Pup-Date on Lulu now Reese
By: Carolanne Monteleone
The infamous beagle-on-wheels Lulu officially became Reese Witko-Monteleone on December 27. We spent the entire month of December anticipating her arrival and prepping our townhome. We installed baby gates, rearranged our bedroom to fit her crate, put together her new stroller, and set up her bed right next to Quinn’s in the living room. We couldn’t wait to bring home our sweet baby and begin our new adventure. But there was also a worry if we would be good enough parents for Reese. We didn’t want to make any mistakes and we knew we had so much to learn. We were confident in our skills as beagle parents, but Reese isn’t just any beagle. Renée had years of experience working with all types of dogs in both home settings and a kennel setting and Carolanne had years of experience bottle feeding and raising kittens. We were self-assured that our knowledge with animals would aid us in taking care of Reese, but it was still new territory.
Once we got Reese home, we were on cloud nine. We quickly learned how food motivated Reese is. She graced us with her happy dance (a cute little bounce up and down) in the presence of her dinner or treats. Chicken seems to be the reigning champ of favorite foods still, although she discovers a new favorite frequently. We got her on a potty schedule and learned how to properly help her go. There were a few accidents along the way, but every day without a ‘code yellow’ or ‘code brown’ was deemed high five worthy by her mamas. Reese quickly bonded to her beagle sister, Quinn. They’re about the same age and got along well at their meet and greet but we weren’t sure how Quinn would feel when she realized Reese wasn’t leaving. It didn’t take long for the two of them to do everything together. We instantly realized why everyone says two beagles are better than one!
Reese has taught us so much in the few months she’s been here. We’ve become more patient. It’s not always easy being on a rigid schedule or having a dog that needs constant care but she’s worth every second of the “unglamorous” work. We’ve learned to roll with the punches (or more so, the oopsies). Things don’t always work out how we plan them to and sometimes Reese has an accident at the most inconvenient time, (ahem — 3 AM) but we take a breath, clean it up, and keep going. It’s nothing we can’t handle! Reese is a constant source of happiness and entertainment and a total love bug, always ready to snuggle. We’ve been inspired by our tenacious girl who adapts to everything effortlessly. Reese has never met a stranger and greets everyone with kindness. To say Reese has made our lives better would be a disservice to the true impact she’s had. Every time someone says how lucky she is to have us and thanks us for adopting her, we wish they knew the true lucky ones are us. We are forever grateful to Triangle Beagle Rescue and her foster family, Jeanne and John for giving us the most precious gift: Reese!
