Howard, our senior Aroooooer at 84, is a retired engineering professor from the University of Illinois. He lives with his wife and beagles on a 103-acre tree farm in Cumberland County, east-central Illinois.

Molly lost a rib in a vicious attack, but has recovered beautifully. See her home page. Popcorn shows off his handsome head, while Peanut is unhappy in this picture.

Ziebee fell victim to coyotes in the fall of 2000, but he's patiently waiting for Howard at the Rainbow Bridge. Daja, Howard's gentle and elderly dalmatian, joined him in November 2001, and Lacy, his Rottweiler cross, followed in February 2004. Popcorn went to the Bridge on December 29, 2004. Nearly a year later, on December 22, 2005, Bridget joined him.

Sidney and Polly were two much-loved beagles who lived with Elizabeth, her husband Joe, and their twin boys, Mark and Eric, in San Jose, California, where Elizabeth hosts many Northern California Beagle Fests.

Elizabeth works (too much, according to everyone else) in the marketing programs group for Java at Sun Microsystems and spends most of her free time playing with and caring for Polly—and with and for the twin sons she and Joe became parents of in November 2002.

Sidney was an integral part of the family until August 6, 2005, when he departed for the Bridge the day after his 12th birthday.

Laurie lives in New Jersey with her husband Phillip and beagles Clayton, Spenser, and Scooter. Clayton was adopted from SOS Beagle Rescue in 1995. His hobbies include counter-surfing and perimeter patrol in the yard. Spenser (the 38-pound lap dog) was adopted in 1996 from a family who moved to England. He is fearless, brilliant, and too tall. Laurie is a software engineer and founding webmaster (now retired) of Beagles on the Web.

Scooter is the foster dog who came to dinner.

Tim and Tracey Luoma live in Gallipolis, Ohio. Tim is the local Presbyterian minister, and Tracey takes care of young (but growing) Ethan. Their Adventures in Beagledom began with Jerry, who came to them in June of 1997. Very soon afterwards, Tim first met many of his Arooooo! friends.

Sadie followed in February 1998 after Tim heard about her through the list. Finally, Scout, also a rescue from the list, came to join them once they moved to Florida. The pack increased again on May 28, 2002, with a two-legged addition, Ethan, who is already learning the ways of beagle-enhanced living.

Sadly, Jerry left for the bridge in January 2003 after 5½ years as a core member of the pack, but the Luomas look forward to their eventual reunion some day down the road. Scout joined Jerry in early 2006.

Paula and Scott McDonald share their home with three beagles and three honorary beagles. Two of the beagles are above.

Below, there's the human family, before the arrival of their second daughter—and then there are the first two honorary beagles—and the newest honorary beagle, at the very bottom with sibling Heidi.

Rita lives in West Yarmouth, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is a nurse who teaches nursing and shares her home with Buddy, a rising star in the agility ring as soon as he learns to sit, and ME-ME, who joined the family in late December of 1999. The photo of ME-ME with her anonymous friend was taken at her first Christmas with her forever family. And there is also Bob, fondly called 1-0-1 by those binarily-inclined.

Spike (bottom right), a personal friend of Restive Goldberg, went to the Rainbow Bridge on September 4, 1997. All of us who had come to know him through Rita's words miss him—and Rita and her family miss him most of all. Rosalie, an honorary beagle and caretaker of beagles, joined Spike at the Bridge on February 28, 2006, at the age of 16.