High Pines Beagles
 

Ashland, Alabama 256 354 - 2803 and Douglasville, Georgia 770-920-6594

 
 

Home Tri - Color Lemon & Expectant Beagles Kennel Information About US
 
High Pines Beagles kennel is located in Ashland, Alabama.
ABOVE GROUND KENNEL BOXES AND RUNS (SEE PICTURES BELOW)
Our females in season are kept in above-ground kennel boxes with coated wire for the outside areas. In winter, we have heating pads. These boxes are also utilized to separate a dog that may be ill. Pregnant beagles and females with pups are usually inside with us--pups and mama beagle under the kitchen table!

OUTSIDE KENNEL AREA
Our main kennel section has concrete base and wood kennel dog houses (with special coated flooring for ease of disinfecting). There are spacious running areas for the grown dogs. The kennel area is located among the trees and has shaded areas for summertime comfort. The dogs seem to love the "porch" areas on the front of the doghouses. They like to stretch out and take a snooze. And if you visit at the right time during the day, loud and varied snoring can be heard from the kennel area!!

They all love to run a rabbit. Wish we had more time to take them out, for it's truly a beagle's heart to run a rabbit.

We feed quality DIAMOND DOG FOOD. And it shows in their fine shiny coats. We also use the NuVet supplement. We will be glad to provide you with information on this superior supplement.

Pregnant and nursing females are supplemented with calcium, extra vitamins, sardines (makes for beautiful puppies), liver, eggs and, of course, Red Raspberry Leaves, an herbal supplement especially for pregnant and nursing females.

When the puppies are born, we have all the supplies on hand. The nasal aspirator (to clean out mucus from air passages), the Nutra Drops (a quick-acting nutrient source that absorbs through the tongue to aid a weak puppy), and the Jack Daniel. We once had a friend ask if that was for us or the dogs. Actually, if a puppy is not breathing, just a drop on his tongue will stimulate the puppy and more than once has recessitated a weak puppy. So the answer to that is, it IS for the dogs--really!! Sometimes the mama is so pregnant that she can't reach the puppies or they come so fast that she can't keep up. Sterile instruments are on hand to assist the mama beagle with her task of severing the cord (we use two clamps to seal the cord and then cut the cord with sissors). Something else I do is to heat up towels in the microwave and use them to warm up the puppy after we (the mama beagle, J.R. and I) have dried the puppy off. That warm towel must feel good to the newborn puppy after the shock of coming 'into this ole world.' And, of course, we assist any puppy that needs help "latching on" to the chow line.

When it's all over and the babies are nursing or sleeping, that sight is beyond words. The mama is tired but proud (I guess you better make that "two" mamas--the beagle and me!) I will usually heat a big towel and just lay across the top to keep the heat in. You can hear the mama just sigh and relax with her puppies.

Since our puppies are usually born in the house inside the lower half of a plastic dog house, we then place the top half on the lower half to keep the heat in. One of those whelping heaters is especially helpful in the first couple of days while the puppies are gaining strength.

We weigh the puppies and keep track of their weight, just to be sure one is not falling behind and they are all gaining weight.

If a puppy needs supplemental feeding, I have a plan for that! I use (canned) goat milk, some water, puppy vitamins, egg yoke, a small amount of plain (or vanilla) yogurt (to set up the intestinal tract with acidolphilus/ lactobilius bacteria) for the formula. A little later I will add some baby rice cereal. For the actual feeding, I use Dr. Brown's (yeah, it's a people-baby bottle and an expensive one!!) bottles. But I'll tell you right now, that the puppy gets a lot MORE NUTRITION fast, because he doesn't get any air while trying to drink from the bottle.

But nothing compares with a litter of baby beagles and watching them grow up and chew on each other and then, finally, one day seeing that light come on their head that says "THIS is what it's all about--as they take off chasing their first rabbit!!!"

I could go on and on and one--oh, why don't you just give us a call, and I WILL go on some more!!




High Pines Kennel must be "official" now. We have had our very first American Kennel Club inspection. And I am pleased to report that the AKC rep evidently liked our set up. Always on the lookout for better ways to do something, we asked if he had any suggestions on how we could improve--either the paperwork the AKC required or our kennel setup. He indicated that we were doing things right, and he couldn't think of a suggestion right then. So, that makes you feel good. Naturally, we had to show him our new beagle babies. He liked them, as well. (Of course, everyone just HAS to love beagle puppies!)

So you can know that High Pines Kennel is in compliance with (and exceeds!) the American Kennel Club requirements.
Our kennel consists of several divided, concrete areas. Each area has a feeder, a large water container (with heater in cold weather), a house/shelter and an area for running. Each area also has a stainless steel table where we can put each dogs for some individual attention.

We have a number of off-ground kennel boxes. These are used for pregnant dogs, females in season, or perhaps to house the mama and pups in good weather. We also place any dog that may not be feeling well in these above ground areas.

On the left is High Pines Lizzie. She is a young dog about 2 years old and is expecting her first litter. Her sire is the three-time AKC WORLD FIELD CHAMPION, Lizard Creek Boogyman. In the middle is Maxine, our lemon and white patch female from Arkansas. She is also expecting a litter. And in the third area (taking a nap, no doubt) is Little Bit, also pregnant. All these pups are due in mid-July and will be ready for their new homes in mid-September.

These boxes also open from the bedding area in the back. The floor surface is a fiberglass for ease of sanitation. Underneath the fiberglass is plywood and underneath the plywood is insulation. Thre is also insulation on the ceiling. J.R. planned ahead and made these boxes not only sturdy, but COMFORTABLE with our dogs in mind. In the cold months, we can also place a special heating unit inside.

Note the tags on the front of each box. In accordance with AKC regulations, we list the name and AKC number and, in the case of a pregnant female, the bred date, the name and AKC number of the sire of her litter, the date her litter is due, the date of the 42-day worming, and spaces to indicate the number and sex of her litter.
And where do High Pines Beagles play?!?!?! Why the "Playground", of course. High Pines Beagles has approximately 5 acres of fenced in rabbit-running territory called the Playground. And rabbits just love to hide in the briars, the brambles, and in the South, the kudzu!!! WATCH OUT!!! Don't stand still--that kudzu will get ya! it grows so fast!!!

Every time we let Little Honey or the Tinkerbell out, they head straight for the pen and have found a little hole where they crawl in and proceed to rabbit hunt.

We have located a few 50 gallon plastic barrels cut in half lengthwise with a small entrance at each end over the fields. This enables the rabbits to hide if need be. We do limit the number of beagles allowed in the pen at one time. There was this one rabbit that would just tickle you to death. The dogs would chase him in a circle for several rounds and then suddenly, he would take a big leap to the side and walk up to the top of the hill and just watch them going in circles!! Wonder what he was thinking!!!