Since beagles are such active outdoors loving dogs, the winter weather can prove to be pretty depressing for our beagle.  Generally, he loves to go out for swims, walks in the park and of course he enjoys a nice long drive in the car.  Most of these activities come to a standstill when the cold and snow months hit.

For the first couple of years the best we could offer Patches was to take him in the car when we went to the store.  One of us would go in and shop while the other stayed in the car with him, keeping the motor running. Very rarely he would go with us to visit relatives or friends.  Needless to say each time the snow falls he would get seriously depressed.

We have found there are new great ways to keep him occupied during the winter months.  Thanks to doggie booties and jackets, we now take him for walks, pretty close to the length of time we normally would take him. It may not be the most comfortable experience for us when it’s cold, but from what I’ve read when your body is cold you burn more calories so, I’m trying to console myself by saying that I will be burning even more calories than before.  In all honestly however, it isn’t much of a consolation. Patches appreciates the sacrifice however.

On the days where the weather is tolerable we now take him to the park to play in the snow.  While we would be horrified at the thought of being neck deep in snow he thrives in it!  Running, jumping and playing in the neck high snow seems to give him more pleasure then a normal day at the dog park. He even loves Frisbee in the snow.

We also schedule play dates with friends that have dogs that seem to be also suffering from the winter blues. This seems to lighten the spirits of both dogs.  Sadly, there isn’t much we can do to replace his regular outing to the lake for a swim, as you can imagine the bath tub just doesn’t cut it.

Since there is less activity going on during the winter months we also switch him over to a low calorie dog food. Being a beagle I find patches is very prone to weight gain if he’s not active.  This helps reduce that problem for the winter months.  While the winter months can be somewhat depressing for your beagle with some creativity it can still be an enjoyable time.

While vacationing in Maine one year we came upon an ad on the local supermarket wall advertising beagle puppies got sale for $50.00.  Keep in mind this was over 20 years ago so I would be safe in assuming price has inflated greatly since then.  We had been looking for just the right puppy to add to our family since out Pomeranian had passed away so we thought we would go see these puppies.  It took us about 45 minutes of navigating old country roads before we came across the farmhouse that was the home of the owner.

The owner escorted us to the barn just outside the house, when he opened the door 5 beagle puppies came running out.  Their oversized ears flopped in the wind behind them as they rushed to meet us.   We immediately picked a tri-coloured, very vocal little girl.  For anyone that has owned a beagle, you will know they frequently like to “talk” and one of their ways of displaying distress is to howl for all their worth.  We got to experience that first hand once she was put in the car and realized she was gaining greater distance from her farm home.  We finally got relief from the howling when she had exhausted herself and finally fell to sleep about a ½ hour later.

Beyond that what we experienced from this particular breed of dog was the best dog we’ve ever had the privilege of owning.  Even though she had never been housebroken, she refused to use the washroom in the house.  We assume since she was born outside and had lived outside the only place she figured she should go to the washroom was outside as well.

Her mother and father had been excellent rabbit hunters but despite that she got along with our pet rabbit very well.  As a matter of fact her amazing sense of smell came in handy when the pet hamsters freed themselves from their cage and we needed them tracked down.  After about 5 minutes of intense snuffing and snorting from that powerful hound nose of hers she would have the escapee’s location.  She would even confirm their location to us using the formal hound “point.” Her tail outstretched, head held high and one foot lifted up. The pointing we assumed also came naturally since she had not learned it from us.

As for people, she loved people. She didn’t care who you were, you were her friend.  She was kind, loveable and a dedicated friend to everyone in the family.  If you are in search of a pet and have the time to give it long daily walks and lots of love a beagle is highly recommended.

As the number five pick in the top ten beagles round out the top five of the AKC top ten list. The only medium sized breed in the top five makes this guy stand out even more. Pitted against the large breed Retrievers and the small breed Yorkie, these guys held their own and got fifth place rankings according to the AKC. Many owners love the easy trainability and family loyalty that seems to just be bred into these little guys. The beagle is also a very common placed hunting dog. The intelligence and high intuitive sense of smell helps this breed find whatever it is trained to sniff out. This ability alone gives the breed the keen determination needed to help the hunter. Outside of the abilities bred into these little guys to hunt, beagle puppies they make an awesome friend to spend hours with playing in the back yard.