Beagle
This article is about the dog breed; for other meanings of Beagle see Beagle (disambiguation).A
Beagle is a medium-sized
dog breed and a member of the
hound group, similar in appearance to a
Foxhound but smaller with shorter legs, and with longer, softer
ears. Beagles are scent hounds used primarily for hunting rabbits to larger hares.
Possible Ancestors
In the eleventh century,
William the Conqueror brought the
Talbot hound into
Great Britain. A white scent hound, the Talbot (now extinct) is thought to be a more recent ancestor of the modern-day beagle.
The black and tan
Irish Kerry Beagles are also considered another possible link in the evolution of early beagles. A small game hunter similar to the
Bloodhound, Kerry Beagles may be the reason for the strong scenting abilities of beagles today.
Name
The first mention of the beagle in English literature by name dates from 1475. The origin of the word "beagle" is uncertain, although it has been suggested that the word derives from the
French begueule (meaning "open throat", or more colloquially, "loudmouth") or from an
Old English, French, or
Welsh term
beag, meaning "small." Other possibilities include the French
beugler (meaning "to bellow") and the
German begele (meaning "to scold").
Hunting
Beagles (or their ancestors) were originally used for
hunting, and still are in some places. They appear to have been used for hare hunting in England as early as the reign of
Edward III, who had a pack of up to 120 hare hounds with him on the battlefield during the
Hundred Years' War.
Beagling has been referred to as "the poor person's
foxhunting," as a Beagle pack (30–40 dogs) is followed on foot, not
horseback. The usual quarry is the
hare. Beagles are admired by some for the bloodcurdling "Beagle music" they emit when in full pursuit, also called
tonguing. Beagling, like foxhunting, is banned in
England. In some countries, like Norway and Sweden, Beagles are used for hunting Hare, Roe Deer and in some cases Red Deer and Fox. In these countries Beagles are not used as a Beagle pack. The Hunter(s),strategically placed in the terrain, wait while the Beagle is chasing. The quarry tend to circle within a certain area while using one dog, increasing the odds for success with few hunters.
Drag hunting is another Beagle sport.
The Beagle has a smooth, somewhat oval
skull; a medium-length, square-cut
muzzle; a black, gumdrop
nose; large, hound-like hazel or brown eyes; long, velveteen, low-set ears (big), turning towards the
cheeks slightly and rounded at the tips; a medium-length, strong
neck without folds in the
skin; a broad
chest narrowing to a tapered
abdomen and
waist; a short, slightly curved
tail; an overall muscular body; and a medium-length, smooth, hard coat. One standard calls for ideally shaped beagles to be twice as long as tall, and twice as tall as wide.
They appear in a range of colors, not limited to the familiar tricolor (white with large black areas and light brown spots). Two-color varieties are always white with colored areas, including such colors as "lemon", a very light tan; "red", a reddish, almost orangish brown; and "liver", a darker brown (liver is the only colour not allowed in the British Standard). "Ticked" varieties may be either white or black with different colored spots (
"ticking"), such as the bluetick beagle, which has spots that appear to be a midnight-blue color, similar to the
Bluetick Coonhound. Some tricolor beagles also have ticking of various colors in their white areas.
Beagles are almost always born black and white, with the brownish areas developing later. The brown is usually the last color to appear, taking sometimes 1-2 years to fully develop. Some beagles gradually change color throughout their lives. Beagles typically have a white-tipped tail, or "flag", which is important in locating them in the field due to their short height.
Breed varieties
The
American Kennel Club and the
Canadian Kennel Club recognize two separate varieties of Beagle: the 13-inch for hounds less than 13 inches, and the 15-inch for those between 13 and 15 inches. The
Kennel Club (UK) and
FCI affiliated clubs recognize a single type, with a height of between 13 and 16 inches. These standard dogs can reach 35 lb or more.
In Medieval times, there was a breed called a pocket beagle, which stood at 8 to 9 inches. Small enough to fit in a "pocket" or saddlebag, they rode along on the hunt. The larger foxhounds would run the prey to ground, then the hunters would release the small beagles to continue the chase through underbrush into their burrows. Queen Elizabeth I often entertained guests at her royal table by letting her pocket beagles cavort amid their plates and cups. This genetic line is now extinct.
|
The Beagle has a very well-developed sense of smell. |
The Beagle has a very good temper and gentle disposition. Beagles are intelligent, but are stubborn and may be hard to train (due to their strong will). They are an especially loyal breed and are very friendly. They rarely show signs of aggression, and are excellent with children. They also get along with other dogs, provided that they have been socialized correctly.
They are playful and energetic dogs who enjoy long walks. Being scent hounds, if released, they may follow a scent endlessly or will incessantly try to tag along with other dogs regardless of cars, strangers, etc. They can be quite difficult to walk, especially when distracted by enticing smells. Because of their curiousity and spirited temperament, beagles are famed escape artists and humane societies and pounds often pick up stray beagles.
Beagles are pack animals, and can be prone to separation anxiety. They are best kept with other dogs if they are going to be alone for long periods of time. A common misconception is that all Beagles howl incessantly. In reality, some are more vocal than others and some do not bark often at all. The breed has thousands of representatives and each has his or her own personality.
Beagles are a healthy breed, often living for 12 to 15 years, but they do have a few common health problems.
The Beagle's ears are long and floppy, which can trap warm moist air or prevent air from reaching the ear canals. This condition can be successfully treated with regular cleaning daily and sometimes medication for major cases. A good preventative measure is a diet consisting of lamb and rice dog food. Careless bathing can get water into their ears, potentially causing
ear infections.
Sometimes their eyelashes grow into the eye and irritate the eye, also known as
distichiasis; this might require surgery to remove the eyelashes.
Obesity is a common health problem due to people overfeeding them in response to their playful and gentle behavior. Most will overeat if given the chance. A healthy Beagle should have some definition to its waist and have an
hourglass appearance when viewed from above. You should be able to feel their ribs. Excessive weight can lead to problems such as
hip dysplasia and heart trouble. They need exercise and a good diet.
Some Beagles are prone to
congenital heart disease.
In some rare cases the breed may develop
polyarthritis (where the immune system attacks the joints) even at a young age. This can be sometimes treated effectively with
cortisone.
They are also prone to
seizures and
epilepsy. This disease is treatable with medication.Some Beagles, like most dogs, are prone to various forms of Cancer, such as Lymphoma.
Working life
|
A Beagle taking a break, in doughnut formation. |
Beagles have superb
noses and, despite their self-willed temperament, are sometimes used as sniffer dogs for
drug detection. More often, though, they are the breed of choice of the
United States Department of Agriculture to detect food items in
luggage being transported into the U.S. The force is called the
Beagle Brigade and these dogs wear a green jacket. Beagles were chosen because they are small and easy to care for, and because they are not as intimidating for people who are uncomfortable around dogs. They are also used for this purpose by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in
New Zealand and by the
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (for whom they wear maroon jackets).
They are the dog breed most often used in
animal testing, due to their passive nature.
In June 2006, a trained Beagle saved the life of its master by using her mobile phone to dial an emergency number.[
1]
Beagles in popular culture
* The
Peanuts comic strip character
Snoopy and his
siblings are beagle mutts, i.e. mixes, rather than purebreds, though creator Schulz says that Snoopy (and his relatives) are mostly beagle. When Snoopy makes appearances at theme parks, he is billed as "The World's Most Famous Beagle." [
2]
* Buster in
The Wonder Years.
*
Poochie, the short-lived
Itchy and Scratchy character, on
The Simpsons.
*
Porthos in
Star Trek: Enterprise.
* Toby in
Used Cars.
* Lou in
Cats and Dogs.
* Buckley in
The Royal Tenenbaums.
*
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's
Shiloh trilogy is about a beagle.
* The
Beagle Boys in
Disney's DuckTales or
Scrooge McDuck comics.
* Character Audrey fforbes-Hamilton has a Beagle in the BBC series
To the Manor Born.
* According to
Garfield,
Odie is half-beagle and half-brick. [
3]
* Gromit from the animated cartoon
Wallace & Gromit is a beagle.
* The
Grape Ape had a friend named Beegle Beagle (also known as Beegley Beagley).
* In
Three's Company, the characters frequented a restaurant called "The Regal Beagle."
* In "
Where My Dogs At", Buddy is a Beagle.
* In the 1970's, singer
Barry Manilow owned a Beagle named Bagle. Bagle appeared on the cover of Manilow's
1975 album,
Trying To Get The Feeling Again.* Mr. Peabody (of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame) is a beagle.
Famous beagles
* US President
Lyndon Johnson owned three Beagles named Him, Her, and Edgar.
* Rice, Dan.
The Beagle Handbook. Barron's, 2000.
* Clubs, Associations, and Societies
**
National Beagle Club of America**
The Beagle Club (UK)**
Beagle Club of New South Wales**
Beagle Club of Queensland**
Beagle Club of Victoria**
Western Australian Beagle Club inc.
