Our first dog Peggy was adopted from an animal shelter, but she passed away only a week after we took her. She was sick, and vets couldn’t save her. She was with our family for a short time but got under our skin, and it wasn’t easy to cope with the loss. The decision was made to take another dog, but this time from a certified breeder.

From the first time Oscar entered our tiny apartment, he was a box full of surprises, and since he came to us in a cardboard box I mean it literally too.

Once freed, Oscar instantly went into a Beagle frenzy, sniffing around the flat and looking for who knows what. He had the squeaky voice, clumsy legs and infinite cute factor. This anarchist, cat among dogs, punk rocker out of the box became our pack member with an agenda of his own.

One time, hanging in the park with other dogs, and their owners, our little cute pup popped out of the bush with a dead pigeon in his mouth. Another time, he found a sandwich in tin foil and ate it together with the indigestible cover.

Years passed by, and Oscar enjoyed long walks, running on the river bank, in a dog park, playing with other dogs and his pack. Then in his fourth year, we moved to the countryside, he got his backyard, frequent encounters with rabbits and deer, and a lake where he would swim almost every day. Oscar was (and still is) a proud and strong male Beagle, so handsome that he became popular among female Beagle owners, and sired 16 little Beagle pups.

Oscar’s health issues

Oscar developed allergies, and the first blooming of plants sends him into an itching and scratching phase, and as though that wasn’t enough, in his eighth year he was diagnosed with diabetes. We check his sugar levels a couple of times during the day and he gets his insulin shots accordingly.

Besides his not so great health, and a couple of grey hairs, he is the same untamed Beagle hound. If you come to our garden party, chances are you will throw him his yellow ball for a few hours. Loud bark, and waving his tail like crazy is his way to say welcome. Woof, woof, don’t just stand there, throw me the ball. So, you see, Oscar is a true inspiration; the real life character for a fictional tale in the Adventures of Oscar the Beagle children’s book series.

When you hear a loud bark in the morning, you know it’s time to get up and go out. Whether it is a dark, rainy and cold November or a hot and sunny July, I’m blessed to have adventures every day. Everyone who had a beagle pet in their lives will know about this feeling, and hopefully, all the others will find out through Adventures of Oscar The Beagle.

Currently, Oscar books are being crowdfunded on Indiegogo.