All right, which of you Beagle owners out there needs to fess up about your shoe fetish?  C’mon, give it up.

Don’t know what I’m barking about? Then read about the mysterious disappearance of shoes in Waveland, Indiana.

Shoes left outdoors in the Montgomery County community of Waveland began disappearing one by one in June, reappearing near the town’s fire station.

Acting town marshal Rob Kiger and others have seen a stray brown and white dog, possibly a beagle, around town carrying a shoe in its mouth. Others have seen the dog lying in the sun near the fire station.

Kiger says he’s tried to take the canine shoe bandit into custody, but it runs away every time he gets close.

You think this is how Tige from Buster Brown got his start?

After Uno the beagle  won the 2008 Westminster Dog Show you would think that it would have been a giant step forward for the rights of all beagles.  However, you’d be wrong.  Poor Hank the beagle has been banned from the dump and a parade, a double whammy. This story out of Eastham, MA  isn’t exactly as it seems.

It all began in May, when Hank - a fixture at the town transfer station for two years - was summarily banished by Amaral’s new boss.

Neil Andres, the new Public Works Superintendant, would not allow Hank at the transfer station because he didn’t believe pets should be brought to work.  While Janet Amaral did obey orders and leave Hank home she thought of a way to showcase her housebound beagle.

To show the town just what it was banning, she also planned to showcase Hank and local beagles in need of homes on their own float in the Sept. 7 “Windmill Weekend” parade, complete with a soundtrack that would include “Bad Reputation” and “You Better be Good to Me.”

The choice of music for the float may have been just enough to get Hank banished from the float. “The music might have rubbed it in a bit,” Amaral said. “But it would also be a chance for people to meet this dog that never bothered anyone.”

Dowman and his committee, however, believe a “Hank” float would only “continue to fan a confrontation.”

“This situation has been building into a rivalry between an employee and the administration,” Dowman said, “and we just don’t want to get in the middle of it.”

Oh well Hank, there’s always next year.

When Bo was younger he used to be a bit of a Houdini, escaping on occasion.  My wife and I would be in a state of panic until he was home safe.  Luckily, Bo’s usual MO was playing in the woods for a few hours and then when he was tired, walking up to our front door and going “woof”.  We’re pretty sure that translates into “Hello, I’m home.  Where’s my treat for coming back?”.

I can’t imagine what the owners of Rocco the beagle had to go through after he disappeared for a long five years. Here’s the heartwarming story.

Rocco, a beagle from Queens, went missing for five years.  When her beagle, Rocco, squeezed himself under the backyard gate and disappeared into the streets of Queens, 5-year-old Natalie Villacis refused to believe - as her parents reluctantly told her - that she would never see the puppy again.

What a horrible ordeal for both puppy and family.

Someone dropped Rocco off as a stray at the Liberty County Animal Control in Hinseville on July 5, supervisor Randy Durrence said.

Last weekend, Rocco came home - after being found in Georgia. The prodigal pooch turned up in a shelter 850 miles away in Hinesville, and by a combination of chance and chip - the one embedded in his back - was reunited with Natalie, now 11, and her family.

This story goes to show the importance of microchipping your friend.

Jorge flew down to Georgia, and though he didn’t quite recognize Rocco, was pleased to see that aside from a scratch on his ear, he was in perfect health.

“I don’t think he recognized me, but I told him I loved him as much as always,” she said. “Rocco seemed a little confused, but happy. He looked at me like, ‘I don’t know who you are, but I love you, too.’ “

I love happy endings!!

Dogster member Boo is missing and his owners need your help.  If you have seen him in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area please contact  the owner at meganandwinnie@yahoo.com.

Boo, if you are reading this, please contact your parents immediately. They are worried sick about you.