Boomer the coonhound goes into an amusing routine every time Heather Pridham gets home from work or even a trip from the grocery store. It’s a reaction Pridham has seen many times and it never grows old. It puts a smile on her face and warmth in her heart.
“When I come home, I find Boomer staring at me through the window with his tail beating the floor boards like Stompin’ Tom Connors,” Pridham said. “That dog keeps perfect rhythm. Boomer is very welcoming and affectionate, so his reaction is over the top and watching him trying to contain his excitement is hilarious. He has a silly personality. Even though he is an older dog, he is very puppy like.”
Pridham has two coonhounds, Boomer, a black and tan, and Grace, a foxhound. She adopted them from Gentle Jake’s Coonhound Rescue in the fall of 2014.
It was an easy decision to make as Pridham grew up with coonhounds. Her father was an avid outdoorsman and hunter and used the dogs for hunting. Pridham always knew once she got her career going and had the means to do it, she would get coonhounds. (She has also fostered three dogs for Gentle Jake’s at her home in Monteith.)
Pridham sees no reason for people to shy away from adopting coonhounds for pets. These dogs flood shelters across North America at the end of every hunting season and at the end of the year as many are abandoned for a variety of reasons. They are a hard sell to families. Not many people consider coonhounds for adoption. Pridham sees people missing out on an opportunity to bond with an animal that has character, charm and heart.
It was an easy decision to make as Pridham grew up with coonhounds.