Oh the beautiful Beagle! There's nothing quite like this little fella. Bred specifically to hunt down rabbits, now it's now considered to be one of the most popular family pets  out there and due to an extraordinary sense of smell, this gorgeous dog is the world's most popular sniffer dog.

Their breed history is unknown because the Beagle as we know it now, wasn't developed until the 19th century but Greek documents dating as far back as 400BC describe similar looking dogs brought over by the Romans. They were small rabbit hunting hounds which were then bred with local hounds.

A Beagle's lineage is also linked to William the Conquerer who reportedly brought the now extinct Talbot hound to England during the Norman Conquest. These dogs are still considered by many to be the true ancestors of the Beagle and Fox Hound.

We do know that they became popular with English Royalty as far back as the 12th century however they were much smaller in size then. Referred to as 'Glove Beagles', they could fit inside a gentleman's glove. History at that time also mentions the 'Singing Beagles', so named for their bugling voices. By the 1500's, Elizabeth I doted on her pack of 'Pocket Beagles' which were no more than 9 inches tall and had pointy noses and short legs. 

Fast forward to 1700's, fox hunting had become incredibly popular and the larger Fox Hound replaced the Beagle as the nation's top hunting dog. They might well be extinct by now if it weren't for farmers who still kept packs of Beagles for hunting hares and rabbits. Thankfully they survived and by the mid-1800's the first pack of modern day Beagles was established in Essex by the Reverend Phillip Honeywell. He bred them specifically for their hunting skills and it wasn't until Thomas Johnson came along and bred them to be prettier so he's to blame for those big hazel doe-eyes. Their development tweaked again when they were imported to America and bred with their hounds. Registered by the American Kennel Club in 1884, the only difference between the English and the American version is the size with the UK coming in larger by two to four inches.

 Here are some breed facts...

• They have three distinct vocalisations - a growl/bark, a baying howl and a half baying howl which sounds like a cross between a bay and a frenzied howl. This one is normally reserved for when they have their target in sight. In fact, the main reason Beagles are turned over to rehoming centres is because their owners (or their owner's neighbours) are fed up with their baying so be prepared to put the work in to tackle this potential issue.
• Their sense of smell is their claim to fame.They have 44 times the scent receptors of a human, 220 million to be exact which is more than any other dog except the Blood Hound. They have an olfactory node, an area of the brain specifically developed to process scent which is much larger than most breeds. Those floppy ears help too because Beagles use them to form an air current near their nose which carries more scent molecules.
• This phenomenal sense of smell sees them employed in airports around the world as sniffer dogs. In 1984, the U.S Department of Agriculture first used them at Los Angeles International Airport to detect contraband food coming into the country and the experiment was hugely successful. Beagles are cute and friendly and generally don't intimidate people who are scared of dogs and so 'Beagle Brigades' were formed. They now patrol all the 20 International Airports in the States.
• They can detect pregnancy in polar bears to a 97% accuracy simply by smelling their poo and in Australia they are used within the building industry to sniff out termites! In the States they are even employed to detect bed bugs ...astounding!!
• Due to their unimposing size and gentle nature, they are also used as therapy dogs as well as search and rescue dogs saving many lives along the way.
• They are generally very friendly but can initially seem standoffish with strangers but are easily won over, especially when treats are involved. This is why they don't make good guard dogs.

Sadly, their placid nature and size has made this lovely little dog the most used canine in global animal testing. They are used for medical, cosmetic and chemical tests and of the thousands of dogs experimented on in the UK last year, 97% were Beagles. There are however people out doing remarkable work to lobby and help these hardy dogs, the Beagle Freedom Project in America and  our own Beagle Welfare UK are outstanding. Their websites are full of information (links below), one super easy way of making a difference is to put a cruelty-free shopping app on your phone such as SAFEshopper Cruelty Free, Happy Bunny, or Mercy:Cruelty Free. They won't test it if no one buys it!

I met all the above dogs on my daily commute, every owner happily chatted away about all things Beagle and sang the praises of this sweetheart of a dog, all highly recommended I get one! So if you had in mind an inquisitive, loyal, fun-loving dog, this ones for you!