Foster Home Update: 

Dog4 A Day Update ~~ My roommate and I took pretty girl out for the day. Before we took her out we were informed that she is incredibly shy and timid with a fear of the ground, so we weren't really sure what to expect, but once she was out of the cage and adjusted to her surroundings she was very loving and sweet. She is very timid and shy, always keeping her body low to the ground, but she definitely was more perky toward the end of our outing. She's very well behaved, and never barked.

 We took her out to the dog park across the street. She took some time getting adjusted but she was friendly too all other dogs, though was intimidated by the larger dogs running towards her. She was very reserved outside and didn't want to play, she just likes to walk around and cuddle. We even took her to a dog friendly restaurant and she just sat there,very well behaved the whole time not bothering anyone. She never jumped on anyone and was not even phased by all the delicious food around her, I mean she wouldn't even accept the treats the owners tried to give her. She was good with all the kids that wanted to pet her. We would take her in a heartbeat if our living situation allowed it, but all you really need to know is that she is the sweetest dog in the whole world and although she's a little shy, when she warms up to her surroundings she's super loving and loves to cuddle!
 

Pretty Girl came to us from a very rural county where there is no animal services or rescues and everyone just takes the dogs to the "Dump". She is very playful once you get her out of the cage but in the cage she is very scared. She would make a great family dog!  One of our volunteers walked Pretty Girl and reported that she walks very very well on a leash.

General Information about Hound Dogs
All of the dogs listed below belong to the collection of dogs referred to as Hound Dogs. As implied by its name Hound Dogs have been bred to chase (or hound) a quarry by sight or smell, or a combination of both senses. Sighthounds have exceptional eyesight, combined with the speed and stamina necessary to catch the intended prey once seen, typical examples being the Greyhound and the Whippet. Hounds which rely strongly on the sense of smell to follow the trail of a prey, such as the Bloodhound, quite literally follow their noses, speed and eyesight is of less importance.

Characteristics and features have been introduced and strengthened by breeding from animals who already demonstrated the desired traits. Breeding for appearance was only introduced in the 19th Century. Before this time dogs and puppies were bred to increase useful abilities and traits helpful for the duties they were intended for. Thus, the various hound breeds were initially introduced to help man according to specific requirements such as hunting and running, flushing out and driving game, vermin hunting, guard duties and tracking.

In this day and age only a few hounds still undertake these tasks, but nevertheless, they still harbour the skills and characteristics that made the original Whippet dog breeding program successful. The Hound Breed Group of dogs differ in that some hunt by scent and others by sight. Many hounds are kept in packs, in outdoor kennels. Any dogs and puppies belonging to the Hound breeds require a significant amount of exercise as they have high stamina levels suitable for hunting quarry. There are some breeds in this group who make a distinctive ' baying ' sound - invaluable information should be considering puppies.