Something that seems impossible to teach Beagles

Hi! It's Cinnamon. Thank you very much for all your kind messages to Mint.

By the way, some friends have asked me if we know what Mint had eaten, causing him to get sick. The answer is 'No.'

At first Mum thought he had swallowed a pebble, because he liked playing with pebbles at the base of a garden tap. Although Mum always told him to drop it whenever she saw Mint holding a pebble in the mouth, he was doing it again just before he got sick. Also, in the morning walk, he seemed to have picked up an acorn or something when Mum was picking up my you-know-what. But, X-rays showed nothing obstructing his stomach.

The vet asked Mum if Mint might have eaten chocolate, but there had been no chance Mint might have eaten chocolate unless he picked up something like that in our walk while no one was seeing. The vet also asked if Mint had been to the beach that morning, but we didn't go to the beach that day.(Last year there were incidents on several beaches in Auckland that dogs died after eating sea slugs that happened to contain the type of toxin usually produced in blow fish.)

After all we still don't know what had caused Mint's sickness. It might have been seeds or roots of some plants that contain toxic substances. Mum says that the best way to avoid another incident is that we don't pick up anything from the street. But, I don't think that is possible. Although I am aware Mum has been trying hard to keep our noses off the ground during our walks, I don't think she can completely stop our sniffing, our primary job as beagles!

Before I go, I will show you some photos taken a few days ago in a park called Craigavon Park, which we recently found not too far away from a rented house where we temporarily live now. As you can see in the photos, Mint is very well now!!