BEAGLE

The Beagle is a medium size breed of dog.  It is a member of the Hound Group that is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, only smaller with shorter legs and longer, softer ears.

Beagles are scent hounds which were primarily developed for the purposes of tracking hare, rabbit, and other game.  They have a keen sense of smell and instinct to track, that very often sees them employed as detection dogs for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine worldwide.

Because of their size, Beagles also make popular pets.  They are also even tempered, and they have a lack of inherited health problems.  It is these characteristics that also make them the dog of choice for animal testing.

Even though beagle-type dogs have existed for more than 2,000 years, the modern breed was developed in Britain around the 1830s from several breeds including the Talbot Hound, North Country Beagle, Southern Hound, and possibly the Harrier.

Beagles have been portrayed in popular culture since Elizabethan times in literature and paintings, and most recently in films, television and comic books.  The comic strip âPeanutsâ has a beagle by the name of Snoopy, which has been promoted as âthe worldâs most famous beagleâ.

The Beagles appearance resembles a Foxhound in miniature, but the head is broader and the muzzle shorter.  The expression is completely different and the legs are shorter in proportion to the body.  They are generally between 13 and 16 inches (33 and 41 cm) high at the withers and their weight is between 18 and 35 lbs (8 and 16 kg).  The females are slightly smaller than males on average.

The skull of a Beagle is smooth and somewhat domed and they have a medium-length, square cut muzzle and a black, or occasionally liver, gumdrop nose.  They have a strong jaw and teeth that scissor together with the upper teeth fitting perfectly over the lower teeth and both sets aligned square to the jaw.  They have large hazel or brown eyes that have a hound-like pleading look.  Their large ears are long, soft and low-set, turning slightly towards the cheeks that are rounded at the tips.

The Beagleâs neck is extremely strong which is medium in length.  They can easily bend their neck to the ground in order to pick up a scent with little folding in the skin.  Their broad chest narrows to a tapered abdomen and waist, and they have a short, slightly curved tail which is tipped with white.   This white tip is known as the âsternâ or âflagâ which has been selectively bred into the dog to enable a clear view of the dog when its head is down following a scent.  The tail does not curl over the back, it is held upright when the dog is active.

Beagles appear in a range of colors.  Although the most common color is tricolor, which consists of white with large black areas and light brown shading, Beagles can occur in any hound color.

The Beagle is described in several breed standards as âmerryâ and good-natured.  This breed is not generally aggressive or timid.  They enjoy company, and even though they may firstly be a little distant with strangers, they are easily won over.  For this reason, they do not make good guard dogs, even though they do bark and howl when confronted with the unfamiliar.

Beagles are exceptionally good with children and this is the reason why they have become such good pets.  However, they are pack animals, and can be prone to separation anxiety.

The general lifespan of Beagles is approximately 12.3 years, which is typical for a dog of their size.

Because they are not the most outgoing of dogs, weight gain can be a problem in older Beagles, which in turn can lead to heart and joint problems.

As stated above, Beagles are bred for hunting.  However, they are versatile and are nowadays employed for various other roles in detection and therapy.  Beagles are used in Australia as sniffer dogs for termite detection and have been mentioned as possible candidates for drug and explosive detection.

In June 2006, a trained Beagle assistance dog was credited with saving its ownerâs life after using his ownerâs mobile phone to dial an emergency number.