Meet Arlo. Arlo is not his real name. It was a name given to him by the rescue organization who found him, lost and alone….wandering……in a rural part of my county. It’s the time of year when hunters cull their dog packs. The old ones, the sick ones, the ones who can’t keep up anymore, well, they get thrown out. Dismissed. Thrown away from the only home they’ve ever known. To fend for themselves or die. Most die. Some get found by kindly strangers and get taken in. Some get rescued by organizations and find forever homes. Some of those die anyway because they have spent their lives so neglected and mistreated.
Arlo was a purebred Treeing Walker Coonhound. In his prime, he was, no doubt, a beauty. To me, he still was. Our local rescue asked me to be his foster mother and I agreed gladly. He was a tough case. Old. Ten years or more with more than one health issue.
i have no issue with hunting as long as it is done in a sportsmanlike way. I am not indicting all hunters as many are very kind to their dogs. Those who aren’t and who engage in animal cruelty spoil it for everyone. In my part of the world, some hunters tie their dogs out in a muddy yard to blue barrels, by chains, and starve them, thinking they will then be hungrier for the hunt. When the rescue organization found poor Arlo, he weighed 57 pounds, severely underweight for his breed. I could feel every rib and every vertebrae in his spine. He didn’t enjoy human contact. That took awhile. He did enjoy his dog food and stuffed toys and his cushy new bed.
Arlo developed severe skin lesions and hot spots. Worst of all, Arlo’s pads on his paws were almost gone. Yes, he had been hunted so hard his pads had been run right off his feet. We tried. We worked with the vet and tried to heal him. His skin got a little better but would not heal. You cannot put the pads back on a dog’s feet and his feet, and his joints, were so painful that he only walked or even stood when he had to. We all conferred and the decision was made to euthanize my precious Arlo. My husband and I had come to love him as our own. Such a beautiful and gentle hound.
When Arlo was with us, he would bay as the hounds do but in his sleep. I hope he is young, in no pain, and baying at the Rainbow Bridge right now. The cry of the hounds is a beautiful thing but not when they are crying because they are mistreated. #animalcruelty #animalabuse #hunting #kentuckyhoundsman #huntingdogs
The Write Scribe 
Poor Arlo is the face of so many hunting dogs in KY. I always thought there was so much beauty in KY but after the things I have seen, it doesn’t hold the appeal any longer. I’ve seen such terrible things done to innocent dogs that I will carry those things with me to my grave.
I’ve had hunters tell me they “don’t hunt” unless they are hungry. I respond by telling them a weak and starving dog does not have the stamina to hunt. There are places here in KY that are fields of blue barrels with coonhounds and beagles chained on short chains. They are over-bred, over-run, sickly with worms and sometimes heart worms. Go to any trade day in KY and you smell it. The smell of feces and blood. Dogs are in shoddy boxes and wire crates, waiting to be sold and traded like unwanted items.
The laws in KY are deliberately kept weak by a small, but powerful group, called The Kentucky Houndsmen. KY Sen. Robin Webb is a member. She works hard to keep any meaningful animal legislation from passing because if it did pass, they would not be able to abuse hunting dogs any longer. Sen. Webb was also charged with violating the Horse Protection Act. She was soring horses. Her trainer was using a shock prod on horses. Typical Webb blamed the incident on the horse and not the human.
The problem with the KY dog law is the word “adequate”. Dogs must have adequate food, water and SPACE. Not shelter… space. So that law allows for green water, moldy food, and short chains. It is up to the dog wardens to decide what is “adequate”. KY is the only state in the nation that does not require some form of shelter for outside animals. The hounds with blue, plastic, icy barrels are considered lucky by some…
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I have a Lovely Coonhound that I adopted from a rescue in Morehead, KY. She is the biggest lover ever. I don’t know her true history although her previous life probably wasn’t a great one. She is in the Best home ever now and will be forever. I’m so very sorry to hear about the loss of your precious rescue pooch Arlo. I sure wish all humans treated animals with love, kindness, & dignity. Thank you for being a great source of love for Arlo.
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People who abuse animals are the worst and lowest form of humanity. They need be treated in the same manner! Hunting is not a sport when hunters abuse their animals in such a disgusting and inhuman manner. Wise up Kentucky legislators! Pass laws protecting animals from these vile circumstances if it’s a hunting dog or neglected pet. These animals abuse victims need protection. This will continue until Kentucky wakes up and enacts laws to put a stop to these atrocities! Contact your senator or representative today. Write letter and emails. Name them in blogs and their responses. Don’t let Arlo have died in vain! I am thankful that his last days were happy, he had shelter, clean water, plentiful food, and medical care. And most of all, kindness and love from a foster family who cared. Adopting rescue dogs is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. Also, when you see animal abuse, report it immediately! Just saying there ought to be a law, won’t solve the problem.
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