Dec 27 2008
Life of a Bloodhound
We used to have a Bloodhound named Milo. Sadly, he passed away in March from cancer. He was five and a half years old. He was a sweet mutant of a dog, weighing in at over 130 lbs. Soft and squishy like a real live teddy bear, you couldn’t help but love him.
I’ll write the rest of this entry for anyone considering getting a Bloodhound, for Milo could also be a tough dog to live with. Some of the things that we dealt with:
1. Drool. From top to bottom of our house you’d find lines of brown, from his head shaking and flinging slobber. It was horrible to clean and I could never keep up with the mess. It could also be embaressing when he drooled on complete strangers at the dogpark. (not everyone there is dressed to be out playing with dogs)
2. Endless Appetite. Milo lived to eat. Bloat is a major concern with the breed. He could steal whole loaves of bread from the counter and then go out looking for more in the neighbours’ compost pile.
3. Hip dysplasia. This was a problem he was born with. It is heartbreaking to see your dog do the splits or just not be able to go for a walk in the winter because it’s too cold.
4. Fences. Are an absolute must. Bloodhounds can get into big trouble fast. They aren’t the smartest, even though their noses are amazing.
Would I own a Bloodhound again? Not living in the city. Even though we have trails to explore, I don’t feel it’s enough.
I miss our buddy, but wish we could have given him an even better life.
