Here's information on Beasley, including a picture. He is a 3.5 year old red, shorthair miniature dachshund, weighing about 10 pounds, though he has longer legs than the average dachshund. He was the runt of his litter and has always been a very timid dachshund, prone to anxiety. Supposedly he is AKC registered, but I wonder if he might have some chihuahua in his ancestry due to his longer legs, smaller ears, and temperment. He was actually a replacement dog from a breeder downstate when the first dog we got from her was extremely aggressive, contrary to her claims of fantastic temperments. (We ended up giving that dog to my parents, who are near retirement age and have a large yard with no small children, and it has worked out fantastically. Unfortunately, Beasley is a different story.) I have since realized that this breeder is one of the "Backyard Breeder" types that is only in it for the money.
Anyway, back to Beasley. His anxiousness displays itself in a lot of high-pitched squeal type barking whenever he gets excited or frightened, and he has incontinence when he is even marginally excited. He is very high maintenance and needs a lot of consistent attention. He will always try and find a lap to lie on and will forcefully attempt to make you pet him if your hand is anywhere close to him. He was crate trained as a puppy but he does much, much better if he can sleep in the same bed as another person. He is very clingy and will follow whoever is home around the house just to be by someone. My wife and I recently had a baby, and we are simply unable to provide him with the attention he needs now, which is why I am trying to find a good home for him. :( One of his quirks is that if he isn't getting the attention he wants, he will sneak off and mark table legs or furniture. This has become unbearable for my wife, who is home alone all day with the baby and can't possibly watch Beasley at all times.
He would do well in a quiet home with older children who don't make sudden frightening outbursts of sound. He absolutely loves playing retrieve games and can be easily exercised by just throwing a ball down the hall and repeating when he brings it back, though he also loves walks. He is very aggressive around strange dogs, no matter how submissively they approach, another quirk of his anxiety. He is also aggressive with strange persons, but will quickly accept them (and ignore them), if they make no eye contact and simply ingore him. He won't bite, but he will bark and approach with hackles raised, though he will snap at strange dogs. I believe he will quickly adapt to a new home, as long as the people in it are kind to him and give him lots of attention. We left him at my parents when we went on vacation for two weeks and within two days he was laying on my mother's lap and acting very much at home with my dad and the other dachshund. As long as he has people around and a lap to lie on, he will be happy.
We are in the western suburbs of Chicago, in Lombard, near I-88 and I-355. Thanks for your interest in Beasley and the possibility of helping us find a home for him. It's a terribly hard thing for me to do, but we can't meet his needs any more and it's causing unhappiness for everyone. Thanks for your help.
What a cutie he is.......Sue asked me to post this plea......surely there is someone in the Chicago area that needs a companion.....Crossing fingers and paws that we can help him :xfinger:
In the meantime, there are those belly bands you can put around male dogs who tend to mark. I had gotten pair for Luther, but of course he is a Houdini dog and figured out how to take off his harness and his belly band and anything else you try and put on him. Now he is trained to go on the pooch pads if he "gets the urge". Just a suggestion.