Photo courtesy of Pat Thomas at Photo Phetish
From 1953 to 1959, the Beagle was America’s most popular dog. Today, that position is held by the Labrador Retriever, but beagle families certainly have not diminished in their adoration of the beagle pup. Through the years, there have been quite a few “celebrity Beagles,” like Underdog, though his fame is probably overshadowed by the most famous beagle, Snoopy. A famous collection of beagles is a group of friendly working detector dogs that sniff luggage in search of contraband among travelers entering the United States, known as the Beagle Brigade. These beagles are supervised in their task by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Like most smaller dogs, the beagle has a life expectancy in the double digits, living for up to fifteen years. If you ask me, that is a long time to listen to that beagle bark! They are well-known for their “baying”- just a fancy way to say barking for beagles. You would be wise to pay attention to a barking beagle, because if you ignore the bark, it will likely turn into howling!
As with most short-haired breeds, beagles are easy to groom, and they shed their coats constantly. After a good FURminator deshedding session, a bath, and a clipping of the toenails, it is imperative that you clean inside those floppy ears. Floppy-eared dogs are more likely to accumulate dirt in their ears, possibly leading to infections, than dogs with cropped ears or ears that stand up. Beagles make great watchdogs, because they are very observant and alert to their surroundings. They are also among the best rabbit hunters in the world.
Typically, they are great with kids, and, like me, they do not care too much for fetching things. They can be “wanderers,” with their noses glued to the ground as they explore. Beagles are very smart, and they can be quite stubborn. This makes teaching obedience to a beagle a large test of patience. They tend only to do things that are of interest to them. When it comes to food, I recommend that you be very careful around beagles as they can be food aggressive.
Beagles come in two heights. The smaller version does not exceed thirteen inches measured from the floor to the top of their shoulders. Their larger counterpart stands at about fifteen inches. Both sizes typically sport a tri-colored coat, but they can also be found with a red, lemon, or white coat.
Like all breeds, beagles are likely to face a few health concerns. One of the most common is Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca or “dry eye.” This is a chronic inflammation of the lacrinal gland in the eye which leads to a lower than normal amount of tears. The are also susceptible to Beagle Pain Syndrome – a complex condition involving sterile meningitis and polyarteritis. Polyarteritis is a disorder in which a large number of arteries become inflamed and meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges. It is often noted while still in puppyhood, typically from four to ten months of age and it does not discriminate between male or female. Symptoms include a lack of appetite, shaking, neck pain and stiffness, lethargy, fever, a hunchback stance, not wanting to move or bark, muscle spasms in the front legs and neck. This is treated with a steroid application. Funny Puppy Syndrome, a condition where a puppy is much smaller than his litter mates and requires special attention, and Chinese Beagle Syndrome, a condition that is characterized by slanted eyes and a wide skull, are also common among the beagle breed.
On a personal note: I have a beagle for a sister. Her name is Molly, and she tends to be very moody. We sometimes refer to her as “Molly Mood” or “Miss Mood.”
