The Big Woods Hare Hunters of The Allegheny were honored to have our photo of Little Toby Creek Kennel's Nellie (late) placed on the cover of the national magazine.
The following story was published in the September 2018 issue of THE RABBIT HUNTER, the September 2018 issue of BETTER BEAGLING magazine and the August 2018 issue the AMERICAN BEAGLER magazine.
The story is being reprinted here for your reading enjoyment with the authorization of the author.
We hope you enjoy.
THE BEST BEAGLE I NEVER KNEW
OR
EVERYTHING I NEVER KNEW ABOUT BEAGLES
by
Joe Ewing
High HareMan of
the
Big Woods Hare
Hunters of the Allegheny
I
don’t like dogs, but I love beagles and I especially love my beagles. My
dislike includes most members of genus Canis lupus familiaris, Canis familiaris or otherwise
known as canine. The dog is the
most widely abundant earth-bound carnivore which means there are a lot of
dogs not to like.
We
all know the particulars of the beagle like: the beagle
is a small hound similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle
is a scent hound, developed mostly for hunting hare and rabbits. The beagle
possesses a great sense of smell and superior tracking instinct. Besides
hunting, the beagle is deployed as detection dogs for banned agricultural
imports around the world. (I’ve witnessed them doing their job in several international
airports.) The beagle is intelligent, but strong-minded. It’s a popular pet due
to its size, good temperament and lack of inherited health problems. The beagle
is smart, good-humored, determined, calm, excitable, gentle, happy, friendly
and curious. I’m not going to be getting into any of the above.
 |
| Nellie to this day is still one of the best, if not the best, hare hound to come out of my kennel. Unfortunately, for me, I was not the owner, trainer, handler or loyal friend of Nellie. Nellie was owned by Andy and Brenda Hoover of Shippenville, PA. Andy trained and handled Nellie and she became his loyal friend. |
No
one really knows the origin of the name “beagle”. A few speculations are: the
word “beag” was a Celtic word (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh)
which means small or maybe from the French, “begueule.” meaning wide throat.
Another idea is the word beagle came from another French word, “beugler”
meaning to bellow. The Germans gave us “begele” which means to scold. The first mention of the beagle by name in
English literature dates from 1475 but, then again, claims have been made of
small pack-hounds hunting rabbit and hare in England long before the Roman
legions arrived in 55 B.C.
 |
Sammie is as quick and relentless as most beagles twice her size. Note the fact I didn’t say fast. Her nose makes her quick. The only thing holding her back is her size and her conformation.
|
The American
Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes two models of Beagle. They honor the 13-inch model
and the 15-inch model which means there only four styles of beagles to choose from.
The 13-inch female and male and the 15-inch male and female are the only models
allowed to compete in AKC sponsored field trials. The Canadian Kennel Club recognizes a single model of beagle with a
height not exceeding 15 inches.
I’ve never been
too picky when it comes to size. My plan is for the beagle to move the rabbit
or hare in a circle in a timely fashion so I can dispatch the rabbit and put it
on my dinner plate. I own a short legged little female who is as quick and
relentless as most beagles twice her size. Note the fact I didn’t say fast. Her
nose makes her quick. The only thing holding her back is her size and her conformation.
 |
| I know one thing, when Sammie looks at me with these eyes I'm sure she's trying to tell me something. |
Speaking of
conformation, conformation in dogs refers solely to the externally visible
details of a dog's structure and appearance, as defined in detail by each dog breed's written breed standard.
A dog that conforms to
most of the items of description in its individual breed standard is said to
have good conformation.
Good conformation in beagles means straight front legs, square muzzle, long
straight ears, straight tail and on and on. What I didn’t know is
the beagle is widely known for its handsomeness.
There are many
different colors and color combinations of beagles. The
black/tan/white patched look that people typically associate with a beagle is
only one option and not the only acceptable color for a beagle. Most
beagles are tricolored but it’s not uncommon for a beagle to come with
different combinations. I owned a bluetick beagle years ago which I liked but
never owned another. What I didn’t know is the colors include: black, tan, red,
white, bluetick, blue, brown, lemon and combinations of all of the above and
more. The AKC lists 25 accepted colors and then those
colors have various shades. I do know from experience that more than one color
option can be obtained from the same litter.
The most common eye colors for
beagles are brown or hazel. I whelped a beagle years ago with “heterochromia”.
The male puppy, named Lucky, was born with two different colored eyes. Heterochromia is regulated by the production,
delivery, and concentration of natural pigments. It may be inherited or caused by
genetics, disease, or injury. It occurs in humans and certain breeds of dogs and
is not that rare. Max
Scherzer, an American professional baseball player for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball is famous for his heterochromia. The
heterochromia didn’t seem to bother Lucky or Max but it sure turned out to be a
conversation piece for Lucky’s owner.
 |
| I whelped a beagle years ago with “heterochromia”. The male puppy, named Lucky, was born with two different colored eyes. Heterochromia is regulated by the production, delivery, and concentration of natural pigments. |
Early
English hunters used packs of beagles. This pack mentality is probably why
beagles love companionship. It’s also the reason beagles are not considered the
best choice as guard dogs. Beagles seem to be friendly to everyone they meet
except for that bluetick I was telling you about. Sugar was the nicest,
friendliest hound you ever wanted to meet except for just one time. Our teenage
neighbor kid was coming up the sidewalk one evening when I said to the dog,
“sick ‘em” and she did. She tore the seat of his pants right out. I never saw
that one coming. I think she bore some kind of a grudge against the kid.
Another
fact I didn’t know is the tip of a beagle’s tail is always white. I don’t know
about “always” but I have beagles which look so much alike I identify them by
looking at the amount of white tip on their tail.
Smell is the beagle’s highest functioning sense and of
topmost importance to the hunter. Beagles have approximately 220 million “scent
receptors” with people only possessing 5 million scent receptors. A
bloodhound's nose consists of approximately 300 million scent receptors which
is more than any other breed. The bloodhound is touted as the world’s number
one scenting dog. The
human receptor area is said to be about the size of a postage stamp while the
dog’s is the size of a Kleenex tissue, so a beagle should be able to smell
100,000 times better than me. This is why I carry the gun and my beagles sniff
the ground.
A good
nose is only part of it. Beagles supposedly have the
ability to decipher up to 220 different scents simultaneously. A beagle’s brain
is built to thoroughly and efficiently interpret those scent signals. Just as
we remember visual things, dogs remember distinctive smells, thus, sniffing
that occurs when dogs greet one another.
In order to work at full capacity, the smelling
receptors in the beagle’s nose must remain damp.
Those turbinate bones in the nose are covered in olfactory mucosa, a
thick, spongy membrane covered in mucus, according to scientists at Purina. The
moisture helps capture scent molecules, which are then processed by millions of
hair-like cilia, which hold the ethmoidal cells. This is why sick
dogs with dry noses can’t detect odors very well. It‘s also why healthy dogs
lick their noses. Keeping all those surface nooks and crannies moist helps pick
up and hold scent molecules. Even the cracks under the outside corners of dog
nostrils contribute to scenting by flaring to stir up molecules. Snorting or
inhaling deeply and purposefully brings them into contact with nasal receptors.
Floppy hound ears stir up ground scent and wrinkled skin captures rising odor
molecules.
Ground scent sticks to surfaces
and hangs around for days sometimes. Scent drifting in the air is what enables
bird dogs to catch wind of their prey with noses in the air. This must be why my
hounds sometimes run off line several feet to the right or left. We do the same
thing when we detect campfire smoke or detect the neighbors cooking ham and leaks
(ramps) on the barbecue.
While most of us imagine that water washes away all
scent, it doesn’t. Oil floats in water. This is why hunting on mornings
with a heavy dew or in the rain seems to go so much better. Damp ground helps
hold the scent while dry, dusty ground conditions make for poor scenting
conditions.
I noticed when the hounds have
lost the rabbit and I have seen where the rabbit went, it is counterproductive
to yell and scream when trying to get the hounds back onto the track, especially
young hounds. Ideally, the hounds are out there to learn and they become
skilled by doing and thus they need to discover for themselves how to work it
out. My interference teaches them nothing but to go crazy when I yell.
I
didn’t know that dogs can lose their sense of smell, or maybe I did know and I
just didn’t realize I knew. The medical term is, “anosmia”. The loss of smell is
generally temporary. This loss of smell can also be part of the aging process.
Just as aging causes loss of eyesight and hearing, among other problems in
humans, aging can cause anosmia in beagles.
One thing I know
for sure is beagles never hold a grudge, seldom get mad at me and if they do
they get over it quickly. They perform at a high level commensurate with their
ability and all they ask for in return is a pat on the head and a bowl of
kibble once a day.
I’ve been hunting
with beagles, training them, whelping and raising them for almost fifty years
now and I still have a lot to learn about beagles. They teach me something new
every day which is better than I do for them.
 |
| Three of my all-time favorite beagles, Blacky, Tia and Patch. |
