Our History

Cedar Ridge Beagles
3005 Lexington Court
Bedford, IA  50833
712-523-3646
712-370-0851 (cell)
tonip@frontiernet.net

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
 -Josh Billings

For years (maybe even 10 years ago...it's been quite a while), I maintained a web site for a couple in our town that raised beagles. But Don began to have health problems (he was over 80 years old) and unknown to me, was thinking about selling his dogs. However, he didn't want to advertise because he wanted to know who they went to, and wanted them to all stay together.

At about the same time, our local school had to cut a teaching position in my department (business education), and I had only been with the school for 2 years...so guess what....by their teaching contract rules, I was the one that had to go. I asked Margaret (beagle owner) if she could think of another breed of dog as loving as beagles that we could look at, as we wanted to get a couple females and a male to raise a few puppies a year to help pay bills while I decided what to do. After about 2 days, Margaret called me and asked if I'd like to have beagles. Of course, I said that I didn't want to compete with them so wanted to find the next best thing. That's when she said that Don was having health problems, and needed to let the dogs go but wanted them to be well cared for and all together.

We were SO excited! I'd grown up with a beagle named Molly, and though I wasn't exactly looking for a "whole herd" of beagles (I think Don had 17 at the time), we quickly began building fences and housing (the Iowa Department of Agriculture won't let a dog breeder keep dogs in fenced-in grass yards, so we had to build kennels and runs....I think that's odd, but that is their rule for footing). Soon after, the beagles moved in with us.

The next year, I was offered my teaching position back, but I felt that teaching full time would reduce the care I'd be able to give the dogs. So, I now work part time with computer projects, and my kids and I have more time to spend with the puppies and parents.

Long story in a nutshell!