Once upon a time
There were many many breeds of dogs, many more than there are now. Most breeds were sweet and good natured, some were ferocious protectors of the weak, and all were lovable.
A very few breeds, though, were destructive. They loved to eat couches. THey loved to eat anything they could reach, in fact, and often did. They were often found on the table, getting into things that they shouldn’t be into.
The decision was made, for the good of all mankind, that these animals be neutered, so that their demon seed not be passed on, and homes all over the planet would be unscathed.
The destructive dogs, were allowed to live happy lives, but they were unable to reproduce, so the genes of deep destruction were not passed on.
Except for one dog.
A beagle.
His owner looked at him, and the beagle gave him the beagle look, and he said, ” I can’t do this to such a cute dog”.
Thus, the beagle’s cuteness saved the breed from extinction.
Got a dog who likes to destroy things? Probably a bit o’ beagle in the woodshed.
My wife and I foster dogs for Animal Rescue of Tidewater. Our current tenants are a pair of beagles.
They really aren’t THAT bad…but they aren’t exactly the Einstein’s of the dog world. They are cute as hell, but they definitely would be riding the short bus to school were they members of a different species.
Oh, and our back yard currently resembles Verdun Circa 1916.
We had an old mutt, part beagle. As a pup she ate a chair, a rug and a headbard beyond repair. A more loving, faithful dog never lived.
I always thought I wanted a beagle. Not so much, now. Thanks for the heads up.
BAWAHAHAHA..always happens when you try to make a pet house dawg out of a working dawg..I had a Border Collie one time that would chew the baseboards up if left alone for any length of time in the house..but as long as he could run or work cattle he was happy.
My late English Springer Spaniel was not so much in to property damage but KILLING THINGS, an action at which she was almost frighteningly good.
I knew when I heard a certain lot whimper that she was about to present me with a freshly dead rat.
A neighbor used to allow their chickens the run of the neighborhood in the early morning. The result one morning made my front yard look like the poultry equivalent of the last act of Hamlet.
My relatives asked about this in puzzlement.
I told them the answer was simple. How could this incredibly loving little girl-dog be such a homocidal maniac? A dog, any dog, is a WOLF.
By the way, castration is just a liberal-thing. It certainly does not reduce the tendency to property destruction.
“By the way, castration is just a liberal-thing”
No, it’s not. it’s an animal husbandry thing. A neutered animal does not pass it’s genes on to a following generation, which was the point of the post.
The stupidest dog we ever had was a beagle. And we’ve had roughly 10 dogs.
It ate itself to death. Literally.
Morbid obesity. And no, we didn’t overfeed it. We even verified that fact with the vet. He said the stupid dog had a thyroid issue, but would be willing to do all sorts of tests, and even send it for a stay in a clinic 500 miles away for even more tests if we were willing to pay.
Yeah, right. Thirty-eight cent bullet vs. a minimum $1000 bill.
One day (of many) it threw up. Upon further inspection, there was a rock, a rubber band, a sandwich bag and some grass all packed in there.
Stupid shit would eat anything.
Never again.
Dave S., your dog wasn’t stupid. He was bored and ignored “to death”. Beagles, like so many other working breeds, need to be kept busy or they get destructive.Just like many people, he ate for lack of something else to do. Obesity can lead to thyroid problems and vice versus. For about $75, your vet could have run a thyroid profile and maybe saved your dogs life. And, there’s such a thing as a “beagle rescue ” too.I have worked for vets for fifteen years and see this often.
swmbo at the vet’s office