[Adopted by Brigitte 27 May]

For more pics go here: http://bit.ly/coBoie

9th April 2010 edit: I have revised the adoption fee to RM500 to include the fee I paid her breeder. The reason I am now making reimbursement of the breeder's fee compulsory is to help out Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB) - they are currently in dire financial straits (read this for details and please help if you can: http://malaysiandogsdeservebetter.blogspot.com/2010/04/need-help.html ). Previously if Donut's adopter voluntarily reimbursed the breeder's fee I had planned to donate the RM200 to MDDB anyway, since they really need funding I reckon a sincere adopter won't mind the expense as it's going to a good cause.

6th April 2010 edit: The family who intended to adopt Donut backed out due to personal reasons (hectic things going on in their lives, nothing to do with Donut herself). So this bundle of beagle-y joy is up for adoption again! :)

5th March 2010 edit: I have had people contact me asking if she's old enough to mate. Apparently some people can't read - DONUT HAS BEEN SPAYED. Meaning she can't get pregnant. If you want to adopt her with the intention of breeding her, don't bother contacting me.

Donut is an affectionate beagle that loves human and canine company. Trained to do toileting on grass and knows a few tricks - sit, paw, high five, up, down, stand, responds to her name and stays on command in the presence of food. Well socialised and impervious even to thunderstorms (she will calmly snooze under whichever car's in the porch whereas my adult dog will be running around in a panic)!

She has some good and bad traits typical of beagles. The good: She's a pack animal as beagles are bred to be and therefore gets along well with other dogs (plays happily with my lab pup and even my temperamental adult mutt). Very friendly even with new people - strangers are constantly delighted when they approach her. The bad: She loves digging holes in the garden (a common problem with beagles). So if you love gardening and your lawn must look immaculate she is not the dog for you. She will also chew stuff you leave lying around which is typical behaviour for all teething puppies.

9th April edit: This isn't necessarily a good/bad thing as it's a natural inclination due to her breed (beagles were originally bred to hunt), but forgot to mention, Donut has a high prey drive when it comes to small animals and cannot be trusted unsupervised with them. She has killed squirrels and birds that wandered into my garden so if you have small animals as pets in your home (rabbits/hamsters/sugar gliders etc.) she would not be a good fit. She's curious and friendly with adult cats when supervised but I would not advise keeping her if you have kittens as I'm not sure if she might mistake them for prey to hunt due to their small size.

For those who might wonder why this lovely dog is up for adoption: She is the product of an irresponsible breeder - I'd rather not go into details because remembering how she came into being in my care makes me mad =/ Initially I was hoping to keep her but being a person who believes one should spend a lot of quality time with his/her dog, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that with 2 dogs of my own I just cannot give Donut the attention she deserves. I spend at least 2 hours a day with my dogs - my opinion is that if you only have time to feed your dog and give it a quick pat as you leave for work/return, then you do not have enough time for a dog. I hope she will find a loving home where love can be lavished on her instead of her present situation where she is receiving limited attention.

Adoption fee is for covering her vaccination (she has had the full set of shots) and spaying costs. On top of those expenses I had to pay off the breeder to have Donut released to me (otherwise the breeder would have dumped her at SPCA or pawned her off to the first willing buyer who may have turned out to be a backyard breeder). If you are a serious adopter and able to reimburse me for the breeder's fee (RM200) this would be greatly appreciated - I will donate the reimbursed amount to a dog rescue organisation. [PLEASE NOTE the 9th April 2010 edit on top of this listing - the breeder's fee is now compulsory.)

I am going to be blunt and state upfront that I can afford to be very selective about the home she goes to and will be. After all, pedigreed dogs are more popular (I wish more people would love mixed breeds just as much, but this is the unfortunate reality) and I am in no hurry rehome her. My priority is finding Donut a home where she will receive more love and attention than I can give her at the moment.

Bearing the above in mind, these are my conditions for adoption:

1. You MUST have time for her. Donut thrives on attention - when I first fostered her she had separation anxiety and would whine and howl if there were no humans or dogs to keep her company (with training she is now a confident dog). As such I strongly prefer a home where there is a friendly dog for companionship. If Donut will be the only dog in the household, I would prefer if the household has someone able to give her constant attention (i.e. retiree/homemaker/work-at-home/kids).
2. No tying or caging up (unless you find a constantly howling beagle particularly enjoyable....).
3. Adoption fee of RM500 to cover medical costs and breeder's fee.
4. Patience with destructive behaviour that is inevitable with all puppies.
5. Maintain her on a premium kibble (she is currently on Orijen)/raw food diet.
6. Allow me to visit in the beginning to check on her wellbeing (as such I am looking for adopters in the KL/Selangor area so that this is possible).
7. Lavish her with love, love and more love! :)

I would appreciate it if you could email a brief intro of yourself, your experience with dogs if any, which area you live in, your household situation (what type of home you live in, whether you have other family members/friends living with you etc.) and why you would like to adopt Donut. I will get back to you with my contact number for further discussion.