Beagles are the 8th most popular dog in the US, thanks to a happy-go-lucky attitude and gentle disposition. Originally bred to hunt, they are used today for some surprising scent work. Here are 10 amazing facts about beagles.
10. Beagles Were Bred for Hunting
The beagle is a scent hound and is similar in appearance to the larger foxhound. They were originally bred for hunting rabbits and hares and have seemingly endless stamina. Beagles have an excellent sense of smell and are the primary breed used today as detection dogs for prohibited foodstuffs and agricultural imports around the world.
9. Beagles Come in Two Sizes
Breed standards for the beagle in the United States are classified under two sizes. The first is beagles 13 inches and under, weighing under 20 pounds. The second is beagles between 13-15 inches and weighing 20-30 pounds. In the UK, the height limit for a vehicle is 16 inches.
8. Beagles Vocalize in 3 Ways
Beagles are known for being one of the most vocal dog breeds. They have three main ways they vocalize. (1) A standard bark, like any other dog. (2) A bay (or baying), a yodel-like sound they make when hunting. (3) A howl. Their name “beagle” is believed to have derived from the French word “begueule,” meaning “gaped throat.”
7. Beagles’ Ears Assist Their Sense of Smell
A notable feature of the beagle is its long ears. When stretched out, a beagle’s ears can reach the end of its nose. Beagles’ long ears capture scent particles and keep them close to the dog’s nose, allowing them to take in more scent information. Beagles have one of the best scent-detecting abilities of any breed.
6. Beagles’ Tails Work Like Flags
The greater portion of the end of a beagle’s tail is white. This turns out to be quite handy when beagles are used for hunting. As a beagle has its snout to the ground tracking prey, its tail extends high in the air, whipping back and forth, making it visible like a white flag. This helps hunters spot the dogs.
5. Beagles Today Sniff Instead of Hunt
Today beagles are utilized for their incredible sense of smell to perform numerous important jobs. Beagles are used for sniffing out quarantined and prohibited agricultural products. Beagles are also used for detecting bedbugs. The Department of Homeland Security uses beagles in airports to find food in luggage with a team of dogs it calls the Beagle Brigade.
4. Snoopy Is a Beagle
Peanuts is a beloved comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. There were numerous TV specials and movies featuring the Peanuts gang. The dog Snoopy was a favorite character that was even more famous than Charlie Brown in some countries. Snoopy was a beagle. He was inspired by Schulz’s childhood dog named Spike.
3. President Lyndon Johnson Had 3 Beagles
President Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969, owned three beagles. The name of the first two beagles Johnson owned were “him” and “her.” After the pair died, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover gave Johnson a beagle, which Johnson named “Edgar.” Once, Johnson caused an outcry by lifting his beagle by its ears.
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2. Beagles Are the Most Used Breed in Animal Testing
Due to their size and calm temperament, beagles are the breed used most often in animal testing. In the US, around 65,000 beagles are used annually for testing medical, cosmetic, beauty, and other chemical tests. The Rescue + Freedom Project has successfully advocated for Beagles to be released from labs. Several member states of the European Union have banned the testing of cosmetic products on animals.
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1. A Beagle Named Elvis Could Smell Pregnancy
Another unusual job that takes advantage of the beagles’ extraordinary sense of smell is a “polar bear pregnancy detector.” A two-year-old beagle named Elvis was trained to determine whether a polar bear was pregnant. The dog does this by smelling the bear’s feces. Zookeepers couldn’t reliably detect pregnancy or pseudo-pregnancy. Elvis successfully identified samples from pregnant females with remarkable accuracy.
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