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White-haired grandpa in a red flannel shirt sprinkles feed for mallard ducks at a garden pond as a Beagle watches beside him. 1 / 21

Grandpa Hank Brought Feed for the Ducks. Rusty Had His Own Ideas About Who Deserved It.

AI imagebeaglegrandpaduck pond

A little paper bag of feed tips forward, and a whole crowd of mallards paddles in close. Grandpa Hank leans over the edge of a backyard pond in his red plaid flannel, white hair tousled, smiling like he has done this every morning for years. Right at his elbow sits Rusty, a red and white Beagle with a mouth half open and eyes locked on the bag. The ducks get the grain. Rusty gets the hope. Behind them a weathered wooden fence, a garden shed, and a few potted plants frame a gray, damp day that nobody seems to mind.

Beagles were bred as scent hounds, and that nose rarely takes a day off. Around water birds, that means a little planning helps. Keep a Beagle leashed or calmly settled near ponds, since even a polite dog can decide a duck is worth a chase. Bread is a poor choice for ducks, so many people bring cracked corn, oats, or birdseed instead, and it is smart to keep that feed away from your dog too, since a sudden bag of grain is not part of a balanced canine diet. Rewarding a dog for sitting quietly near wildlife builds good habits, and a short training treat in your pocket makes the lesson easy.

Rusty may never get a beakful of that corn, but he does get the best seat in the house, right next to his favorite person. Some mornings, that is the whole point.

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Grandpa in red plaid flannel flips a pancake in a skillet on a gas stove while a Beagle sits on the floor gazing up at him.Grandpa Hank Was Flipping Pancakes. Rusty Was Practicing the Most Patient Stare Ever.Smiling grandpa in red plaid holds a bowl of popcorn on the couch as a Beagle sniffs at it beside him.Grandpa Made a Big Bowl of Popcorn for Movie Night. Somebody Else Got There First.
Grandpa in a red flannel shirt lathers a wet Beagle standing in a soapy galvanized metal tub in a backyard.Grandpa Hauled Out the Old Metal Tub. Rusty Knew Exactly What That Meant.Grinning grandpa in red plaid does a little dance on a tiled kitchen floor as a Beagle with a blurred wagging tail looks up.An Old Song Came On While Grandpa Was Doing Dishes. Rusty Was Not Ready.Kneeling grandpa in plaid reaches up to pick a red apple as a Beagle sniffs fallen apples on the ground beneath the tree.Grandpa Was Picking Apples Off the Tree. Rusty Appointed Himself Chief Inspector.Grandpa in red plaid hammers a nail into wooden fence boards by an open door while a Beagle holds a stick in its mouth.Grandpa Grabbed His Hammer to Fix the Fence. Rusty Showed Up With Supplies.