48 Fun Facts About Beagle

The Beagle was bred primarily to hunt which animals?

Beagles were bred as scent hounds to hunt hare and rabbit, a sport called beagling in which a pack is followed by hunters on foot rather than on horseback.

The Beagle looks like a smaller version of which larger hound?

Foxhound is the look-alike, but the Beagle's head is broader, its muzzle shorter and its legs shorter in proportion.

Which monarch kept 'Pocket Beagles' that stood only 8 to 9 inches at the shoulder?

Elizabeth I called her Pocket Beagles her 'singing Beagles' and let them cavort among the plates and cups at her table to amuse guests.

Edward II and Henry VII both kept packs of what tiny beagle-type dogs?

Glove Beagles were so named because they were small enough to fit on a glove; Edward II and Henry VII both kept packs of them.

Gervase Markham likened the 'musick' of a beagle small enough to sit on a man's hand to what?

Markham wrote in 1615 that the 'little small mitten-beagle', a companion for a lady's kirtle, ran as cunningly as any hound, 'only their musick is very small like reeds'.

Which clergyman's 1830s Essex pack is believed to be the basis of the modern breed?

Reverend Phillip Honeywood's Essex pack of the 1830s, hounds of about 10 inches that were reportedly pure white, is believed to be the foundation of the modern breed.

Which two 18th-century hare-hunting hounds are the breed's chief ancestors?

The modern Beagle descends chiefly from the Southern Hound, a tall, slow dog with the better nose, and the smaller, faster North Country Beagle bred in Yorkshire.

Which breeder is credited with refining Honeywood's hunting hounds into dogs that were also attractive?

Thomas Johnson refined Honeywood's hounds into dogs that were both attractive and capable hunters, developing rough- and smooth-coated strains; the rough coat later died out.

Writing as 'Stonehenge' in 1856, John Henry Walsh divided beagles into how many varieties?

Walsh's 1856 Manual of British Rural Sports listed four varieties: the medium Beagle, the dwarf or lapdog beagle, the fox beagle and the rough-coated or terrier beagle.

In what year was the Beagle Club formed in Britain and the first breed standard drawn up?

The Beagle Club was formed in 1890 and drew up the first breed standard that year; the revival was under way, with 18 packs in England in 1887 rising to 44 by 1902.

Which Illinois general imported English Beagles in the 1870s and helped write the first US standard?

General Richard Rowett of Illinois imported hounds from England in the 1870s; the first American standard, drawn up by Rowett, L. H. Twadell and Norman Ellmore in 1887, was modelled on his Beagles.

Between 1953 and 1959 the Beagle held what position on the AKC's list of registered breeds?

The Beagle was the No. 1 breed on the AKC register every year from 1953 to 1959; it has been more popular in North America than in its native England, staying in the US top ten for decades.

Uno, the first Beagle ever to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club show, triumphed in which year?

2008 was the year, and Uno, registered as K-Run's Park Me In First, was also the first Beagle to take the hound group since 1939.

The OED's earliest 'beagle' in English literature is from about 1475 in which work?

The Squire of Low Degree, a Middle English romance of about 1475, gives the OED's earliest literary use of 'beagle'; the word's origin itself is uncertain.

The word 'beagle' may derive from the French 'begueule', meaning what?

It is a nod to the breed's famous voice, which carries over long distances in thick cover.

The Kerry Beagle of Ireland is unlike the modern Beagle in what way?

The Kerry Beagle is much taller, standing 22 to 24 inches against the Beagle's 13 to 16, and was originally used for hunting stags.

What is the white tip on a Beagle's tail called?

The white tip, known as the 'flag', was bred for on purpose so the tail stays visible above cover when the dog's head is down on a scent.

A Beagle's tail is traditionally called what?

Hound fanciers call the tail the 'stern'; a Beagle's is long, slightly curved and held upright when the dog is active, but never curls over the back.

Tricolour Beagle puppies, whatever their adult coat, are almost always born in which two colours?

Black and white at birth; the white areas are set by eight weeks, but the black may fade to brown over one to two years.

The tricolour with a jet-black saddle is known as the 'Classic Tri' or what?

'Blackback' is the other name for the jet-black-saddled Classic Tri; the 'Dark Tri' and 'Faded Tri' show less contrast, and some dogs lose their black markings entirely as they age.

Which very light tan Beagle colour shares its name with a citrus fruit?

Lemon is the very light tan seen on lemon-and-white Beagles; two-colour Beagles always have a white base, tan and white is the commonest, and liver is barred by some standards.

What are the two Beagle varieties recognised by the American Kennel Club?

The AKC splits the breed into 13-inch (under 13) and 15-inch (13 to 15) varieties; the UK Kennel Club and FCI recognise a single type of 13 to 16 inches, so British Beagles run slightly bigger.

How much does an adult Beagle typically weigh?

18–35 lb is the range, with females slightly smaller than males on average.

In Scott and Fuller's scent test, how long did Beagles take to find a mouse in a one-acre field?

Beagles found the mouse in under a minute; in the same test Fox Terriers needed 15 minutes and Scottish Terriers never found it at all.

Along with the Bloodhound and Beagle, which breed is named as having one of the best noses of any dog?

The Basset Hound, alongside the Bloodhound and Beagle, has one of the best-developed senses of smell of any dog; all three have long ears and loose lips that probably help trap scent near the nose.

What is the popular Beagle-Pug crossbreed called?

The Puggle is the Beagle–Pug cross; some are calmer than a Beagle, like the Pug parent, but many are highly excitable and need vigorous exercise.

Several breed standards describe the Beagle's temperament with which single word?

Several breed standards describe the Beagle as 'merry'; it is a poor guard dog because strangers win it over so easily, though its bark makes it a decent watchdog.

Where does the Beagle sit in Stanley Coren's ranking in The Intelligence of Dogs?

Coren ranks the Beagle 72nd, in his lowest tier for working and obedience intelligence; the scale measures trainability rather than the independent scenting a hound was bred for.

When a Beagle catches a scent and gives voice, hunters say it is doing which of these?

A Beagle on a scent is said to be baying; hunters also call the same behaviour 'speaking', 'giving tongue' or 'opening'.

A 2024 UK study gave the Beagle what average life expectancy?

The 2024 UK study put the Beagle at 12.5 years, a shade under its 12.7-year average for purebreds; an Italian study the same year found 11 years.

Which oddly named condition, unique to Beagles, leaves a pup with weak legs and a crooked back?

'Funny Puppy' is a developmental disease in which the pup grows slowly and develops weak legs and a crooked back; the breed's other specific syndrome, Musladin-Lueke, brings slanted eyes and underdeveloped outer toes.

Beagles that sound like they're choking but are just pulling air in through mouth and nose are doing what?

Reverse sneezing is a spasm in which the dog rapidly draws air in through the mouth and nose; the cause is unknown, but the behaviour is common and harmless.

Primary open-angle glaucoma in Beagles is caused by a recessive mutation in which gene?

A recessive mutation in ADAMTS10, identified in 2011, causes the Beagle's inherited primary open-angle glaucoma; corneal dystrophy, cherry eye and distichiasis are the breed's other common eye complaints.

Which act outlawed the pursuit of hares with Beagles in England and Wales?

The Hunting Act 2004 banned hunting hares with dogs in England and Wales from 2005; Scotland had banned it two years earlier, and Beagles may still pursue rabbits, which the act exempts, with a landowner's permission.

A traditional Beagle foot pack of up to 40 hounds is directed by whom?

The Huntsman directs the pack, whippers-in return straying hounds, and the Master of the Hunt is in overall day-to-day charge.

Which of these public schools has long kept its own pack of Beagles?

Eton College has kept a Beagle pack, the Eton College Hunt, since the 19th century; Marlborough, Radley, the Royal Agricultural University and Christ Church, Oxford, have also kept packs.

Which US agency founded the 'Beagle Brigade' to sniff out food in airport luggage in 1984?

The Department of Agriculture founded the Beagle Brigade at Los Angeles airport in 1984, choosing Beagles because they are small, unintimidating, easy to care for and work well for rewards.

Of the 8,018 dogs used in UK laboratory testing in 2004, roughly what share were Beagles?

Beagles were 7,799 of the 8,018 dogs, about 97%; their size, even temperament and long history of laboratory use make them the default research dog.

Which US state was the first to pass a 'Beagle Freedom' law requiring lab dogs and cats be offered for adoption?

Minnesota passed the first 'Beagle Freedom' law in 2014, pushed by the Beagle Freedom Project, which rehomes former laboratory Beagles; other states later adopted similar laws.

In Australia, Beagles are used as sniffer dogs to detect which pest?

New York City has also hired Beagles to detect bedbugs, though not everyone is convinced they can.

After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a rescue Beagle found the owner of which hotel alive after 100 hours?

A search-and-rescue Beagle found the owner of the Hôtel Montana alive after 100 hours under the rubble; in 2006 another Beagle, Belle, saved her diabetic owner by biting a mobile phone to dial 911.

Snoopy, the world's most famous cartoon Beagle, belongs to which character?

Charlie Brown is Snoopy's owner in Charles Schulz's Peanuts; the dog is nearly his opposite, capable, quick-witted and imaginative, with alter egos from Joe Cool to a World War I flying ace.

Gromit, the silent Beagle of British animation, is the best friend of which cheese-loving inventor?

Wallace, the Lancashire inventor with a passion for Wensleydale cheese, is Gromit's owner in Nick Park's Aardman films, beginning with A Grand Day Out in 1989.

Which US president caused a scandal by lifting his Beagles Him and Her by the ears?

The 1964 photographs drew outrage from dog lovers, though LBJ insisted the dogs enjoyed it.

HMS Beagle, the ship named after the breed, is famous for carrying which naturalist around the world?

Charles Darwin sailed on the Beagle's second voyage; the Beagle Channel in South America and Britain's 2003 Mars lander Beagle 2 were named after the ship in turn.

A 1985 study by Ben and Lynette Hart gave the Beagle the highest rating for which trait?

It shared the top excitability score with the Yorkshire Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Westie and Fox Terrier.

Because they are pack animals, Beagles left alone are prone to which problem?

Separation anxiety can make a Beagle destructive when left unattended; as pack animals they generally get on well with cats and other dogs.

In the Beagle's murky ancestry, William the Conqueror brought the Talbot and which other hound to Britain in the 11th century?

The St. Hubert and the Talbot were both later crossed with Greyhounds for speed and stamina in deer hunting.