Sunshine Acres Beagles

"Joey" Chocolate Mini size Boy has been claimed by Linda and her family!

one of the pups

was substantially smaller , he is a solid head MIni sized boy !

He is an older pup now but still very very petite, he was the littlest of Sugar's litter and was hand raised by himself... so as our wonderful Vet Doc Faulkner often says ... those can sometimes be his favorites since they have had all the one on one attention , he loves the runts of litters he told Miss Christina , and as long as they had the collostrum the first few days of their lives from mom ( as Joey did) they are healthy and happy little focused in only on their care giver pets... he is just that way and follows us around as we go tend to each thing we need to accomplish that day... he sits at your feet (left picture below) and waits patiently while you fold the laundry , or do the dishes or take care of newborns etc.

"I came across your puppy Joey.I read all about him,and his personality...and I had to stop. Because it HIT ME HARD.You were right-I WAS SMIITTEN INSTANTLY.When I read just that one sentence or two about Joey....it was lihe a switch flipping "on" in my brain."

He also loves to hang out in the front yard off leash and never wanders off into the wooded acres surrounding us as people expect a beagle to do... he lays on the porch or plays in the grass with a toy till someone lets him back inside the house again... the kids think he would be a wonderful tiny lap dog for a retired person who lives alone and needs some companionship and Miss C agrees ... ask for Joey in your subject line his shots are all completed and he is sleeping in a crate now at night very well so we are finally ready to let him find the perfect person!

Miss Christina's favorite "Grace" on Codys friends lap was also a runt of her litter

" little Joey,I am-as you said- SMITTEN "

Lyn had written us with Joey in her subject line and after telling us about her home and family, and experiences, and sharing with us that her bad back as a result of a head on collision needed a petite frame and easy to carry, calm companion, she expressed a sincered love for Joey, and patiently checked in to let us know she trully would provide a wonderful home where he would get attention throughout the day and have a playmate, Toby, who sorely missed his buddy Smudge and looked forward to having a new furry friend!

"Since finding your website,I have been completely captivated...I have NEVER felt so drawn to ANY other,in terms of puppies and dogs,in my search in the 6 months since losing our beloved Smudge. But your site is so incredible,and so comprehensive !"

She had been looking at other breeders' sites, but something held her back, and upon finding our family she decided that she wanted to adopt her new family member from ours. We asked her why she had not adopted from the other breeders, and after telling us about her gut feelings, she further told us things that we have heard from others

"I sure hope I have answered your questions-why I didnt continue working with the Queen Elizabeth breeder(my homework also seems to have raised a suspicious feeling that these puppies are not 100% beagle...Pretzel was gorgeous,but his entire body-tip of nose to tip of tail was a lightcream buff colored,not lemon,but lighter.I think part of me questioned the breeding of these dogs,and their actual standard.I have a hunch that there is more about them,but I just dont knoiw enough to say much more.Yours appear to be top notch,and to know that they are homebodies-like us,with some exercise of course,but a more mellow pace-my middle child could manage and handle it. "

We have heard from others who have adopted thinking they were getting a beagle, but later came to find out that dachsund and Jack Russel had been included in their line to reduce the size. We feel this is inappropriate, because while size is also important, it is not just about size- it also the beagle personality that makes them a perfect family member, and therefore bringing in traits of other breeds such as terriors who are known to have been bred for their digging and rodent chases as well as jumping ability, and generally more hyper characteristic, will alter what you can expect from your dog. Our mission is to develop pure breed beagles who are overall appropritate for indoor pet homes and outdoor adventures with their human pack!

" Its because I found YOUR WEBSITE,I spend hour upon hour reading every page,ever sentence,every line....and so much of what your site says,is RIGHT ON THE MONEY,for our family.When I read your mom has a bad back,THAT was the clincher-for someone in this world who KNOWS HOW IT FEELS to experience pain ,every day,back pain especially...I have a titanium rod in my spine,and lifting dogs,even puppies,can be really hard on some days.But everything in your site hit me,over and over aand over,in a way NO OTHER breeders cite has. "

We are a family, and our reasons for doing what we do is because we love our beagles, and know that there are other family who share this love for the breed as a companion pet. Over the years we have selectively bred our beagles for many housepet traits including size and coat quality, because we know everyone has their own unique preferences for a buddy that will fit just right for the years to come

"I read each and every story on your website,all the adoptions-so many folks have written how YOUR puppies have changed their lives.Be-bops story,the Kortobas,the young newlyweds who want to "practice"and develop their childraising skills...I wanted to adopt from YOU guys,because you get it.You breed beagles for people,knowing that these will be pets-not NOT rabbit chasing hounds(my GREATEST fear after owning Smudge-a Jack Russel for so many years-the "ultimate digger and escape artist"!You get it because you sleep with these puppies,you eat with them,you carry them around from birth...YOU GET IT.Miss Christina and Grace....THAT IS WHAT I WANT"

Joey and Grace snooze in the living room!

Dearest Sunshine Beagle Family Members....

Greetings on a record breaking day here in NJ...OCTOBER 28-and there is already 5" of snow on the ground here-with another 7-10 predicted...ON OCTOBER TWENTY EIGHTH ,FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!It is currently 31'F,and for those who dont know this,in 47 years,I CANNOT RECALL IT EVER SNOWING LIKE THIS,BEFORE DECEMBER 1st..EVER!

What a TRIP its been,in the past 5 hours-its 2pm,and when I got up to take Joey aka "JOE", outside-we both stopped dead in pur tracks...greeted by freezing snow coming down so hard,near blizzard! I could barely see the designated "hurry up area",but I didnt need to! Just 1 week here in our home in NJ-and our boy knew just where to go and just what to do!It was,without a doubt,his fastest "hurry up"trip yet-he found his spot,did his thing,bolted back to me and right back inside...he wanted NO PART of this cold-exactly what I was hoping-and praying for!! And wait till yu hear the rest.you'd better get the Kleenex out now,before I continue...and by all means,you can post this on your web page.

As I had written you way back when,as I was described our situation,and the desires and needs our family had,I wrote you about my greatest concerns-two of which surfaced in a huge way this day here at our home.As you know,I had back surgery been performed a few years ago,however,it failed to relieve my problem,leaving me with very little ability to lift things,and in pain every single day-some days.like today,worse than others.Today,as I reached to let Joey out of his crate,he walked right out-every other morning since we got him last week,.Ive had to bend down and pick him up,he's been afraid,I think,still uncertain of the surroundings,so he steps out,stands still,waiting for me to pick him up,carry him to the door and we go outside,where I either set him down(in the fenced back yard),or on the leash(if we go walking).Well,today,Joey stepped out of his crate,and instead of waiting,he walked all the way to the door-then waited for me to go out with him.I was amazed-he knew the cold weather was affecting my back,and he adjusted his routine,to fit mine.It gets better when you hear the rest...Joey came in,I gave him breakfast,his water,another FAST "hurry up" break.Then back inside for play time with sandwich kid ,Russ.

For your readers who would not know this,my middle son(thus the nickname "Sandwich kid")suffered a very serious injury several years ago,severing his Achilles tendon.The surgeon initially misdiagnosed the injury,and as a result, my son was left with a permanent handicap.Cold and wet days have proven to cause Russ absolute misery, Im certain I keep the Tylenol company in business. Well, about an hour ago,I thought it had gotten awfully quiet in Russ' room-typically the TV is blaring or I hear him shouting at his Xbox. I became concerned that something was awry,it just wasnt NORMAL....so I went into Russ room to check. I absolutely gasped at what I saw.

Russ was laying on his bed,watching cartoons...and at his feet,I saw the most shocking sight Ive seen in a whole lot of years. I saw Joey,lying on Russ bed,but he wasnt just LYING there....he was lying next to Russ feet,but he was actually LICKING Russ INJURED ANKLE. I yelled as I saw it-anything even CLOSE to that ankle scares the daylights out of me-after all,2 surgeries,a year in a wheelchair, a cast to his hip, all of the hours spent in physical therapy sessions, the pain he's been though-to see a dog licking his bad ankle....Russ yelled "Mom! NO!! STOP! ITs OK IT FEELS SO GOOD,its making all of the pain go away!!Its warm and it feel so much better than anything-please leave him alone,its not an open cut,its been years and its completely healed so he cant give me germs,and it feels like he's giving me like a gent;e massage"....and so I left the room,closing the door behind me...leaving my precious boy and that beloved beagle all alone.Boy and dog....as I wanted

I went to my husband, and I was overcome-I was bawling like a baby...to hear my son say-"IT DOESNT HURT,IT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER".There was no Tylenol,I hadn't put any hot compresses on him...nothing...just a Sunshine Beagle, a pet sent from a state hundreds of miles away-taking every bit of pain away from my son,doing what no physician (and there have been MANY) has been able to do in the years since he was injured.that dog stopped my son's pain, the constant ache he feels, the tears he sheds from the never ending chronic discomfort I just have never been able to take from him.

As any mother will tell you, no mom likes to see her children suffer...I swear,as a mother of 3,I would rather take on any one of their pain at any time,any moment of any day,than to have to stand by and watch them experience it.It hurts more to watch,I think,that it does to be the child hurting-when your kid looks at you,tears in THEIR eyes,begging you-"Mom,please make it stop hurting,it hurts so bad I wish they would just cut my leg off".I have watched that child suffer for years,and cried tears that would fill a river for him, because nothing I have ever done has ever been able to stop his pain.The day he was injured,I wasnt home-I'd left him for only 15 minutes with my husband and his little sister,and in a freak accident,the blink of an eye,his life would change forever.The guilt I feel to this day...had I only been home,maybe it wouldnt have happened...maybe things would have been different...

My son will never walk normally.He will never be the athlete his older brother is,heck,he cant ever even play sports with the other kids. There is no football in his life,no baseball,no soccer or even tennis.Nothing.There is only a sad little boy,who knows he will never be able to do the things all of his cousins, his buddies, his friends can do. But thanks to a beagle named Joey...the dog we knew existed....I just knew in my heart, passing by dozens,maybe even hundreds of other dogs...trying to find the right breed,then the right breeder,,,one who'd never lose patience with me,one who never got annoyed at my constant bbarrage of questions,or dozens of emails...one who would LISTEN to me-and match us with exactly the right dog.

The wait time was a long one. Was that wait hard?You better believe it.Was it frustrating?Absolutely,so much so that sometimes it would feel so long, I became very tempted to "settle" on a dog, more than once coming very close to adopting...but then each time, something uncharacteristic of me would happen.My instinct skills werent there,and I would somehow fall short to making the decision-backing out even(much to the annoyance,the understandable frustration and sometimes even the sheer anger and of other breeders-AHEM,thanks again "D"...).But what so many people fail to understand,the welcoming of a puppy into a home should NEVER be one that is taken lightly.Its a decision that is LIFE CHANGING-both for a dog as well as the potential adopter(s).It is a decision that will likely be one lasting up to 2 decades,sometimes beyond the life of even a potential owner.It is a most serious one,not to be taken lightly. It took NINE,almost TEN FULL MONTHS OF SEARCHING, PRAYING, WAITING...because my 6th sense,that instinct that has never yet let me down, made me recognize that the dog I was evaluating WASN'T THE RIGHT DOG. And equally so,it was that same instinct,that same 6th sense that told me,beyond all doubt,that JOEY WAS THE RIGHT ONE.

And thank God-thank GOD,I was fortunate enough to find Miss C, Christi, Cody and Jake...and Sunshine Beagles. It was the divine intervention,finding their website. And the hours of communicating, back and forth, between them and I.

I will never forget this wonderful gift they have given us,and will ,for the rest of my life,be grateful to them for the amazing gift, the blessing the gave to us in the little dog named Joey.

Thank you,thank you Sunshine Beagle family,for all you have given to my family. These simple words can never express fully the enormous gratitude we feel here, but because of you, and the precious gift we have received in Joey.We have begun the journey of healing...together....and it feels really really good.

Many blessings to you all-

Lyn and the family...especially JOEY