This week I’m going to tell you about my beagle Ziggy, he’s quite the quirky pup. He has opinions on just about everything, and frequently expresses his dislike for things. We got him as a rescue 4 years ago, my mom and sister went to petco one day to get some things and basically walked out with a beagle instead. 

I’m not sure if it’s a beagle thing or if it’s just a Ziggy thing, but man oh man does this dog have a personality! I’ve worked with dogs for 16 years, I have met my fair share of dogs with personalities, but I tell ya this dog is something else. He’s quite dramatic if things do not go his way. He will throw himself down on the ground when he’s through walking, and insists on being carried. He’s also just a tad bit judgmental and will not hesitate to let you know how he feels. He has perfected the eye roll, the side eye and the general look of distaste.

Ziggy isn’t like most dogs, for one, he’s never really around. He’s kind of like a cat, he finds a place to sleep and sleeps…all day. If you bother him during one of his naps he will absolutely let you know he’s annoyed and you are forgiven only after a long belly rub and leg massage. You are not to stop said belly rub and massage until he tells you to, if you try to get out of it early, you’ll get the look accompanied by an aggravated huff of disapproval.

He will however come out from his naps when he smells or hears food. He is very in tune with the sound of the microwave, and obviously has that keen sense of smell that comes standard with beagles. If you decide you don’t feel like sharing your food with Ziggy, he will yell at you…literally. He likes to sit and watch you, and if you’re not sharing fast or frequent enough he will not hesitate to howl at you. He very much likes to get his point across. He also will steal your seat at the dinner table if you get up, and once he does it is officially his. He’s even made his way onto the dinner table if he doesn’t feel he’s getting the correct amount of attention he thinks he deserves.

Another thing is he doesn’t like is going for walks…at all. Now I have three dogs so I always feel really guilty leaving any one of them at home while I take another out. But I know Ziggy is happier not being invited. If I do take him on the walk, he lasts about 5 minutes before rolling over and refusing to move. This is when I have to pick him up and carry him the rest of the way.

Now he does in fact get exercise, but it’s on his terms, for as long as he would like to and only when he would like to. We have a huge backyard and him and my other dog Diesel run all around it playing. His workout routine promptly starts at 8:30pm. This is when he will come out from wherever he is napping, and him and Diesel will wrestle around with whatever piece of toy they’ve found for that night. Saturday and Sunday mornings he likes to switch it up and run around outside in the morning with Diesel. He prefers the mornings on the weekends to get the workout out of the way since its the of course the weekend, which means outside sun naps are the priority. 

Last year when we first got Diesel I thought it would be fun to take all 3 dogs on a little walk/hike. Diesel was 5 months old at the time and I wanted to take them out for a nice walk and of course get some pictures.

Well Ziggy did really well for the whole first half of the walk. He kept pace and they walked like a happy little dog pack. As expected things did not continue that way, within just a few minutes of us heading back to the car he sat down and wouldn’t move. 

 I of course gave him a little break and some water and waited for him to be ready, it was a longer walk so it was totally understandable. But when we started to walk again he stopped again, this time rolling over onto his back. So I did what any normal dog parent would do and scooped him up and carried him the rest of the way…which is exactly what he wanted.

Now as I’ve mentioned prior, Ziggy has two loves in life, naps and food, so yes he is a little on the heavier side. Which made for a fun rest of the walk for me, while also trying to contain both of the other dogs. He made it especially fun when as soon as I picked him up he wasted no time sprawling himself out in my arms as much as he could. He realized he now was being carried and didn’t have to participate in the walk.

Even though he has all his quirks, Ziggy really is a great dog. He’s super sweet and so loving, and knows if you’re not feeling well or upset. He’s the perfect medium sized companion. Having Ziggy has taught us all how to talk to dogs and understand what they’re saying back at us…even if it is super judgmental and a little snarky.