.
    

• Removal of mammary tumor, April, 2021. The veterinarian said it was a "removal and cure," BUT (in my opinion) there's no way of knowing that she won't develop another lump. Please be aware of this point!  Sapphire can stay here for the rest of her life. ***If she is adopted, we caution you to please watch for a lump and if one is discovered, have it removed.  Please don't inquire about her if you can't do this.***

• Sapphire is potty trained here (she will either hold it, or she'll scratch on the glass of our French doors), but of course, would need to be monitored at a new home until she learns the door/routine.  She would do best with an available doggie door to a fenced yard, as she loves to play outside.

• Sapphire needs another dog in the home, OR a person that is almost always home. 
  If she is alone in the house, she will get anxious after a while and might tear something up due to nervousness at being alone.  If she is put in a crate and left alone, she will even tear up her dog bed.  If there is a person or a dog home (in our experience), she seems to be fine. But being left totally alone does stress her, and I want to be 100% clear about that!

• She may not be a good fit for a home with a lot of commotion.

• When not playing outside, she likes to nap in a dog bed. She isn't a big snuggler on furniture.

• Sapphire seems to be really low-shedding most of the time. She may shed more once or twice a year (kind of like a seasonal change of hair coat), but then seems to not shed much the rest of the time.

• She is good on a leash and isn't a puller.

• She has never been "in town" or in a city. She will be very nervous about cars and lots of activity, so would need to be carefully introduced to commotion....we just don't have that on a farm!

• As with all beagles, a family that won't let her get overweight is important. That just plain shortens their lifespan. :-/ I believe that if she gets to 30 lbs, she is way too heavy, so please don't inquire about her if you won't keep her trim enough to stay healthy!

• I would truly prefer that Sapphire live within 2 or 3 hours of us (SW Iowa, near Bedford) in case you find that you don't have the time to invest in bonding with her. My goal is to not let her go to a situation that would end up this way to begin with, but sometimes life is unpredictable.

• Adopting an older dog has pros and cons. Puppies are very jovial, and adapt to new homes quickly. Older dogs take much longer to settle in! They are less enthusiastic about bonding with a new family, so you must be patient and invest time in gaining their love and developing confidence in their new homes and lifestyles. It can take a few weeks or even a few months!
  
  The benefits of not going through puppy chewing/destructive stages, high energy puppy stages, and the longer-term potty training are definitely to be appreciated when adopting an older/mature dog. But, it's important to know that it isn't an instant transition. If you are expecting a dog that instantly loves everyone in your family, is 100% potty trained upon arrival at a new home, or is otherwise a "turn key" pet, neither a puppy nor a mature dog will be guaranteed to fit the bill for you. 

• Although she is not really a senior dog (or a rescue or shelter dog), these web pages might still be good to look at for tips and understanding about adopting a mature dog, training, bonding, etc.
  
  https://www.petlists.org/dogs/milestones-after-adoption

• https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/first-days-senior-dog/
  
  https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/senior_dog/tips-on-adopting-a-senior-dog/

• FREE to a good-fit home.

May, 2021 (above)

Sapphire is one of our larger beagles, so this picture is simply for size reference. I am 5'7" tall.

Videos from October, 2015 (for size reference, although her puppies are awfully fun to watch as well!). :-)
My YouTube channel has several puppy videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXnSb0pmNhuX_um99hGKJaQ