One of the most famous cartoon dogs ever is a Beagle – Snoopy! He might not look like one of us at first glance, but he fits in with us pawfectly. He’s playful, affectionate, smart, and loyal. We’re very musical dogs and we love using our voices to express our feelings, and Snoopy is no different. He can play the piano! Sure, sometimes he’s lazy, which can be said for our whole dog breed, but when we get bursts of energy – we’re up for any adventure!

Our history is long and it’s surrounded by mystery. Historians can’t even agree on how we got our name! Some historians believe our name is derived from the Gaelic word “beag” which means “little.” Others think it comes from the French word for the sound that hounds make while they hunt: “be’geule.” Greek documents from as early as 400 B.C. describe dogs similar to Beagles and small packs of these scenthounds are reported to have hunted rabbits and hares in England before the Romans arrived in 55 B.C. We became popular in England really early, like during the 1300s. Teeny-tiny dogs called Glove Beagles were extremely popular because they were small enough to fit in one hand! Early reports also mention Singing Beagles, named after our beautiful, melodic howls, called “baying.” Elizabeth I famously kept packs of Pocket Beagles, which were only nine inches tall! Some of them are even in her portraits. By the 1500s, the majority of English gentlemen either owned packs of large foxhounds th