Hescoen Beagles

Why a Beagle?

The term "Beagle-ling" refers to the hunt of rabbits. This originated from the 14th century, where the Beagle was used as hunting dog in England.

Beagles have been depicted in popular culture since Elizabethan times in literature and paintings. References to the dog appear before the 19th century in works by such writers as William Shakespeare.

Beagles also appeared in funny animal comic strips and animated cartoons from the 1950s with the Peanuts character Snoopy (billed as "the world's most famous Beagle "Walt Disney's Boys and Odie, Garfield's friend. In the movie life they have player various supporting roles in films.

In South Africa, the Beagle was rated at 10th place for the most popular dog. This breed is one of the newer breeds in South Africa and with their popularity rising, they soon will be among the top dogs in South Africa.

BEST FRIEND

Beagles are excellent with children and this is one of the reasons they have become popular family pets.

They also generally get along well with other dogs. Because of their gentle nature and imposing build, they are also frequently used in pet therapy, visiting the sick and elderly in hospital.

In June 2006, a trained Beagle assistance dog was credited with saving the life of its owner after using her owner's mobile phone to dial an emergency number.

Last year a researcher proved that children which were raised with dogs from their birth/young age, had less ear infections and runny noses, and thus less antibiotics, than their peers who was raised without dogs.

INTELLIGENT

The beagles goes where their nose leads them! Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other small game.

They have a great sense of smell and tracking instinct that sees them employed as detection dogs for prohibited agricultural imports and foodstuffs in quarantine around the world, including South Africa.

Beagles are versatile and are nowadays employed for various other roles in detection, therapy, and as family pets. Beagles are used as sniffer dogs for drug and explosive detection. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a Beagle search and rescue dog with a Colombian rescue squad was credited with locating the owner of the Hotel Montana who was subsequently rescued after spending 100 hours buried in the rubble.

LOW MAINTENANCE

Beagles are low maintenance dogs because of their size, even temper and lack of inherited health problems. They are also not demanding with regards to exercise because of their inbred stamina. Beagles are easy to please, easy to raise and can endure hardship and sickness well.

The Beagle has a coarse short double coat. The outer coat is a protection for the dog and is also weather resistant, while the undercoat is soft and insulting. The Beagle sheds hair all yea round. Significant hair loss is in spring when they loose their winter coat and in autumn when they prepare for the winter.

TEMPERAMENT

The Beagle is described as a loyal, cheerful and active dog, which is able to adapt to many different circumstances. Beagles are alert and attentive and therefore are good security investment.

The Beagle has an even temper ad gentle disposition. Described in several breed standards as "merry", they are amiable and typically neither aggressive nor timid, although this depends on the individual. They enjoy company, and although they may initially be standoffish with strangers, they are easily won over. When confronted with the unfamiliar they bark or "howl", which makes them a very good candidate for a watch dog!

BEST APPEARANCE

The tri-colour (black, tan and white) is a popular Beagle colour. Coat colours vary and the breed's standard makes provision for other typical hound colours.

Another distinguished Beagle trait is the white tip, known as the flag which has been selectively bred for. This allows the dog to be easily seen when its head is down following a scent. The tail does not curl over the back, but is held upright when the dog is active.