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Little Dogs Rock!
Beagle: A Howling Good Time
What's the truth about beagles? Are they all nose and no brain? No way! A beagle certainly has a powerful nose to work with—it has 220 million scent-receptors compared to the human's puny 5 million. But there's a lot more to beagles than the nose. And you won't have any doubts once you've met Trouble. This member of the USDA's Beagle Brigade works at Miami's airport—sniffing out banned meats, fruit, and other plant items. During five years on the job, Trouble has found over 1,800 banned food items! A Howling Good Time is a narrative treat for dog lovers that includes amazing, real-life stories about these little pups while also recounting the breed's history and its relationship to the animal's physical characteristics, personality, and suitability as a pet.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2009
5 people want to read
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April 27, 2011
Beagle: A Howling Good Time
Beagle opens with some positive content, profiling the dogs who work for the “Beagle Brigade,” a team that sniffs luggage to ensure illegal imports of fruit aren’t entering the country. Of one of the canines, we even learn
Before Trouble joined the Beagle Brigade, he was homeless and living in an animal shelter.
Another unusual job for the beagle’s powerful nose, we learn, is working with exterminators to detect the presence of termites in buildings.
The rest of the book ends up being a mixed bag from an animal protection standpoint, with certain passages that will no doubt disappoint the humane crowd.
The author includes a two-page spread celebrating the beagle Uno’s win at the Westminster Dog Show.
But,
Beneath a picture of girls cuddling a beagle pup at a shelter, we read: Many people like to adopt beagles from animal shelters because they have such great temperaments. (It should be noted, however, that the entry on Westminster is much larger and more noticeable than the brief line about shelter adoption.)
Another section profiles the beagle’s role as a hunting dog. The author elects to paint a rosy picture of the practice:
In the United States, many beagle packs hunt rabbits, usually once a week, from October through March. In November and April, the National Beagle Club holds large hunting competitions between packs. Both the dogs and their owners enjoy the chase through the beautiful countryside.
(No word on whether the rabbits “enjoy the chase through the beautiful countryside.”)
But,
The author also profiles “drag hunting,” a more animal friendly competition event in which packs of hounds trail a scented lure rather than a living animal. Drag hunting is practiced mainly in Australia.
The text doesn’t delve at all into the ramifications of allowing pets to breed. The author writes cheerfully:
When beagles are eight weeks old, they weigh about four pounds. They are then ready to leave their mothers. Many families want to adopt the puppies.
That’s a line that’s sure to give many shelter workers and humane educators migraines, because it plays right into the belief that individuals can find great homes for each and every puppy their dog produces. The wording also blurs the line between buying a puppy and rescuing one—both practices are identified as “adoption.”
It also should be noted that beagles are one of the most common dogs in shelters: Petfinder.com at present lists 8,831 beagles needing homes in US animal shelters. It’s fairly obvious that not all beagle puppies are snapped up by their forever homes as soon as they reach eight weeks old.
Beagle opens with some positive content, profiling the dogs who work for the “Beagle Brigade,” a team that sniffs luggage to ensure illegal imports of fruit aren’t entering the country. Of one of the canines, we even learn
Before Trouble joined the Beagle Brigade, he was homeless and living in an animal shelter.
Another unusual job for the beagle’s powerful nose, we learn, is working with exterminators to detect the presence of termites in buildings.
The rest of the book ends up being a mixed bag from an animal protection standpoint, with certain passages that will no doubt disappoint the humane crowd.
The author includes a two-page spread celebrating the beagle Uno’s win at the Westminster Dog Show.
But,
Beneath a picture of girls cuddling a beagle pup at a shelter, we read: Many people like to adopt beagles from animal shelters because they have such great temperaments. (It should be noted, however, that the entry on Westminster is much larger and more noticeable than the brief line about shelter adoption.)
Another section profiles the beagle’s role as a hunting dog. The author elects to paint a rosy picture of the practice:
In the United States, many beagle packs hunt rabbits, usually once a week, from October through March. In November and April, the National Beagle Club holds large hunting competitions between packs. Both the dogs and their owners enjoy the chase through the beautiful countryside.
(No word on whether the rabbits “enjoy the chase through the beautiful countryside.”)
But,
The author also profiles “drag hunting,” a more animal friendly competition event in which packs of hounds trail a scented lure rather than a living animal. Drag hunting is practiced mainly in Australia.
The text doesn’t delve at all into the ramifications of allowing pets to breed. The author writes cheerfully:
When beagles are eight weeks old, they weigh about four pounds. They are then ready to leave their mothers. Many families want to adopt the puppies.
That’s a line that’s sure to give many shelter workers and humane educators migraines, because it plays right into the belief that individuals can find great homes for each and every puppy their dog produces. The wording also blurs the line between buying a puppy and rescuing one—both practices are identified as “adoption.”
It also should be noted that beagles are one of the most common dogs in shelters: Petfinder.com at present lists 8,831 beagles needing homes in US animal shelters. It’s fairly obvious that not all beagle puppies are snapped up by their forever homes as soon as they reach eight weeks old.
February 11, 2015
Awesome!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews