My name is Melvin- Foster Home Needed!

Posted over 2 months ago

Thumbnail photo of Melvin- Foster Home Needed #1

Thumbnail photo of Melvin- Foster Home Needed #2

Thumbnail photo of Melvin- Foster Home Needed #3

Thumbnail photo of Melvin- Foster Home Needed #4

Cared for by Illinois Birddog Rescue

Or Apply to Adopt

My basic info

Breed

Beagle

Color

Tricolor (Tan/Brown & Black & White)

Age

1 year 2 months old, Young

Size

Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less (when grown)

Weight

22 lbs (current)

Sex

Male

Pet ID

–

My details

Good with dogs

Good with cats

Purebred

Shots current

Spayed / Neutered

Has special needs

My personality

My story

Here's what the humans have to say about me:

Markus and Melvin's Facebook Photo Album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.1159748329529604&type=3 (copy and paste into your browser).

8-12-2025: The boys have been in doggie day care/ boarding for a couple of weeks are are doing great!! They are warming up to the staff at Tail Gate for Dogs and having a blast playing with all their new friends. We have decided that the boys can move into separate homes but there needs to be a playful dog buddy in their new foster to adopt home. They are doing great with our heartworm slow-kill program and we are hopeful they will be negative by the end of the year. The great part about our program is there is no exercise restriction so they can play and take walks.

7-13-2025: The boys have been in doggie day care/ boarding for a couple of weeks are are doing great!! They are warming up to the staff at Tail Gate for Dogs and having a blast playing with all their new friends. We would love to move them into a foster home, however, with a loving, caring patient family to help them get ready for their forever home.

6-21-2025: Marky and Melvin are youngish Beagle brothers we saved from an over-crowded shelter in Memphis, TN. Sadly both boys have heartworms and both have a grade 2/6 heart murmur that we hope will improve the longer they are in our heartworm slow-kill program. My guess is they are about 2 years old and have not suffered too much kindness from humans as they are timid and a little feral-- but there is hope. They are great with other dogs and cat safe. I have seen them fight with each other, but for the most part, they are a pair. We need a loving, patient foster to help them learn that most people are kind. Marky- the bigger one is a little more open to pets and cuddles. I found that both boys liked hot dogs and food is going to be a huge part of their recovery.

We will be doing blood work soon, but I can just about guarantee that they both have at least Lyme disease that may be causing the heart murmurs. We are treating them as if they are infected as part of our heartworm slow-kill protocol anyways. We will also be adding some good supplements to help their heart and bodies heal. If you are interested in fostering, our application is at helpibr.org If you would like to help sponsor their care, we have PayPal at www.illinoisbirddogrescue.org VENMO with @illinoisbirddogrescue and ZELLE with info@illinoisbirddogrescue.org

Markus and Melvin's Facebook Photo Album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.1159748329529604&type=3 (copy and paste into your browser).

Rescue

Illinois Birddog Rescue

Contact info

Pet ID

—

Contact

—

Phone

(630) 694-1359

info@illinoisbirddogrescue.org

Website

http://www.illinoisbirddogrescue.org

Address

PO Box 364, Wood Dale, IL 60191

Donation

Their adoption process

Additional adoption info

Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc. requires all of our dogs to be placed first and foremost as pets. We will place dogs into hunting homes, but they must live indoors as part of the family. We also require fenced in yards for all of our purebred dogs so that they may self-exercise safely.

All of our foster homes give the rescue dogs lots of TLC. While in foster care our dogs will be:

socialized with other dogs, people, and children
cat tested if possible
crate trained and housebroken
evaluated for hunting potential by scent pointing planted game birds
We take great pride in making sure all of our rescue dogs are healthy before being adopted. All of our rescues will have been:
spayed or neutered
tested for heartworm and treated if necessary
protected from parvo/distemper and vaccinated for rabies
de-wormed
microchipped
We ask for a $425 non-negotiable adoption fee for our dogs, puppies that have not been spayed or neutered are $475 with a $100 spay/neuter refundable deposit.
When adopting one of our rescues, we want to make sure both you and the dog will be a good match. Here's how our procedure works:

Complete and submit the online adoption application
Your application will be reviewed by all board members and the foster care provider.
You will receive a call for a phone interview
If approved, we will then arrange for you to speak at length with the foster care provider and meet the dog you are interested in.
A home check will be done to assure the safety of the rescue dog in its new home environment. Because of the intense hunting instincts these dogs posess, we require their forever homes to have safe fenced in yards.
Because we want to make sure our dogs live long healthy, happy lives, we will only place our dogs into non-smoking homes.
At the time of adoption, the fee will be collected and an adoption contract signed.
In the weeks following the adoption a member of our group will contact you and do a follow-up obedience or dietary home visit, if needed. We want to make sure you and your new family member are completely happy and healthy!

Adoption application

https://illinoisbirddogrescue.org/adoption_procedure.html

More about this rescue

Who We Are...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Mission Statement
It is our mission to provide a temporary safe haven and rehabilitation for field bred English Pointers and English Setters found homeless in shelters. In an effort to find the dogs homes, we also hope to educate the public on dog health and training. We also work to dispel such myths as “a neutered dog won’t hunt” and “you ruin a hunting dog by letting him live in the house.”

About IBR
Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc. is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving, transporting, vetting, fostering, and adopting homeless American Field-bred English Pointers and English Setters - a group of canines commonly known as BIRDDOGS. We are funded solely from adoption fees and donations. Since our slow beginning in October of 2001, we have placed over 500 dogs and puppies.
Most of our rescue dogs are in foster care in the Chicagoland area with a wonderful group of volunteers who dedicate their free time and energy to help the dogs get ready for their forever homes. While in foster care, the rescues live in a home and are socialized with other dogs, people, children, and cat tested if possible. To assure that they will make good house pets, our rescues are also taught basic manners, are housebroken and crate trained. Unfortunately many of the rescues that come in have been abused or are in poor health. We take care of any medical issues and give these dogs lots of TLC.

On occasion we test the dogs hunting instinct using planted pigeons or quail to see if they have any scent pointing ability. Seeing one of our birddogs pointing a bird by scent alone is a beautiful thing. We have successfully adopted out our dogs to hunters as long as they are spoiled rotten house pets first.

While our organization focuses on pointers and setters, we also work in conjunction with other birddog groups across the country who save Brittanys, German Short-haired Pointers, and Setters by helping them transport their homeless hunters to safety.