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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Petfinder Post: Beagles and Two-Color Cats

Next on the list of dog breeds the Busybodies of Britain want to render extinct: the beagle.

Americans love beagles. They're by far the most popular breed in the "hounds" category; some surveys put them on the top ten list of popular breeds in all categories. They rate high on most of the traits Americans are likely to want in a canine companion. Beagles typically:

* Live long enough to grow up with children
* Don't run up big vet bills
* Don't need a lot of care
* Love to walk, jog, or run with their humans
* Don't need to go farther or faster than most humans can walk, jog, or run
* Like to be close to their humans
* Don't need much grooming
* Are smart, sensitive, and loyal
* Can track and dig out rabbits if that's what you want them to do, but don't mind not doing that
* Announce visitors or intruders loudly enough to get your attention
* Don't actually bite anyone
* Behave pretty well even without being formally trained
* Behave well with children and other pets
* Seem calm and well adjusted
* Don't shed hair very much or for very long
* Greet their humans enthusiastically, but aren't big enough to knock most people down
* Don't eat a lot, or cost a lot to keep, or take up a lot of space
* Can be identified as one family member's dog while being polite to all family members
* Are almost always up for any kind of game their humans enjoy

Standing a foot to a foot and a half high at the shoulder, less than knee-high to most adult humans, Beagles live about as long as cats and sometimes land in shelters because they've outlived their humans--or their humans have gone away to school. Before adopting what sounds like the perfect first dog for a child, adults should make sure they can care for the dog while that near-adult child is not at home. It's not unusual for Beagles to live fifteen years or even longer.

There is a wide range of coat colors, including "blue" and "blue tick," and some real Beagles are black and white like Snoopy, but the most common patterns are light brown and white or light brown, white, and black. 

While Bassets are basically big dogs on dwarf legs, Beagles are simply small dogs. Hereditary disease conditions are occasionally found in this breed but are much fewer and less common than in Bassets. Perhaps the worst disease condition Beagles inherit is epilepsy, often controllable by medication. A few also tend to develop eye or thyroid disorders, often preventable by mindful care. Hip dysplasia is sometimes found in Beagles but is much less common than bone and joint problems in Bassets. 

Healthy Beagles usually weigh 30 pounds or less. They're easy to carry when it becomes necessary; they usually like a hug. They shed noticeable quantities of their short hair for a week or two in spring, and may drop a hair here and there throughout the year. Weekly brushing is recommended, and their nails need to be trimmed, but these are generally low-maintenance dogs. Most of the time their humans spend with them can be spent just hanging out and having fun.

Beagles do need a good bit of exercise and play time. They usually enjoy being kept in packs and amusing each other with their own games. If you keep only one Beagle you wil need to spend enough time running and playing with him to fill in the gap. Bored Beagles may dig their way under fences and get lost, or burn off their surplus energy chewing and tearing up things. It is their humans' responsibility to be intelligent enough to think of ways to stimulate these cheerful, clever dogs' minds.

Beagles can be stubborn and benefit from kind, firm training from an early age. Instincts tell them that being dirty makes a dog smell more interesting, that their humans ought to follow them wherever anything that smells like food may have gone, and that they can sing. Their opinions on these subjects don't really change but they usually are motivated to behave like Good Dogs, so they can--eventually--learn to behave according to their humans' unreasonable opinions rather than their own.

Why would anyone want such lovable pets to become extinct? For the same reasons they've given with regard to other breeds. Small, short dogs are hard to see in traffic. (Do you let your dogs run around in traffic?) Floppy ears can foster infections. (Don't you lift those floppy ears when you pet the dog?) And then there's always plain old jealous envy. Beagles are lovable. Busybodies are not.

Though popular, Beagles aren't always easy to find in shelters. People don't usually give them up and, when Beagles are in shelters, they tend to be adopted fast. Sometimes shelters list dogs as Beagles without knowing their actual ancestry, if the dogs are small but well proportioned, have floppy ears, and seem easy to like. While these shelter dogs may actually be mixes of other breeds with or without any pedigreed Beagle ancestors, they are likely to be satisfactory pets.

Zipcode 10101: Ringo from Madison 


Not much is known about Ringo except that he's a calm, friendly mixed breed who gets along well with other dogs.

Meadow & Spots from NYC 



They were found outdoors, crying to be fed and taken back indoors. The experience of abandonment seems to have left them desperately clingy. Described as "Velcro cats" who want to be close to their human all the time, they are a bonded pair and would probably prefer to be adopted together, though they've been given separate web pages.

Zipcode 20202: Frodo from DC


Though believed to be about ten years old, Frodo still likes plenty of walks. He's mellow and calm, though, and likes to lie beside his human too. He needs a good reliable human to lie beside. He is said to get along beautifully with other dogs.

Jinn from DC 


Jinn had a home and a human of her own for more than eight years before her human decided person was unable to care for Jinn. Shelter staff's emphasis on Jinn's distress suggests that you should be prepared for her to be slow to settle in or bond. She's grieving. But she's polite.

Zipcode 30303: Fish Stick from Peachtree City 


Fish Stick has not been in the shelter long. They insist that he must have a fenced yard. He looks like the type to dig his way out under the fence if he had nothing better to do. 

Mackerel & Anchovy from Atlanta 


They like fish. They like cardboard boxes. They like being together. Mackerel and Anchovy are mother and daughter. The shelter recommends you adopt both together. Mackerel is described as a majestic, mesmerizing Queen Cat who will sit beside you but not on you--let's not get carried away. Anchovy is the docile, dutiful daughter.
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