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Information/FAQ

• Beagles on the Web
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• Other beagle rescues
• Petfinder
• Recommended Reading

• What is a rescue beagle?
• What is a puppymill?
• What is a laboratory beagle?
• What is a beaglefest?
• Can I adopt a quiet beagle?
• Submit a question here

Are you an SOS adopter?  Are you a member of our post-adoption Yahoo support group/e-mail list? 

If you want to join, please follow this link and click the "Join" button.

Please note: We're sorry, but this list is private. 

ONLY SOS ADOPTERS WILL BE GIVEN PERMISSION TO JOIN.

What is a rescue beagle?

A rescue beagle, in the simplest explanation, is a beagle who was "rescued" from one environment, and now needs to find a loving home in a new environment.  Most people automatically ask "Why?  What's wrong with the dog?"  Well, honestly, it is quite a rare situation for there EVER to be anything "wrong" with the dog.  It was not an appropriate fit in its initial environment.  For this situation, we can ask "why?"  The list of reasons below is not comprehensive, but contains many of the common reasons our organization gets involved in rescuing a beagle::

• The beagle is found as a stray, and attempts to locate its owner have failed.  We can only guess why the dog is a stray - maybe it ran away, maybe it got lost, maybe its owner left the gate open hoping that the day would escape, etc.
• The beagle is in a shelter because it was either found as a stray and Animal Control captured it, or it was brought there by its owner.
• Why do people bring their dog to a shelter, or abandon it at a veterinarian's office, or outside?  Often times, people do not do their homework about a breed.  They should have reviewed sites like these to see if a beagle is REALLY a good match for their family and situation:

http://www.beagles-on-the-web.com/considering.htm

http://members.aol.com/cokicola/beagle.htm

There are always situations in which people need to give up their dog - elderly owners pass away, professional owners are transferred to areas with no affordable pet-friendly residences, military owners are called to active duty, children develop allergies, parents lose jobs and can no longer afford veterinary care, etc.

The point is, none of these reasons are any fault of the beagle's. 

What is a puppymill?

A puppymill is a mass breeding facility.  Almost every puppy you would attempt to purchase from a petstore is a puppymill puppy - regardless of what the petstore tries to tell you.  For more information about puppymills, please visit the Human Society of the United States, StopPuppyMills.com, and nopuppymills.com. For a personal story about buying a beagle puppy from a petstore, click here.

What is a laboratory beagle?

A laboratory beagle is just what it sounds like - a beagle who has lived in a laboratory!  Why?  Well, beagles are the most common breed of dog to be used for research purposes.  Why?  Beagles make good laboratory animals for the same reasons they make good pets.  They tend to have wonderful temperaments and dispositions, are small, adaptable, and are relatively easy to care for when it comes to things such as feeding and grooming.  Fortunately, many (although not all) studies that use beagles are relatively benign studies.  For example, they may have been used to test different types of dog foods, vaccines, or for studies to develop new drugs.  Most laboratory beagles are bred specifically for research.  Bred-for-research dogs are just that, they are not strays or former pets.  Laboratory beagles are generally not housebroken.  They have limited experience with everyday things such as grass, cars, stairs and children.  In our experience, however, they adapt well to new surroundings.  Breeders breed for good disposition, and many breeders and researchers go out of their way to socialize their dogs to minimize stress for the dogs and handlers.

Now, we have all seen disturbing pictures of laboratory beagles, and have had heard horror stories about laboratory animals.  From our experiences, this is not the norm, and it is important to realize this!!  Dogs are a regulated species under the federal Animal Welfare Act, and laboratories which use beagles in research are inspected by the USDA.  Reputable laboratories also follow additional safeguards and protections by following the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, guidelines from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), and their own internal policies for insuring the humane care of laboratory animals.

Now, is simple "humane" care enough to keep most of us beagle lovers happy?  No, of course not.  However, research using animals is currently legal and protected by the federal government.  For as long as this is true, SOS Beagle Rescue will continue to work with reputable laboratories in encouraging them to, when possible, transfer ownership of their laboratory beagles to us so that we can train and acclimate them to the outside world, and eventually adopt out these beagles to loving homes.  Why?  Because we have met with much success, and hope to continue these relationships so that more laboratory beagles will be given the second chance that they deserve.  These beagles have already given enough to humanity.  Now it's our turn to give back to them.

These are some deserving beagles who lived their entire lives in a laboratory, and are now living wonderful, spoiled lives as SOS adopted pampered beagles:

What is a beaglefest?

This is a fun question!  A beaglefest is an annual (sometimes semi-annual) get-together that SOS holds as a type of family reunion.  It is an opportunity for SOS adopters and their beagles to get together in a dog-friendly environment.  Of course, this is also a major fundraiser for SOS.  SOS merchandise, raffles, auctions, etc., are held to help us raise funds to continue to rescue beagles.  Check out our Happy Tails page for pictures of previous beaglefests, and our Events page for the next scheduled beaglefest!

Can I adopt a quiet beagle?

Beagles are scent hounds, and were bred to hunt.  When a beagle catches the scent or trail of what they perceive as prey (rabbits, squirrels, cats, etc.), they will loudly bay or howl to signal to a hunter that they are on the trail.  It is important to understand that this is a part of their hunting instinct, so it is expected in most beagles.  It is also important to understand that it is not seen in ALL beagles.  If you are looking for a "quiet" dog, you'll need to specify to us what exactly that means.  Almost all dogs will bark.  Beagle are no different.  They will often bark when someone comes to the door, if they see another dog, when they play with each other, and of course, when outside when catching the scent of another animal, etc.  Some beagles are louder than others, and/or may bay or howl often, and we note this while the dog is in foster care. A "louder" beagle can often be trained to howl only at appropriate times, but it would be unfair to try to train a dog to stop doing something for which they were bred to do.  For some of our failed hunting dogs who come into rescue, they may be more on the quiet side which is the primary reason they were surrendered to rescue.  There are beagles to fit many types of living situations, but if you need a silent dog as opposed to a quiet or trainable dog, please consider a beagle stuffed animal instead of one from a rescue.

SOS Beagle Rescue, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) Non Profit Group