JOHNNY, GET OUT! Johnny, a beagle from Last Hope Animal Rescue in Kentucky, was found by a volunteer crew in the woods of Coram the morning after we learned he had been missing for three days. Thanks to the quick efforts of his search team, the dog was safe.

Beagle Bonanza: I affectionately call Last Hope Dog Center the “unofficial beagle rehabilitation center” because we take in and rehome so many homeless beagles. Unfortunately, a never-ending “surplus” of beagles are abandoned in poor, rural areas of Kentucky by residents who deem them unworthy as hunting dogs or breeding stock. Beagles are typically trained to hunt rabbits. In addition to Kentucky, Last Hope has transported and rehomed many beagles from Virginia, West Virginia, and Georgia. Some are surrendered to local shelters. Those are the lucky ones. Euthanasia in a shelter is more humane than tying them up and leaving them to starve, releasing them far from home, or shooting them at point blank range.

Veterinarians have found lead shot and bullet fragments in our beagles and other hunting dogs when examining them for injuries. We had a pregnant beagle x-rayed to see how many puppies she was carrying. The photos showed old lead fragments in her belly between the puppies.

These Southern Beagles are viewed as property rather than pets. Many are kept in sheds, fenced-in pens, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Gun-shy dogs are unsuitable for hunting. As a result, some of our Beagles suffer from noise phobia and are easily frightened by loud noises because they did not grow up in a New York suburb.

Beagles are popular for adoption on Long Island because of their size and sweet nature. The law of supply and demand applies to dogs as well. There are few responsible shelters waiting for the surplus of beagles in rural shelters in the South, while Last Hope often has potential adopters waiting for beagles when they arrive on Saturday transports. Beagles are pack dogs, so many adopters at Last Hope have multiple beagles.

JOHNNY, IS FOUND! Last Saturday, the volunteers and Letty, our dog coordinator, learned from social media (just before our annual Adopter & Volunteer Barbecue began) that Johnny, a skittish, newly adopted beagle, had run away from Diamond in the Pines Park in Coram last Thursday afternoon.

Since Johnny had been missing in a wooded area for several days, Last Hope immediately contacted a professional tracker. The earliest she could help was the following Monday morning at 7 a.m., when she would be in Coram Park with her five tracking dogs.

During the barbecue, we spread the word on Facebook that Johnny was lost. Denise, our trainer, printed lost flyers and put them in plastic sleeves to protect them from bad weather. That was all we could do since many adopted dogs came to the barbecue with their new families.

Last Hope President Linda toured the Diamond Pines Park property in Coram on Saturday night. Then early Sunday morning, Letty, Denise and a team of six other volunteers descended on the property in the pouring rain to look at the layout, put up flyers for the next day’s dog trackers’ meeting and talk to park visitors about Johnny. Benny, another Last Hope beagle, came along because beagles are pack animals. The hope was that Johnny would sniff a familiar beagle friend and come out of hiding.

*Contingency plans: Another team of volunteers was ready to work with the dog tracker on Monday. Volunteer Barbara assembled her drone to use on Sunday if needed.

A Little League game was taking place near the park entrance. Volunteers handed out flyers and photos of Johnny to the team and baseball fans. A spectator joined in the search. Our volunteers split into pairs to comb the large wooded area near Route 112 in Coram.

At around 11:30 a.m., Donna and her husband James discovered little Johnny. The leash he was dragging behind him was tangled and caught between trees. He was stranded there.

What a relief, especially when they realized he was stuck near where the woods broke off from the highway. This search could have ended in tragedy. Donna wrapped Johnny in a towel and carried him back to the other volunteers, where Johnny was happily reunited. The Little Leaguers were delighted. They cheered, clapped, and hugged Johnny, who enjoyed the attention as well as the cold water and treats he inhaled.

Johnny was so thirsty and hungry! How long had he been trapped and isolated? I suspect he had been stuck since Thursday afternoon, because he was still running at top speed and not sniffing around, exploring slowly. If that’s true, that means he spent three nights in this spot, one of them in pouring rain.

When Johnny returned to Last Hope in Wantagh, he was checked for ticks, gobbled down his late breakfast, and seemed thrilled to be back in his cozy run. It’s a small miracle that Johnny was discovered nearly three days after he went missing during a downpour.

This rescue was thanks to the amazing volunteer team at Last Hope. We have over 200 canine volunteers who are more than a team. They are a close-knit family who will do anything to help their human, animal and feline relatives when one of them is in need or danger.

Last Hope Beagles for Adoption (631-946-9528), 3300 Beltagh Ave., Wantagh: Benny, who helped find Johnny, is a 10-year-old beagle that Last Hope adopted from the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter last month after his owner went into a foster home. He is outgoing and cheerful. Belle is a 2-year-old beautiful tri-colored beagle from Kentucky. She is a little shy and would do well with another dog to boost her confidence. And of course, 2-year-old Johnny, who was surrendered as a stray to a Kentucky animal shelter with either his mother or beagle sister.