Wendy the Coonhound Arrives in IL With Hope for Humanity and a Home

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The fearful redtick coonhound traveled from Lafayette, Tennessee to Barrington, Illinois, arriving just in time for National Dog Week. She will now spend a few weeks putting on some weight, visiting the vet, and learning what dog toys are all about. When you’re a dog from Tennessee on animal control’s euthenasia list, your care is a sad state of affairs. Wendy was pulled from the euthenasia list just in the nick of time, which happened to be on the same day that Queen Elizabeth passed away.

Wendy’s savior is a Barrington resident who has stepped up for this type of fostering role in the past. Susan McConnell is friends with an animal control police officer in Tennessee, a woman with a heart of gold who makes every effort to save the dogs who are remarkable. The officer called McConnell and said that Wendy was a beautiful hunting dog who just isn’t much of a hunter, that she’d make a fabulous family dog or even an emotional support animal. She reported that Wendy wasn’t doing well in the animal control’s high-kill shelter, and that she was only content when sitting close to a person.

“When Wendy arrived she was hungry and tired. All she did was sleep for the first four days,” said McConnell. “It was clear from the beginning that she had never seen a dog toy or a dog chew stick. She’s seen them now, she’s surrounded by toys, and she’s settled right in. She ate a lot in the beginning but now she knows that food isn’t an issue, her stomach has caught up with her brain, and she is not so focused on food.”

McConnell further reports that Wendy is housebroken, she gets along with her other dogs, she is fine being left home alone, but she cries at night if she is by herself. She’s also squeaky clean, having been freshly groomed at Bonejour Pet Salon in Barrington.  “She is going to be a great dog to keep a child company throughout the night, or an adult.”

There is one thing in which Wendy is an expert. Affection. She drinks in and gives affection with abandon. McConnell says that Wendy loves to be hugged, and sets her head in her lap and just loves attention.

Wendy looks to be an official redtick coonhound. Her hair is copper red, and her eyes are golden. Her hair is short and she weighs 60 pounds. The vet thinks Wendy is about five years old, given her level of calm. Coonhounds enjoy walks, sniffing interesting things along the way, and running at the dog park. They need exercise similar to Labrador Retrievers. Lake County offers Lakewood Dog Exercise Area, a beautiful 100 acre, completely fenced, dog park in Wauconda. She is currently being fed Fromm dog food, available at Rick’s Pet Shop, which offers high nutrition that is important for rescue dogs.

There’s a saying that is appropriate for this situation and it goes like this – “Some people see an unfortunate dog sitting in a shelter, and some people see an angel someone threw away.” If “rescued” is your favorite breed and you would like to learn more about Wendy, please email Susan McConnell at quitsapond@gmail.com.