5/12/2015:  Sawyer was in foster for a short time to help one of our others dogs in the home.  Sawyer was returned and his foster mom wrote a note for all to see regarding him.
All Sawyer wants in life is to please,be loved and get lots of exercise and belly rubs each day.  Naturally, given his age and the fact that he is all boy, Sawyer has a lot of energy and is best suited for a very active outdoorsy family that will take him running and hiking, play fetch and be with him most of the day. Sawyer is a true hound dog and would make a fantastic companion for a hunter.  He is extremely inquisitive and instinct tells him to chase after birds, reptiles and rodents.  He can go for a 2 hour long walk and still have the energy to play.  Sawyer loves other dogs and would do very well in a home with another four legged friend.  He needs a family that will work with him on obedience.  He tries extremely hard to please and he is food motivated.  So given a little patience and time Sawyer will be well trained and make a great pet for an active family.

The women who surrendered (saved) Sawyer aka Cocoa wrote a letter about him.  I felt it was only right to share his story.
Cocoa has been my neighbors dog for a little over a year.  He's been chained to a fence and his only shelter has been a car.  The man who owned him would push his water to him with a pole, then remove it.   He would feed him and then remove the dish.  In the year that Cocoa has been chained to that fence I saw his owner rub his belly ONCE with his foot, and I never saw him pet him.  The children who come and go never went over to notice him even though he wagged  and wagged hoping to get some attention..no one talked to him or played with him in all this time.  When he would break his leash and get out into the street we would love up on him.  
Evidently what happened is that thier landlady told them to get rid of the dog or they would shoot him.. so the man told all the children he was going to take Cocoa to a relative.  However, when my husband and I went to take our trash to the dump there was Cocoa, much thinner, but just as friendly as ever...he truly is a sweetheart.  We just could not leave him there.  The caretaker of the dump said no one feeds him or gives him water. The caretaker also said that when the trash gets up high enough Cocoa would climb into the dumpster to find food.  Sawyer is heartworm positive but our treatment has been proven successfu, we use the slow kill method.  We wil supply you with literature on heartworm positive dogs.
This story is just to heartbreaking.  The thought that someone could do this is horrible.  He is sweet, gently and loving and would make a sweet pet.  He deserves love, food, water and shelter.  But most of all he deserves a family and home.  
Since he has been surrendered to PRBJ we gave him a new name " SAWYER".  New name, new life, new family.  NEW START.

General Information about Hound Dogs
All of the dogs listed below belong to the collection of dogs referred to as Hound Dogs. As implied by its name Hound Dogs have been bred to chase (or hound) a quarry by sight or smell, or a combination of both senses. Sighthounds have exceptional eyesight, combined with the speed and stamina necessary to catch the intended prey once seen, typical examples being the Greyhound and the Whippet. Hounds which rely strongly on the sense of smell to follow the trail of a prey, such as the Bloodhound, quite literally follow their noses, speed and eyesight is of less importance.

Characteristics and features have been introduced and strengthened by breeding from animals who already demonstrated the desired traits. Breeding for appearance was only introduced in the 19th Century. Before this time dogs and puppies were bred to increase useful abilities and traits helpful for the duties they were intended for. Thus, the various hound breeds were initially introduced to help man according to specific requirements such as hunting and running, flushing out and driving game, vermin hunting, guard duties and tracking.

In this day and age only a few hounds still undertake these tasks, but nevertheless, they still harbour the skills and characteristics that made the original Whippet dog breeding program successful. The Hound Breed Group of dogs differ in that some hunt by scent and others by sight. Many hounds are kept in packs, in outdoor kennels. Any dogs and puppies belonging to the Hound breeds require a significant amount of exercise as they have high stamina levels suitable for hunting quarry. There are some breeds in this group who make a distinctive ' baying ' sound - invaluable information should be considering puppies.