Linda Blauch, who works in the Gift Shop at the Welcome Center is a Beagle woman.
She LOVES the Beagles, has worked in Beagle rescue, (and has adopted several Beagles), and has a sort of ESP when it comes to spotting other Beagle people. Okay, to be honest, everyone who works with her points them out to her as well. That was how Linda met Jack Novoselski & Rikkele Kazim. Not only were they from her home town of Tampa, Florida – but they also run a Beagle rescue group. The conversation was on!

Jack & Rikkele were at Best Friends this past April, to attend the Dog Behavior & Handling workshop. The two friends and co-rescuers both volunteer with the Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue Group which is the only beagle rescue organization in the state of Florida. Jack joined the group in 2004 as President, and Rikkele joined in 2005 to handle all of the in takes.

In 2006, this small group (12 foster homes, and an additional 18 – 20 volunteers), saved the lives of 152 Beagles. In 2007, that number grew to 253. And as of their visit to Best Friends in April of this year, they had already rescued 76 Beagles. They do hold adoption events at local pet supply stores, but most of their Beagles find their forever homes from their website, where private adoptions and home visits are conducted. The group strongly believes that Beagles show better being allowed to run free in someone’s fenced yard as opposed to being crated during an adoption event.

The group showed their creativity when the movie Underdog was released – knowing that when a movie featuring a specific breed is released, the demand for that particular breed goes up – the Tampa Bay Beagle Rescue showed up at local theatres to promote their rescued Beagles! Jack was also involved in Beagle rescue after Hurricane Katrina hit, and was able to reunite Penny with her person, Nina, who was 81 years old, and had been relocated to Florida, without her beloved Beagle.

Linda wanted these people featured because as she writes “I figured if you love Beagles, then you deserve to be featured…But don’t let the fact that these two save the lives of one of the cutest, sweetest, smartest, funniest, hungriest and most challenging breeds ever created influence your decision. There is much more to their story.” And wow, was she right!

Story by Linda Blauch and Jennifer Johnson
Photo by Linda Blauch

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