Beagle E-Book

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Smart Owner's Guide
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 241

Beschreibung

Dedicated to the irresistible little dog with the big nose and personality, the Beagle, this Smart Owner's Guide, created by the editors at Dog Fancy magazine, offers the most up-to-date and accurate information every dog owner needs to become a well-informed caregiver for his dog. Illustrated with color photographs of adorable puppies and handsome adults, this easy-to-read primer is designed in a modern, lively manner that readers will find user-friendly and entertaining.Each Smart Owner's Guide offers a description of the breed's character and physical conformation, historical overview, and its attributes as a companion dog. The reader will find informative chapters on everything he or she needs to know about acquiring, raising, and training this remarkable purebred dog, including: finding a breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy; preparing for the puppy's homecoming, shopping for supplies, and puppy-proofing the home; house-training; veterinary and home health maintenance; feeding and nutrition; and grooming. Obedience training for basic cues (sit, stay, heel, come, etc.) and solving potential problem behaviors (barking, chewing, aggression, jumping up, etc.) are addressed in separate chapters, as are activities to enjoy with the dog, including showing, agility, therapy work, and more.Entertaining tidbits and smart advice fill up colorful sidebars in every chapter, which the editors call "It's a Fact," "Smart Tip," "Notable & Quotable," and "Did You Know?" Real-life heroes and rescue stories are retold in full-page features called "Pop Pups" and "True Tails." Recipes, training, and care tips are highlighted in the "Try This" feature pages.The Smart Owner's Guide series is the only series that offers readers an online component in which dog owners can join a breed-specific online club hosted by dogchannel.com. At Club Beagle, owners of the breed can find forums, blogs, and profiles to connect with other breed owners, as well as charts and checklists that can be downloaded. More than just 20,000 pages of solid information, there's a host of fun to be had at the club in the form of downloadable breed-specific e-cards, screensavers, games, and quizzes.The Resources section of the book includes contact information for breed-related organizations and rescues, as well as practical guidance on traveling with dogs, identification, and locating qualified professionals to assist the dog owner, such as pet sitters, trainers, and boarding facilities. This information-packed Smart Owner's Guide is fully indexed.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

CHAPTER 1 - THE REGAL BEAGLE

PUPPY POWER

DETERMINED DOGS

TRAINING IS A MUST

A TRUE CHOWHOUND

BOYS AND THEIR BEAGLES

OH, AND ABOUT THAT NOSE

RAINBOW OF COLORS

CHAPTER 2 - ONE HOUND’S HISTORY

COMMON SCENTS

ON THE CONTINENT

ACROSS THE POND

THE MODERN BEAGLE

A NOBLE NOSE

A HUNTING HERITAGE

ONE BEAGLE, TWO BEAGLE ...

CHAPTER 3 - BEAGLES AND BREEDERS

EVALUATING BREEDERS

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PUP

CHECKING FOR BEAGLE QUALITIES

D-I-Y TEMPERAMENT TEST

PHYSICAL FEATURES

PUPPY PARTICULARS

BREEDER PAPERS

CHAPTER 4 - HOME ESSENTIALS

PUPPY-PROOFING

FAMILY INTRODUCTIONS

PUP’S FIRST NIGHT HOME

PET-SUPPLY STORE SHOPPING

BEYOND THE BASICS

CHAPTER 5 - SUCCESSFUL HOUSETRAINING

IN THE BEGINNING

LET’S START WITH THE CRATE

A PUP’S GOT NEEDS

HOUSING HELPS

IN CONTROL

SCHEDULE A SOLUTION

CHAPTER 6 - VET VISITS AND EVERYDAY CARE

FIRST STEP: SELECT THE RIGHT VET

FIRST VET VISIT

VACCINATION SCHEDULING

EVERYDAY HAPPENINGS

MORE HEALTH HINTS

CHAPTER 7 - ON THE TOPIC OF HEALTH

BEAGLE PAIN SYNDROME

EPIPHYSEAL DYSPLASIA

EPILEPSY

HYPOTHYROIDISM

CHERRY EYE

CHRONIC HIP DYSPLASIA

OTHER HEALTH CONCERNS

EXTERNAL PARASITES

INTERNAL PARASITES

CHAPTER 8 - CHOWHOUND FOOD GUIDE

BASIC TYPES

NUTRITION 101

CHECK OUT THE LABEL

STORE IT RIGHT

STAGES OF LIFE

CHAPTER 9 - GROOMING BASICS

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

KEEN ON CLEAN

NAILING THINGS DOWN

THE EARS HAVE IT

IT’S THE TOOTH

THE GREAT OUTDOORS 1: SKUNKS

THE GREAT OUTDOORS 2: PORCUPINES

REWARD A JOB WELL DONE

CHAPTER 10 - TIME TO TRAIN

CLICK THIS

REWARDS

LEARNING SOCIAL GRACES

BASIC CUES

LEAVE IT ALONE

TRAINING TIPS

THE THREE-STEP PROGRAM

COUNTER-CONDITIONING

CHAPTER 11 - CHANGING BAD BEHAVIOR

THE NOSE KNOWS

AT HOME WITH A NOSE

BEAGLE-PROOF YOUR LIFE

NIP NIPPING

STOP THAT WHINING

CHEW ON THIS

NO MORE JUMPING

UNWANTED BARKING MUST GO

FOOD STEALING AND BEGGING

DIG THIS

POOP ALERT!

SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

CHAPTER 12 - FOR THE FUN OF IT

EXERCISE OPTIONS

SCENT HURDLES

TRACKING

AGILITY TRIALS

OBEDIENCE TRIALS

RALLY BEHIND RALLY

FLYBALL

MUSICAL FREESTYLE

SHOW DOGS

CANINE GOOD CITIZEN

THERAPY

CHAPTER 13 - RESOURCES

BOARDING

HOME STAFFING

SCHOOL’S IN SESSION

CAR TRAVEL

IDENTIFICATION

INDEX

Copyright Page

FOREWORD

K9 EXPERTEDUCATION

If you have taken a Beagle into your home from a responsible breeder or a rescue group – or are planning to do so – congratulations! You have fallen in love with one of the most appealing characters in all of dogdom.

The Beagle’s soulful eyes, soft ears, perpetually wagging tail and sweet disposition have made him an American favorite for many decades. Although of English lineage, it was a comic strip in this country that immortalized the breed. Not many dogs can boast of a daily appearance in the newspaper but this lovable hound can, thanks to cartoonist Charles Schulz and Peanuts. Yes, Snoopy is a Beagle. Owners can relate to Charlie Brown’s occasional exasperation as Snoopy’s silly antics know no bounds and keep the neighborhood kids in stitches. Beagle lovers the world over can’t get their fill of Snoopy and appreciate having one of their own.

While exotic, over-the-top breeds ride the wave of popularity, destined to come and go as fickle tastes inevitably change, the Beagle endures. This dog’s got staying power. There is nothing dramatic or outrageous about the Beagle’s appearance. He is a handy size, portable without being fragile. Being short coated, his grooming needs are easily met with a weekly brushing, along with the nail cutting and ear cleaning that all dogs require. Beagles come in two size varieties – the 13-inch and 15-inch – and several color combinations. The classic tricolor of black, white and tan is most frequently seen but you will also find Beagles in red and white, a lighter shade called lemon and white, and chocolate or blue tricolor (dark brown or blue-gray instead of black, coupled with the usual white and tan trim).

The Beagle’s general appearance should remind you of a “miniature Foxhound,” according to the American Kennel Club breed standard, and he is “solid and big for his inches, with the wear-and-tear look of the hound that can last in the chase.” If you have not seen a Beagle in hunting mode, it is an eye-opener – and an ear-opener, because this breed is vocal in a big way! While the Beagle’s quarry is rabbit rather than fox, a pack of these little hounds is relentless, speedy on the chase and joyously baying all the while. He gives new meaning to the phrase “leading by a nose.”

Given the breed’s history as a scenthound, a fenced yard is a must. Exercise your Beagle by walking him on a leash or he’ll be off to chase the nearest bunny, squirrel or cat. Like all hounds, the Beagle is as stubborn as he is loving, and not very streetwise.

For an owner willing to make a dog a full member of the family, the Beagle is difficult to match. He is loyal, devoted and decidedly low maintenance. Keep him well exercised but secure, don’t let him pack on the pounds, and you’ll be enjoying his company for many years to come.

With this Smart Owner’s Guide™, you are well on your way to getting your Beagle diploma.

However, your Beagle education doesn’t end here.

You’re invited to join Club Beagle™ (DogChannel.com/Club-Beagle), a FREE online site with lots of fun and instructive features such as:

◆ forums, blogs and profiles where you can connect with other Beagle owners

◆ downloadable charts and checklists to help you be a smart and loving Beagle owner

◆ access to Beagle-themed e-cards and wallpapers

◆ interactive games

◆ canine quizzes

The Smart Owner’s Guide series and Club Beagle are backed by the experts at DOG FANCY® magazine and DogChannel.com – who have been providing trusted and up-to-date information about dogs and dog people for more than 40 years. Log on and join the club today!

Allan Reznik

Editor-at-Large, DOG FANCY

CHAPTER 1

THE REGAL BEAGLE

When most dog people think “Beagle,” they don’t often think “cunning, smart-as-a-fox and twice as naughty,” but those big brown eyes and that innocent look can be deceptive. Beagles are laidback, affectionate and can even be a little aloof – but dumb? No way. Still, most Beagle owners agree that the nose is the most intelligent part of their canine pal’s anatomy.

“One of Belle’s favorite treats is Mc-Donald’s Chicken McNuggets, but when we give her a nugget in the car, she buries it under the blanket on the backseat,” says Sheila Pinkney of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, about her Beagle, Annabelle. “One time, Belle stole a bun that was in a plastic bag and buried it in the couch. I threw it away, but she went and got it again and buried it in my bed. I found it and threw it away again. We did this four times before I finally took it outside and put it where she wouldn’t be able to get it. Once, we found a slice of pizza in the couch, and another time, we found a Boston crème donut.”

Though it’s not typical of a Beagle to refrain from gulping down a contraband treat before his owner even knows he has it. This wacky behavior is indicative of what makes the breed so charming; it’s unpredictability and determination. How else is that rabbit going to get caught? Read on to discover what life is really like with the loveable Beagle.

Over the years the Beagle’s size has increased, and they now sport the smooth coat we associate with the breed. In America, Beagles come in two distinct size categories, the 13-inch and the 15-inch, while in England they are allowed to be as tall as 16 inches.

Although it has been claimed that Beagles were bred down from Foxhounds, the opposite is true: The larger, quicker Foxhound that accompanied the gentry as they “rode to hounds” on their country estates evolved from a mixture of the Buck Hound and Beagle. Then, as now, the Beagle was the working man’s dog, and farmers in England and Ireland continue to hunt with their Beagle packs today.

PUPPY POWER

A Beagle’s energy level generally changes as the dog ages. Beagle puppies are full of vigor, always ready for an exhausting romp. Teenage and adult Beagles have a lot of stamina; after all, they’re bred for hunting and chasing game. Older Beagles can fatigue easily, but that’s true of nearly every breed.

“Buster and Rocky have energy spurts where they’ll play really hard,” says Marnie Burge of Pittsburgh, Pa., of her two Beagle puppies. “After about 10 minutes, they’re pooped. They sleep well through the night and have their play time before we leave for work. They like to wrestle and play keepaway. We give each puppy the exact same bone, but they’ll fight over them just to play.”

Ginny Butterfield, a Beagle owner from Cranberry Township, Pa., says her two Beagles are on opposite sides of energylevel extremes. “George likes to eat and sleep,” Butterfield says. “We need to wake him up to go outside. GiGi, on the other hand, is always playing, romping and performing like a circus dog.”

Beagles, like many other breeds, tend to take on the energy level of their household, according to Bruce Cornely, a writer from Gainesville, Fla. “I’m a quiet, homebody type, and my Beagles are like that as well,” he says. “They’ve always been house dogs and only enjoy being outside for short periods of time. They’re content to be sacked out on the sofa or my bed. They’re surprisingly adaptable.”

DETERMINED DOGS

OK, the nose itself isn’t stubborn, but it’s behind some of the Beagle’s seemingly stubborn behavior. Once a Beagle happens upon a scent, you’ll be hard-pressed to regain his interest in anything else.

“My husband once chased [our Beagle] Shelley for five miles through the woods after she got on the scent of a deer,” says Alice Moser of Shavertown, Pa. “She screeched and howled the entire time, so it wasn’t hard for him to follow her, but she would not come to him, no matter how many times he called her. She was focused solely on that scent. That was the last time she was let off the leash outside the confines of our fenced yard!”

Be careful any time your Beagle is roaming freely. Not only do Beagles enjoy taking off after wild game, they’re bred to be followed by their human companions; in other words, running after the dog only fuels the chase.

“I was working with Bosco on coming in a huge park, off leash,” says Kim Caporale of Homewood, Ill., about her 2-year-old Beagle. “He was doing great, when all of a sudden a flock of geese landed in the park. He took off so fast that I thought I’d never see him again, but he eventually came back. It’s extremely difficult to train Beagles outdoors when their main focus is sniffing for squirrels and rabbits.”

Warning! Beagles can be addictive. If you have one, you might find yourself wanting more.

Meet other Beagle owners just like you. On our Beagle forums, you can chat about your Beagle and ask other owners for advice on training, health issues and anything else about your favorite dog breed. Log onto DogChannel.com/Club-Beagle for details!

Beagles are a breed built around a nose!

Most Beagle owners soon learn that their dogs not only can’t be trusted off leash, but Beagles are also drawn to escaping the house or yard to track game. “Chester is an escape artist; he’ll dart out the door at the first sign of another dog or a squirrel,” says Marta Kane of Massapequa Park, N.Y. “When their nose leads them on a hunting trail, it’s often difficult to divert their attention.”

The nose also leads to thievery. A new Beagle owner soon learns to put food away quickly. “If you have a sandwich in your hand and you’re not paying attention, that sandwich will be gone,” Pinkney says. “Don’t be persuaded by their sweet faces. I call [my Beagle] Belle ‘the Queen of the Mile;’ if you give her an inch, she’ll take a mile.”

TRAINING IS A MUST

You have to take a kind of Zen outlook on training a Beagle. If you want your Beagle’s attention, you have to be more exciting and more rewarding than the proverbial rabbit (or squirrel or sandwich, whatever the case).

Show your artistic side. Share photos, videos and artwork of your favorite breed on Club Beagle. You can also submit jokes, riddles and even poetry about Beagles. Browse through our various galleries and see the talent of fellow Beagle owners. Go to DogChannel.com/Club-Beagle and click on “Galleries” to get started.

Younger Beagles have loads of energy, but they mellow out a bit as they get older.

“Training a Beagle can be a challenge to the novice trainer,” says Carol Herr, a professional handler and Beagle breeder from Summerfield, Fla. “They think all the time, and they get bored easily, but most trainers think they’re just being stubborn. I find that they’re no more stubborn than any other breed. Sometimes their noses get them into trouble, but because they’re so food motivated, you can train them to respond to food. That’s why all my Beagles think their middle name is ‘cookie.’ ”

All of Denise Nord’s Beagles are clicker trained. Nord, a certified dog trainer and owner of Canine Connection Dog Training in Rogers, Minn., says that her dogs love to work. Her two oldest Beagles were the first – and maybe the only – Beagles titled in conformation, obedience, agility, tracking and rally.

“All of my training is based on positive motivation and reward,” Nord says. “Beagles are extremely intelligent and quick to learn, but you have to make it worth their while. If it isn’t fun and rewarding from the dog’s point of view, the dog isn’t going to play the game.”

A TRUE CHOWHOUND

Unlike some breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, the Beagle wasn’t bred to find his human pack. Instead, he was bred to track game and follow his nose. So, you’ll have to go the extra mile to keep your dog concentrating on training lessons.

“You must have very smelly treats to train your Beagle so he will focus on you,” says Nicki Puckett of Virginia Beach, Va. “If you can convince your Beagle that you’re the bearer of good, smelly things, you can convince him to do almost anything for you. Beagles are noses with legs.”

Positive experience is the key to building confidence. The more your Beagle pup safely discovers the world, the more confidence and social skills she’ll develop. A well-socialized puppy is calmer and behaves more appropriately. She’s more able to respond when asked to do things because she doesn’t feel worried by nearby events. A well-socialized Beagle puppy also tends to be easier to train because she isn’t overly distracted and can focus on lessons.

Kathleen Weaver of Farmers Branch, Texas, says she doesn’t think Beagles are the most highly trainable dogs, but she has a theory for that. “It took me several years and someone else to point this out, but in order to find rabbits, Beagles have to be able to generate random behavior,” she says. “This gets in the way when you’re trying to train them for obedience and agility. Few breeds need this randomness, and it does make training more difficult. I can work on a behavior for many repetitions, but suddenly I’ll get a completely different behavior. You don’t see that in other breeds as much.”

The key to training a Beagle correctly is to find the right trainer who will use the right training method with your dog. Someone who doesn’t understand Beagles might misunderstand their behavior.

“I’ve found that not every trainer understands Beagles,” says Teresa Locatelli, a Beagle owner from Soquel, Calif. “Roo and I were sent to a time-out area by ourselves and made to leave an agility class because he was barking. An excited Beagle barks and shouldn’t be punished for having fun on a non-competitive agility course.”

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

The Beagle is a very loving, good house pet — if by the time they are 3 months old, you do some form of obedience training. If you don’t, they become very dominant dogs.

– tracking judge Carole Bolan of Groton, Mass.

Even though training might be challenging, don’t mistake that for lack of brain power. The Beagle is no dummy. “I’ve long suspected that Jenny is capable of figuring things out and thinking for herself,” says John Thompson of Battle Creek, Mich. “Once, I was lying on the couch and watching TV when she went to the door like she wanted out. I got up to let her out, but she ran over to the couch and jumped up on it instead. She had stolen my seat.”

BOYS AND THEIR BEAGLES

A big upside to owning a Beagle is the breed’s high tolerance for children and their antics. This family-oriented breed takes nearly everything a kid can dish out. “Beagles are wonderful with children,” Herr says. “It has often been said, ‘All little boys should have a Beagle as a pet.’ The only thing I worry about with small children is a Beagle puppy getting up in their faces, because Beagle puppies have a tendency to lick a lot. Beagles also have soft, fairly long ears that seem to have an attraction for young children, so children need to learn not to pull on the ears.”

On average, Beagles range from about 20 to 30 pounds. Although the breed is refreshingly free of health problems, they have an insatiable appetite and an accompanying tendency toward obesity. Often quite content to sit beside you watching TV for hours on end, Beagles were bred to be active outdoor dogs and daily exercise is required to keep them fit and handsome.

If you have kids, remind them that any food in their hands is fair game for the chowhound in their life. A small child might become upset if your dog steals his or her treat. Conversely, teach the child not to take things away from the dog, and to be gentle and compassionate with him.

Every child deserves to grow up with a dog, and there might not be a better breed than a Beagle!

“My two Beagles are wonderful with kids,” says Ursula E. Lehman of Hudson, Ohio. “Blade was a pup when my godchild, Karlie, was just a few months old, and he would pop over to her and just love her to pieces with kisses galore. He would tolerate her pulling his ears and tail. As she got older, he had to tolerate even more.”

The Beagle’s temperament is legendary, and his reputation is made of more fact than fiction: This breed really is a great family member and a loving companion. Sure, his obedience skills might leave something to be desired, but many people have managed to put obedience and agility titles onto their Beagles. All this breed needs is a patient owner with a handful of liver snacks.

OH, AND ABOUT THAT NOSE

If the weirdest thing your Beagle has ever eaten is half a cantaloupe, rejoice. A Beagle’s voracious appetite – driven by his incredibly sensitive nose – can be not only bizarre, but it also can be downright dangerous. In addition, the lengths they’ll go to in order to nab a sniffed-out item boggle the mere human mind. Here are a few of the more unusual culinary experiences of Beagles shared by owners and friends of owners around the country.

Beagles are a long-lived breed, so acquiring one can mean a commitment of 13 years or more. In their senior years, nothing is sweeter than their graying faces, which become even softer and seem to take on the calmness and wisdom of beloved elders.

“One of mine ate a pencil once, metal piece and all,” Nord says. Luckily, it passed through with no problem. As did the loaf of bread eaten by a Beagle belonging to a friend of Sue Pearson of Iowa City, Iowa. That crafty pooch had to learn to open a kitchen drawer to satisfy his craving. Many a show Beagle has shown his persistence by eventually eating through an owner’s pocket to get to stashed treats.

Fairly benign and even funny stuff so far, right? Not so of the tampon that a Beagle once ate. “Fortunately she didn’t have to have surgery, but she got very ill,” Nord says of her friend’s dog.

Many owners report having dogs that discovered a not-so-well-hidden stash of dog food only to eat to the point that their stomachs looked like basketballs. Three of Janiece Harrison’s Beagles once found their way into what must have seemed like doggie heaven: “Daisy, Sadie and Bo once raided the refrigerator,” she said. “We don’t crate the dogs while we’re gone and we have a dog door. The first thing I noticed when we got home that day was plastic wrap out in the yard. I went in and there were two or three Tupperware containers spread around the den. The dogs clearly just got in there and had a big smorgasbord.”

Their individual reactions were humorous. “Daisy and Sadie were pretty old by then,” Harrison recalls. “Daisy was just lying on her dog bed with this look on her face like if she could smoke a cigarette she’d be doing it. Sadie, who was really, really sweet, ran to the refrigerator as if to show us that there was this special place she had discovered and she would share. Poor Bo was just a pup, and I’m afraid the main thing he’d been hearing for much of his life was ‘Bo, no!’ The second we walked through the door, he hit the floor as if to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’”

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

Beagles are stubborn, energetic pack animals who need a lot of human contact. They like being in contact with you or another dog. They see you as their pack. They aren ’t couch decorations. They want and need interaction.

– Linda Forrest, founder of SOS Beagle Rescue Inc. in Bordentown, N.J.

This half-funny/half-frightening experience taught the Harrisons to always be sure the refrigerator is closed tight.

“The best and worst thing about Beagles is how food driven they are,” Pearson says. “It makes them easy to train. It makes them attentive during training. But they are also driven by their nose and appetite. If you let them, I think Beagles would eat until they popped. They really are insatiable.”

A Beagle’s strange appetites might make for great stories, but through the laughter, every Beagle owner knows they need to protect their dogs from themselves by diligently keeping edibles out of reach.

RAINBOW OF COLORS

Like most hounds, Beagles come in a rich variety of colors. The most common is tricolor, featuring a black saddle with white legs, chest and belly and a tan color on the head and around the saddle edges. Many also have a white blaze on the face. Tricolor pups are born black and white with the tan developing as they grow older.

On the other hand, the red-and-white Beagle has no black at all. The red ranges from a light tan to a darker rust. These pups are born with red and white coloring, or sometimes, they are solid white, with their pigment emerging later.

Lemon and whites – the lemon varying from an off-white to a darker yellow – are often born completely white. Black and whites, sometimes having a gray saddle, are comparatively rare. Solid liver is not a recognized color.

Whatever color a Beagle is, he can also have freckling, mottling, ticking or grizzling. Another commonality: All Beagles should have their signature white-tipped tail, or “stern” as it’s referred to in hound parlance. Along with their throaty, musical cry known as “baying,” the Beagles’ joyful little flags waving excitedly above their rumps signal the hunters of their whereabouts in the field.

According to the American Kennel Club Beagle breed standard (a written description of what an ideal Beagle should look like), a tail that is too long, too curved forward or backward, has a “teapot” curve, or is without sufficient coat or brush, dubbed a “rat tail,” constitutes a fault. As part of their regular grooming regimen, Beagles have their tails gently blunted and rounded at the tip only, usually with thinning shears. Set moderately high, the tail is carried gaily – but not turned forward over the back – and features a distinctive brush on its underside, which is not trimmed.

Beagles are the perfect sized dog: not too small to be fragile and not to big that you can’t plop them in your lap!

True Tails

Parr for the Course

Ellen Parr knows firsthand how a little TLC can transform a dog others might have disregarded. One of her Beagles, adopted from the humane society in Woodburn, Ore., was a female named Pippi that had been abandoned because she kept escaping. When Parr, a member of the local breed club, got the call, she and her husband immediately went to pick up the dog.

“She was skin and bones, fleainfested with hot spots and a big wound on her back,” she says. “We looked at each other, looked into her eyes and she was ours. But when we got her home and cleaned her up, we discovered that she was very much afraid of women and much preferred my husband’s company. She was also afraid of brooms and the pooper scooper. Plus, if you moved your feet very quickly she was terrified. We assumed that she hadn’t been treated well at all, likely by the woman who had owned her preously.”

Even in the loving care of Parr and her husband, Pippi exhibited an on-again, off-again lameness. Upon closer examination, the Parrs discovered it was probably caused by a pellet lodged near Pippi’s spine.

That hasn’t stopped Pippi from settling in, and now, Pippi rules the roost.

“This brave girl has blossomed into a wonderful dog,” Parr says. “We have plans to start working on training her as a therapy dog, since she is the best cuddler in the whole world, and her soft face and oh-soexpressive eyes can melt anyone’s heart. She’s never once tried to escape from us either. I guess when you know you have it good, you’ ve got no reason to leave.”

For anyone who has loved a Beagle, it may be difficult to understand how anyone could give one up, but hundreds of Beagles are in need of loving homes. If you are considering bringing a Beagle into your family, Beagle rescue workers across the country urge you ag to consider adopt - ing a rescue Beagle.

“Beagles have so much love and laughter to give, it’s certainly worth giving them a second chance, ” Parr says. “I cherish every day with my dogs because they give so much to me.”

Perhaps a Beagle is out there, somewhere, waiting to add love and laughter to your life, too.

THE BEAGLE BULLETIN

This small hound has a great big personality.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Great Britain

WHAT HIS FRIENDS CALL HIM: Snoopy, Slick, Houndini, Bugle, Wags

SIZE: two varieties: 13 inches and under, or up to 15 inches; typical weight is 20 to 30 pounds.

COAT & COLOR: Any hound color, common colors include black, tan and white; red and white; and pale tan and white. The feet and tail tip should be white.

PERSONALITY TRAITS: Good natured and independent, this outgoing and friendly dog gets along with almost everyone.

WITH KIDS: Beagles are great child companions.

WITH OTHER PETS: This breed gets along well with other pets (rabbits, though, not so much!) ENERGY LEVEL: moderate/low

EXERCISE NEEDS: This breed’s exercise needs are moderate; regular walks and playtime will suffice.

GROOMING NEEDS: Beagles don’t need much beyond regular brushing and baths; be sure to clean their ears often to prevent infections.

TRAINING NEEDS: These dogs do well with learning basic training techniques, but it may take a few training sessions to catch on.

LIVING ENVIRONMENT: Beagles can live anywhere from an apartment to a house with a yard.

LIFESPAN: 12 to 13 years

CHAPTER 2

ONE HOUND’S HISTORY

O