Has your Beagle met the business end of a skunk? Well, that will happen especially with a dog as curious as the Beagle is. Here is a great home made remedy that can remove that skunk odor from your dog.

Take one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (nothing stronger), 1/4 cup of baking soda and one teaspoon of liquid soap. Combine the ingredients and you have a great skunk odor remover. Now put on some rubber gloves, wet your dog down and then apply the solution. Use care to avoid getting any of the solution in their eyes. Let it dwell for a few minutes and then thoroughly rinse your dog with fresh water. Dispose of any leftover skunk remover as it is not safe to store.

We always love a good Beagle joke. If you have one that we need to hear please use the contact form to send it to us and we will add it to the list. Here is what we have so far.

• A local business was looking for office help. They put a sign in the window, stating the following: “HELP WANTED. Must be able to type, must be good with a computer, and must be bilingual. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.” A short time afterward, a beagle trotted up to the window, saw the sign, and went inside. He looked at the receptionist and wagged his tail, then walked over to the sign, looked at it, and whined. Getting the idea, the receptionist got the office manager. The office manager looked at the beagle and was surprised, to say the least. However, the beagle looked determined, so the office manager led him into the office. Inside, the beagle jumped up on the chair and stared at the manager. The manager said, “I can’t hire you. The sign says you have to be able to type.” The beagle jumped down, went to the typewriter, and proceeded to type out a perfect letter. He took out the page and trotted over to the manager and gave it to him, then jumped back on the chair. The manager was stunned, but then told the dog, “The sign says you have to be good with a computer.” The beagle jumped down again and went to the computer. He proceeded to enter and execute a perfect program that worked flawlessly the first time. By this time the manager was totally dumbfounded! He looked at the dog and said, “I realize that you are a very intelligent dog and have some interesting abilities. However, I still can’t give you the job.” The beagle jumped down and went to a copy of the sign and put his paw on the words “Equal Opportunity Employer.” The manager said, “Yes, but the sign also says that you have to be bilingual.” The beagle looked at the manager calmly and said, “Meow.”
• A butcher is in his shop, and he’s real busy, but he looks up and notices a beagle in the shop. He shoos him away. But later, he notices that the beagle is back again. So he goes over to him and notices he has a note in his mouth. He takes the note, and it reads, “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please? The dog has money in his mouth, as well.” The butcher looks, and, lo and behold, there’s a ten pound note there.
  So the butcher takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing the in the beagle’s mouth. The butcher is well impressed, and, since it’s close to closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog. So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street when he comes to a level crossing. The dog puts down the bag, jumps up, and presses the button. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the light to turn. It does, and the beagle walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way. The beagle then comes to a bus stop and starts looking at the timetable. The butcher is in awe at this stage. The beagle checks out the schedule and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The beagle walks around the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat. Another bus comes. Again the beagle goes and looks at the number, notices it’s the right one, and climbs on the bus. The butcher, by now open-mouthed, follows him onto the bus.
  The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on his hind legs and pushes the button to stop the bus. Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth.
  Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the beagle turns toward a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step. Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself Whap! against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door, and Whap!—throws himself against it again. There’s no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden. He gets to the window and beats his head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.
  The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door and starts laying into the dog, kicking him, punching him, and swearing at him. The butcher runs up and stops the guy. “What the heck are you doing?” he cries. “That dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for heaven’s sake!” But the beagle’s owner responds, “Clever, my foot! This is the second time this week that he’s forgotten his key.”
• How to Photograph a Beagle Puppy
  1. Remove film from box and load camera.
  2. Remove film box from beagle puppy’s mouth and throw in trash.
  3. Remove puppy from trash and brush coffee grounds from his muzzle.
  4. Choose a suitable background for photo.
  5. Mount camera on tripod and focus.
  6. Find puppy and take dirty sock from his mouth.
  7. Place beagle puppy in pre-focused spot and return to camera.
  8. Forget about spot and crawl after puppy on hands and knees.
  9. Focus with one hand and fend off puppy with other hand.
  10. Get tissue and clean nose print from lens.
  11. Take flash cube from beagle puppy’s mouth and throw in trash.
  12. Put cat outside and put peroxide on the scratch on puppy’s nose.
  13. Put magazines back on coffee table.
  14. Try to get puppy’s attention by squeaking toy over your head.
  15. Replace your glasses and check camera for damage.
  16. Jump up in time to grab puppy by scruff of neck and say, “No, outside! No, outside!”
  17. Call spouse to clean up mess.
  18. Fix a drink.
  19. Sit back in Lazy Boy with drink and resolve to teach puppy “sit/stand” and “stay” the first thing in the morning.
  20. Consider buying older, trained beagle.

Are you a Beagle fanatic? If so then you probably already know everything there is to know about Beagles. If not, here is some Beagle trivia that you can use to impress your friends.

• President Lyndon Baines Johnson had three Beagles named Him, Her and Edgar.
• Snoopy, the worlds most famous Beagle made his first appearance on the Peanuts cartoon strip on October 4, 1950. Charles Schultz was originally going to call him Sniffy until he found out that this name had already been taken so he went with Snoopy.
• Charles Darwin traveled on a ship called the HMS Beagle.  The ship launched on May 11, 1820 from Woolwich Dockyard on the river Thames but would have been relatively unknown had Darwin not sailed on her while he developed his theory of evolution.
• Beagles are used by the USDA to find and seize illegal food being brought into the country through airports. The beagles and their handlers are called the Beagle Brigade and the dogs wear green jackets identifying them. They average 75000 seizures a year and help keep food which could contain foreign pests and diseases out of the country.
• The North Country Beagle was a breed of Beagle that existed in Britain until the early 19th century when it became extinct. It was a large boney hound dog with a squared off head and long ears. It had a good nose but not great although it made up for its lesser ability to smell with its dashing speed having the ability to run down a hare.
• According to the AKC registrations list the Beagle is the 5th most popular breed in the United States behind the Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier and the Labrador Retriever.

The Beagle is one of the most popular breed of dogs in the United States according to the AKC registration data. Its reputation as a capable hunting dog along with its cheerful disposition have made it extremely popular. Whether you hunt with your Beagles or whether they are simply part of your family you might want to learn a little more about the breeds history and statistics. Here is some information for you to enjoy.

Origin Of The Breed

It is generally believed that the origins of the Beagle go back to the 1500’s.  Hunters used packs of smaller hound dogs to hunt rabbits giving birth to the Beagle breed. Since that time the breed has been refined to its current form. The name itself probably comes from the French term be’geule meaning open throat which refers to the dogs unique baying noise.

Appearance

In general the Beagle resembles a foxhound but with a wider head, a shorter muzzle and shorter legs in relation to its torso. They can be either 13 or 15 inches in height at the shoulder and generally range from 18 to 35 pounds with a muscular body and very muscular hind legs. Beagles can come in just about any color but the most common is the tricolor which is a white coat with black patches and tan shading. Other colors include red and white and lemon.

Temperament

Beagles have an even temperament and are a very gentle dog. They love human company and for this reason make great family pets. Do not count on them for serving guard duty however because aggression is not one of their strong points. They are too friendly and easily won over by strangers. They would be much more likely to lick a burglars face rather than fend them off. Stubbornness is another trait of the breed which can make them difficult to train. Some people would look upon the fact that they are harder to train as stupidity but it is just a symptom of being stubborn. This stubbornness is actually something that they were bred for to help them on long hunts.

Health

In general the Beagle is a healthy dog with an average lifespan of about 13 years of age which is normal for a dog their size. They are prone to a few health problems however with the most common being epilepsy but this is a condition that is easily treated with medication. Beagles are also prone to weight gain if not kept active. As an owner you need to carefully regulate their food with no “free feeding” because they will eat whatever is put in front of them, no matter the quantity. Ear infections are also a common issue because their long ears do not allow for sufficient airflow. Regular ear cleaning with cotton balls and alcohol will keep them healthy though (ask your vet to show you how to clean them).

At Work

Because of their highly developed sense of smell beagles perform a number of different functions. The most common of course is as a hunting dog which they were primarily bred for. There strong sense of smell and unflinching determination makes them excellent for long hunts. Because of this sense of smell though they are now employed for many other functions such as drug searches, illegal food searched by the USDA and they are even used in pest control. Yes, that’s right, Beagles can even smell termites in a home. Because of their warm disposition they are also unfortunately used for one career that none of us want to see them in , animal testing. Over 90 percent of the animals used in the UK for testing are Beagles.