Maggie - Treeing Walker Coohound - young (2-4 years of age) - female/spayed - Tri-color short coat - 65 pounds
If you are looking for one dog who is the “whole package” - you may be looking for Maggie.
Maggie has magnificent long, floppy ears a a very long, happy tail. She has typical big, brown, sad “hound” eyes that hold you in their gaze with an open, expectant, and hopeful expression.
Everyone who meets Maggie describes her as beautiful, and while she is physically a very beautiful dog, it is her personality and her charming awkwardness that complete the picture. She is slender and quite tall, with rather large feet, and at times she seems to clomp about as if she is wearing shoes that are a bit too large for her.
Always happy to be around people, Maggie greets her foster mom and dad and anyone who visits with warmth and genuine delight. She cannot go anywhere without people being smitten by her. There is a trusting vulnerability to Maggie that makes people want to protect her, shower her with treats, and wrap their arms around her.
Maggie’s history is not known to us, other than that she appeared one morning in the winter on the porch of an elderly man who lived in the country. She was extremely thin, and weather-beaten by the cold. The elderly man fed Maggie for a week, thinking she might just need some food to get the strength to find her way home, but finally he contacted a local rural rescue worker, who picked Maggie up as a stray. No one ever claimed Maggie, and Hedgesville Hounds brought her into care.
At some point during those misadventures, poor Maggie also came into contact with a barbed wire fence, and either a cow or a horse who kicked her. Her injuries were treated and have healed.
It comes as no surprise to us that while Maggie romps with abandon in her fenced yard, she is always eager and grateful to come back inside. Being an indoor house dog is a marvelous wonder for Maggie, and she has adapted quickly to this newfound experience. She is house trained, and signals her foster mom when she needs to go out, then promptly does her business, and comes back in.
Maggie takes nothing for granted, and at times she seems like a puppy who is discovering a whole new world of possibilities. Having a basket of toys is still a source of delight for Maggie, who becomes so excited as she chooses a single toy that she sometimes has to make several tries to select the one she wants. Maggie still seems surprised at the wonder of having basic resources like food and water, as well as people who are always there for her, and at these times she expresses herself in joyful voicing.
Maggie’s adopter(s) should always keep in mind that Maggie looks to her humans, and relies on them for direction. There is a vulnerability in Maggie that seeks not just reassurance, but also guidance. She has an earnest desire to please and be of purpose, even if that purpose is snuggle on her own bed and take a nap.
Maggie’s foster mom is most touched by Maggie’s desire to be around people. Maggie greets her foster mom and dad and anyone who visits with warmth and genuine delight. Her caregivers actually moved Maggie’s bed so that it was it the center of their seating area in the living room - being across the room was not good enough for her - she wanted to be close. At night Maggie sleeps soundly and contentedly on her bed at the foot of her caregivers’ bed.
Maggie is a very loving and sweet dog; she gently nudges you for attention, contentedly settles with a bone or Kong, and exuberantly chases her canine foster brother, Champ. Responsive and highly treat motivated, Maggie has been a joy to teach. She has learned “leave it”, “sit”, and “down”, “place”, “wait”, and “sh-h-h-h” (the cue she is given in those moment of joyful, exuberant voicing), and she glows with pleasure when she is rewarded and praised. Maggie loves all forms of interaction and physical affection from her humans, and leans in when being petted.
Maggie rides beautifully in a car. Her leash skills have improved to such an extent that she now enjoys 2 mile walks every morning with her foster mom.
We do not know anything about Maggie’s interactions with cats. She gets along famously with the male dog in her foster home, but can get excited and vocal around other dogs, so we think that Maggie would do best as an only dog. A securely fenced yard will be a requirement for adopting Maggie. We recommend Maggie for a single family home rather than a townhouse or apartment. We also are recommending Maggie for children over the age of 12 - not because she has evidenced anything but kindness towards smaller children, but due to her awkward and demonstrative nature.
Her foster mom has said it best: “When I tell people about Maggie, I tell them if you’ve never loved a hound, you’ve never met Maggie, and if you’ve loved a hound before, this one is special." She really is one-of-a-kind, and will make a loving, faithful companion.
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