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Because we have discovered a very important segment of our breed: rescue. As a member of the American Black & Tan Coonhound Club, I was getting calls on a regular basis for puppies. Because I didn't have any, I simply sent the calls on to members who I knew did have puppies. Not all calls wanted puppies. Some wanted adults. Some even mentioned that they would be willing to take a "less than perfect" adult. I never gave it much thought until one day I got a telephone call from a shelter indicating that they had a black & tan coonhound who was going to be euthanized the next day. They indicated that she was housebroken and was surrendered to the shelter by a young girl who was in tears. It seems that she had found the dog wandering and took her in. Her father wasn't happy about the situation, but tolerated the dog as long as his daughter took care of her. Several years passed and the daughter was college-bound. She couldn't take the dog with her and her father refused to care for her. He forced his daughter to relinquish the dog to the shelter. A sobbing girl turned the dog in and signed the papers. As soon as she left, the dog started howling. She was miserable. There was nobody who was going to adopt this howling hound. Who wants a dog that barks constantly? They were never going to believe that she was howling and barking because she missed her owner. So, she was facing that long walk down the hallway to the door from which dogs didn't return. I made the choice to get her out. I placed an ad in the paper and was very surprised when I received twelve calls for her. She was placed into a very loving home where she still thrives today. I started checking around and was amazed at the sheer numbers of coonhounds that are merely discarded, lost, or owner-relinquished to shelters every year. The light bulb went on and before long, I was placing one dog after another into homes where they were not only safe, but where they filled a very special need. Several people had the same idea I did at the same time and in 1997, the Rescue segment of the American Black & Tan Coonhound Club really got organized. We are networked across the country and have a web site where we are able to list dogs available for adoption. We also list success stories. You can visit the site to learn more about breed rescue and the American Black & Tan Coonhound Club at:

ABTCC

SO ALL YOU DO IS RESCUE?

Nope. We both still attend and participate in AKC dog shows. Julie is very active in the American Black & Tan Coonhound Club. Until we get the very best bitch we can, we will not breed a litter. When we get her and she passes all necessary health tests, finishes her championship, and proves to us that she has an interest in trailing game, we will finally be able to produce our first litter. Until then, we fill our time by helping hounds less fortunate than the ones we feed.