Good Day to you all at ePz.

Thank you all so very much for taking the time out to view, comment and vote on my images of Mollie the Cocker Spaniel which I uploaded yesterday. A further thank you goes to; m111mmh, Williamsloan (Billy), PeterJones (Peter), cbrundage (Christina), Sparrowhawk (Steven), Nikonuser1 (Cliff), digital_boi (Graham), Bravdo (Barry), and Netta1234 (Netta) for their User Awards.

Today's image of of a wonderful Beagle called Claude after Claude Van Damme. It's difficult to resist the appeal of a Beagle's dark brown or hazel eyes, with his soft, pleading expression. They're happy, outgoing and loving — characteristics more than balanced out by their hound nature, which is inquisitive, determined, and focused on food.

They aren't yappy dogs, but they do have three distinct vocalisations — a bark/growl, a baying howl, and a half-baying howl (a cross between a frantic bark and a bay). The half-howl vocalisation usually is reserved for when they catch sight of quarry — or think it's time to wake the neighbours at 6 a.m.! Being pack dogs, they generally get along well with other animals and their human friends — and they think everyone is their new best friend.

The most important thing to know about the Beagle is that he is a scent-hound. His nose is the most important part of his anatomy and his head is always down to the ground, searching for an interesting trail to follow. Beagles have approximately 220 million scent receptors compared to the paltry 5 million or so in people, which makes them very good at picking up scents. Humorist Dave Barry once described his in-laws' Beagle as "a nose with feet."

You may have seen the Beagle's nose at work at airports across the country. In 1984, the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to use Beagles to sniff out contraband food being brought into the United States at the Los Angeles International Airport.

The experiment was a huge success. Because they are small, friendly, and cute, the Beagles didn't intimidate people who are afraid of dogs, and with their super nose power, they could be trained to identify specific food articles while bypassing those that weren't contraband. Today, members of the "Beagle Brigade" patrol the baggage-claim areas at more than 20 international airports and other points of entry into the United States.

Although they've branched out into other fields of work, Beagles remain superb hunters of small game. The National Beagle Club's Institute Farm hosts Kennel Club field trials where breeders with packs are put to the test in the field. Many other countries have similar activities for hunting Beagles.

Because of their small size and gentle temperament, Beagles can do well in smaller homes if their people are willing to walk them on lead several times a day in all kinds of weather. They need plenty of exercise, about an hour a day if possible. If left alone and not not exercised, Beagles can become destructive.

I hope that you all have a fantastic day whatever you may doing.

Regards as always Nathan

Tags: Search Beagle Pets Hunting Tracking Breed Pets and captive animals

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