They have become part of our family. We would keep them here in a heartbeat if we thought this was their best path. And in truth, if my life’s work could be to love and care for these majestic hounds for all of their days, I would labor in love. Simple as that. And as far as that goes, if there happens to be someone out there who feels their life’s purpose is to make that happen, right here at Yllom Woods, by all means, let your love show LOL. But with time, and for many, many reasons, we have come to believe that their best lives and their forever human/s are out there somewhere waiting for them…they just dont know it yet. And with this belief, my Mom and I enter the rare air of the foster human. I have a lot to say about this as well, so stay tuned for that. But for now, to preserve focus on the critical mission at hand, I urge you to read on…

It has been suggested that they might be escapees from illegal breeding happening in our area. There is a lot more to be said about this as well, in time. But again, for now, continued focus on this current mission…

Most of their time with us has been decompression followed by very gentle orientation to life in a family home. They did not come knowing not to pee on the carpet, and they are not quite there yet, but making so much progress, very nearly there! They also largely did not come knowing what to do on a leash, and in some cases being fearful of. While not perfect by any stretch, they have all 3 been out with me for hikes on the trails with their collars and harnesses and, all things considered, are doing really, really well. And in addition, absolutely love getting out and about! That said, going on three separate leashed walks every day is just not feasible long term for me, let alone twice per day. But sooooo good for them!

The wounds on their paws have long since healed. They have been treated for Lyme and Anaplasmosis. They are thankfully heartworm negative. They are now on monthly preventative and are up to date on their vaccines. I originally had scheduled for their spay surgeries on February 25, but as the date drew nearer, I became increasingly anxious about the reality of trying to care for all 3 of them at the same time – or even one at a time but all still in the same space. The surgeries need to be done, but at this point, I believe divide and conquer is the best approach for them…and for me and my Mom!

They have each spent time away from the pack, and basically they just love the one-on-one time with their human/s. We have separated them so far for only a few hours at a time and need to test them for longer periods, but at this point I believe they would adjust very well to life with their forever human/s. Furthermore, for anyone who has ever endeavored to train ONE hound at a time, you will quickly empathize with the impossible task of trying to train THREE hounds at the same time. IMPOSSIBLE. Impossible. Impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. Training a hound in the first place is not for the faint of heart…but three all at once? Perhaps for a seasoned professional trainer of this type of dog, but definitely not for me. That being said, I strongly believe that putting in the effort in their training is the key to a successful home for them and their human/s. The more training they have, the more freedom they can safely enjoy, the more content they will be and the more everyone in the circle will thrive. In addition, they have so much natural athleticism. And of course their scenting ability is legendary. Agility, nose games, mantrailing, canicross or actual hunting with the proper training, would set these girls up for a lifetime of happiness and contentedness.

They have E-N-E-R-G-Y! Just an unbelievable amount of energy. They were bred to run for miles and miles and miles – in some cases All. Day. Long. Let me say that again: these dogs were bred to run ALL. DAY. LONG. All day long. Lilly, Nellie and Sally of course are not running all day long here, but they are getting a lot of exercise every day. And if they had it their way, I believe they would be in heaven running freely across the countryside for most of the day. The problem is that this practice likely would indeed quite literally land them in heaven. We do have about 1/3 of an acre fenced in, which probably feels like a postage stamp to them, but they use is to the fullest. We have trackers on their collars in case they escape (spoiler alert), and they range from 30,000 to 50,000+ steps per day – mostly happening from romping and playing in our little backyard. Nellie has accumulated over 1 million steps in the past 50 days (to be precise: 1,268,079 steps since January 18). They do like to go back to bed for awhile after their morning potty, they will take a couple of hour or two long naps through the day, and into the evening can nap 3 or 4 hours if they have played a good amount during the day…and thankfully, they sleep well at night.

They have NOSES!!! Just unbelievable noses. According to my online research, they can scent up to 12 miles away under ideal conditions. You just have to respect this reality. But also be prepared for it. The days of actual fox runs are largely in the past, and it seems there is some controversy around those that still exist. But these girls did not get that memo. They have had two great escapes from our fence (prior to fortifications), including most recently traveling over 5 miles cross country in just over an hour, zigzagging through fields and woods, picking up the county highway when convenient, and visiting farmer’s homes and outbuildings along the way 🤦🏼‍♀️. Thankfully we were indeed able to track and retrieve them with their devices, and in so doing learned the very hard lesson that for these girls, being outside of the fence off leash is literally life threatening for them. I’m certain they would have come back eventually, if they lived to tell the tale…

They are SWEET and ADORABLE and PLAYFUL. Hounds epitomize the term “puppy dog eyes”. They each believe – even Nellie (the most timid of the three) – that they are in fact lap dogs. They also have what I would call the “perfect snuggler” gene. They just know exactly how to nestle into the curve of the human torso, how to use your arm as a pillow. And they are very gifted in coming up with ways to try to get you to pet them forever – which is necessary to resist in order to get anything else done in life, but harder than it sounds to turn down those irresistible puppy dog eyes. This is why they make such good family pets… and such poor watch dogs. They LOVE people. Even these girls, who likely have been given many, many, many reasons not to love people. And yet they absolutely LOVE people. They can be a bit timid at first, but once they get to know you, look out: they will try to lick you to death 🩷🐾

These girls could not be lovelier. But they are not ideal for the first time dog owner or for someone with little interest in spending considerable time and/or resources on training and activities.

They are very intelligent, but also highly independent problem solvers by design – making them excellent trackers but challenging to train – particularly in recall and with boundaries. Some would compare them to a clever, determined child who always wants to go exploring. In my experience with these 3 girls, that’s a pretty apt comparison.

Either a playful, energetic brother or sister with a secure, fenced in sizeable backyard or a responsible/informed doggy daycare or dog park time, or long twice daily hikes or hunting, mantrailing, canicross, agility or nose game activities or some combination of above. This is NOT the kind of dog you want to kennel all day, take for a 30 minute walk in the evening, expect to behave and sleep well and back in the kennel all night. There would be no end to behavior and health problems for dog and human alike. Daily stimulation of muscles and mind is non-negotiable for these girls to live their best lives, which will in turn avoid behavior problems born of boredom and frustration. Active, engaged and committed individuals/families are a must!

Small cheese and doggy meatloaf cubes on the bottom with a fill of mashed kibble, peanut butter, pumpkin and cinnamon completed by a peanut butter/oatmeal topper! They absolutely LOVE them, and they are also helping immensely with their confinement training (combination of crates and ex pens depending on the dog).

We have treated 2 for mild yeast infections of the ears, try to keep up with ear flushing/cleaning to prevent further problems, as noted above have treated one for Lyme and one for Anaplasmosis but none have notable active health issues at this time.

If they escape, they will follow their noses for miles, oblivious to the dangers of highway traffic or other animals/people/property who may not appreciate their intense instinctual prey drive. Tracking devices on collars is recommended (about $150 annually for device and tracking subscription). Off leash activities outside of securely fenced in areas may not be achievable. Engaging a very experienced trainer with humane use of an E-Collar would be advised if this is to be attempted. It goes without saying that they are nowhere near ready for E-Collar training at this point, but with consistent one-on-one time they may not be that far from it. Ideally an experienced trainer would be engaged early on in their re-homing process, even in anticipation of, unless the owner is very experienced in training this type of dog. I am currently working with an excellent trainer and believe she would happily continue to work with their future forever humans, although eventually an experienced E-collar trainer would be needed as well.

If there is someone who feels they have the ability/capacity to give all 3 of these girls the care, attention and training that they need, they certainly can go together. They get along very well, although have occasional small quarrels over maybe a chew toy or something like that. The bickering extinguishes quickly with gentle re-direction. But Nellie in particular I believe would do well on her own. She is a little bit the odd girl out in this trio, tends to prefer more time to herself naturally, and I think would feel maybe even a bit of relief to not be in competition all of the time for resources and attention.

We would love to be able to host playdates for the girls to get together from time to time (Yllom Woods is a beautiful place to visit for dogs and humans alike!), and I would be honored to dog sit as my own time/schedule would be allow. If distance or other circumstances were to preclude this, we would not wish for this to be a barrier to an otherwise wonderful home for them. But we can dream. Either way, we would be very grateful to get updates to know how they are doing. And we would of course be here for them to return if for some reason the transition did not go well.