Size
(when grown) Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Details
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Story
Pippy arrived at Animal Aid Society with a tiny stuffed toy.The next morning, when I brought her breakfast, she greeted me proudly carrying it in her mouth, then walked beside me all the way to her apartment while I put down her food. Pippy is a Beagle, which means she considers breakfast less of a meal than a sacred event, and at a chonky 21 pounds she's carrying a little more Beagle than nature originally intended. She wanted that breakfast very badly.But, she also wanted to keep hold of her baby.She actually tried to eat without putting the stuffed toy down.I don't know what happened to Pippy before she came to us, and I don't need to. Watching a little dog try to solve the engineering problem of eating breakfast while hanging onto the only thing that made her feel secure told me enough.Pippy is about six years old and may be the sweetest, gentlest dog I've ever met. When you reach down to pet her, she instinctively crouches, as though she's trying to decide whether this hand is going to hurt her or be kind. When the hand lands softly, her whole body relaxes, her tail starts wagging, and her expression changes completely. It's impossible to watch without wondering how many times kindness lost that contest before it finally started winning.The shelter volunteers, being highly trained for these situations, responded exactly as you'd expect.We started bringing her more babies.Pippy now has an impressive collection of little stuffed toys. She carefully carries them around, proudly shows them to anyone willing to admire them, keeps them together, and treats them with astonishing tenderness. Somewhere along the way, something else changed, too. She now gently sets her baby down before she eats because she's beginning to believe it will still be there when she's finished.That may not sound like much, but around here we know better. Trust doesn't arrive all at once. Sometimes it shows up disguised as a little Beagle deciding it's safe to let go of a stuffed toy for five minutes.Pippy would love to meet you and show you her stuffies at Animal Aid Society, 80 Butler Farm Road, Hampton, VA. Visiting hours are 9am to noon, daily, including weekends and holidays.Interested? Come for a visit any day of the week - 365 days a year between 9am - 12pm. Hope to see you soon!PLEASE NOTE: Animal Aid Society observes a 40 mile adoption radius to facilitate post adoption support and follow ups.
