Featured Rescue - Dixie the Bluetick Coonhound

I've always had a soft spot for Blueticks and Redbones ... I blame this on being forced to read "Where the Red Fern Grows" when I was in school. It was a great book, but a heartbreaker for the dog-lover. I also had a friend whose father hunted - he always had 4 Redbones on hand (this may have also contributed). Generally, 3 were trained at all times and the fourth was his up and coming pup. The dogs were rotated on the hunting trips so that one always stayed home with the wife and kids.

One of the things I don't like about hunting is the dogs and the way they are treated (the above example was an exception to this generalization - there are always exceptions). If the dog doesn't work out on the hunt, many are left behind to fend for themselves. Little to no veterinary care is given to these dogs unless they prove themselves. Even then, they are often seen as a simple commodity to be bought and sold and not as a valued member of the hunt to be cared for. Hundreds of hounds go through rescues in prime hunting areas and it bothers me to no end. Some are shot at the end of the trip when they don't work out, but it is cheaper to just leave the dog behind.

This is Dixie. She is estimated to be 3 years old and is a gentle giant. Hounds often don't make it out of County Pounds ... there are simply so many that euthanasia is often the only choice. Lucky for Dixie, she is at Heart of the Catskills Humane Society. See her Petfinder ad here.

I know of at least one Canine Control in Ontario that uses the old "Take-Em-Out-The-Back-Door-And-Put-A-Bullet-To-'Em" method ... it's cheaper and quicker than euthanasia. One foster I know pulls them out of there when she has space/time. The unfortunate side is that nearly all of the hounds she pulls out have no experience inside a house, aren't housetrained and have NO manners.