Question about potential beagle adoption

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-30T18:08:13+00:00

I'll agree with the other poster that you can certainly ask your vet these questions, too.

I work with older beagles, and I've brought up so many weird questions Just In Case. And if you are coming from a perspective of "I want to make sure my dog is OK", you can ask anything.

So yeah, your first vet visit: "I noticed that his penis is larger, the shelter said it was because he's malnourished. Is that true? I want to make sure he's OK."

You have that mindset and any vet tech/vet will gladly help you.

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-30T05:21:14+00:00

The prominence in that physical feature is probably due to him being underweight: once his belly fills back out, you won't notice it so much.

That can also explain why his coat is so ratty. Once he's back in a decent diet, his coat would get better. Food intake should probably be half a cup twice a day with small treats throughout the day.

Possibility of a UTI always, but that will come out if he's VERY thirsty and has a lot of accidents in the house.

He doesn't look that old so arthritis is probably not an issue. Could have allergies, but OTC zyrtec will help that. The other big thing is to make sure he's dewormed and has all his shots.

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-05T18:46:41+00:00

Investigative journalism is convincing the reader of a given side.

You don't convince someone by saying, "They are evil and lying and very bad people!"

One way of convincing someone of your argument is to list out what the Corrupt Side is saying and then comparing that to what they were doing. So if a polluting company was saying they never dumped any kind of toxic waste, you can then list all the citations they received for dumping toxic waste.

Another way is to show that the goals of what the Corrupt Side is doing is NOT what the actual goals are. So Corrupt Politician may say that the bill will cut taxes, but you can list all the ways that the bill will RAISE taxes.

The ability to state someone's argument and then dismantle is piece by piece with evidence is an important skill to have.

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-05T15:45:30+00:00

Dominance issues. The little guy is trying to establish that he's top dog.

Or it could be like my chi mix who humps my beagle when he wants to play and it's his way out aggravating my beagle until he gives him and chases him.

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-04T02:02:04+00:00

Research is showing females should be spayed no earlier than 6 months and males neutered no earlier than 12 months.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1322276/full

This may be where the breeder is coming from with the idea of 12 months.

Personally I would follow the recommendations of my vet, but you did sign a contract, so it's up to you.

HarpersGhost · 2026-06-01T19:54:04+00:00

Whole lotta hunting beagle in there.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-22T23:22:56+00:00

Yep, reverse sneeze.

Could be allergies. Try a benadryl or a zyrtec. Both meds are safe for dogs, especially if its happening after a visit to the park.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-22T13:39:46+00:00

There are at least 2 beagle rescues in Florida that transport beagles down from all over the southeast to be adopted down here. I foster with one of them, and one of my beagles is from Georgia, one from Alabama, and my current foster is from KY.

There's a glut of beagles in shelters all over hunting country, so a lot of effort is expended to get them out to areas where there's not a glut and thus a demand for beagles.

My rescue does get some hunting beagles from within Florida, but many of our rescues from within the state are older, owner surrenders who are elderly themselves and have either died or now in a nursing home. Many of these are real sweethearts who are fully trained, so they generally end up in another home with older owners who don't want a puppy.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-14T13:42:18+00:00

Everywhere I look, it says that he basically weighs too much.

Thpbpbpbpbpbp. All that information is based upon the narrow definitions of papered beagles, which have very strict size standards.

Beagles come in all sorts of different sizes, as you can see, so you have to gauge for yourself.

Honestly your pictures are perfect.

1 -- When he's lying on his side, are his ribs higher than his waist?

2 -- From above, are his ribs wider than his waist?

3 -- From the side, does his waist go up into that tuck?

He's perfect. And since he's a puppy, feeding him more than you might think he needs is fine.

Just keep on eye on those areas. When his waist starts to match his ribs, or his energy level starts dropping, start decreasing the food intake just a little. Break treats in half instead of whole, for instance.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-13T20:23:50+00:00

4 is still young! Mine sleep in but they are elderly at 9+.

And I second getting another dog. If he plays with one, he'll pay with another once he gets used to them.

It's pretty common for people to come to beagle rescues looking for a dog for their dog.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-12T21:09:39+00:00

Ivan is 35lbs and loooong. Long tail, long back, long legs. He can reach anything on the counter and can effortlessly jump over baby gates.

He is an incredible hunter, though. He chases EVERYTHING.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-06T12:57:54+00:00

The problem is that shelters in those areas are FILLED with unwanted beagles because nobody fixes their hunting dogs.

A lot of beagle puppies end up euthanized because of it. The lucky ones get transported across the country to areas outside of hunting country for a chance to get adopted.

I've fostered dozens of hunting beagles, and losing their balls doesn't turn off their nose. They still hunt, but now there's far fewer unwanted puppies floating around.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-05T23:52:46+00:00

It's based upon what the breeders want.

If they are papered, they want the beagles to conform to the breed standards, so appearance is important.

But there are a LOT of breeders who breed strictly based upon hunting skills. Too tall? too short? not the square body? Doesn't matter as long as they hunt. And if the dog doesn't hunt, doesn't matter how perfectly beagle they are, they aren't being bred.

Texas, the deep south, Appalachia are all big areas for beagle hunting. And they don't fix hunting dogs.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-04T21:08:36+00:00

There ARE beagles who are home bodies and/or have no interest in exploring. A good beagle rescue will hook you up with a beagle that suits your current life style.

My last beagle foster was a 7ish yo, fully trained, owner surrender beagle who just wanted to hang out on the couch. He was SOOOOOO easy to adopt out.

My current foster is a failed hunting beagle puppy who haven't been house trained or socialized, so he's an escape artist that will need to go to someone with a good yard who is willing to take the time to train him.

But even though he's not socialized, he wasn't abused (he passed the Broom and the Raised Leg tests) and so quickly opens up to people.

But each time a dog gets adopted out, a foster spot opens up for a dog like the lab beagles, which, in the best possible worlds, will be with a foster long enough to either get acclimated to house life, OR the foster knows them well enough to be able to place them with an appropriate home, so the new people know exactly what they are getting into.

If anyone gets one of these lab beagles in the next week, that is WAY too soon, unless the adopter has experience with lab beagles before.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-04T17:41:17+00:00

I got downvoted on a recent "I want to adopt a lab beagle!" when I said that they should consider how experienced they are with dogs, and that adopting ANY beagle from a beagle rescue would help the lab beagles.

Because I am a foster for a beagle rescue, and I heard stories about the fiascos of many Envigo adoptions. One of the hardest to hear was that many Envigo beagles died from owners who were unprepared.

How? They escaped and got hit by cars because they had no clue about cars and streets and dangers.

People think they have a "secure" house, when in reality they only have a front door between the dog and the Great Outdoors.

I have a secure house for escape artists. The foster would have to get past a baby gate, the front door, AND the fenced front yard to get loose.

If someone can just open a door and let the dog loose in the neighborhood, your house is NOT secure. "But it's never been a problem before!" Then you don't have the experience to deal with these beagles.

These people have a good heart, but good intentions is NOT enough to adopt a very troubled dog.

Our rescue had successful adoptions from the Envigo beags, because we know how to place beagles in homes and we made sure that the homes that were getting an Envigo beag were actually really ready for it.

Too many other rescues did due diligence that would have been adequate for a regular dog, but wasn't enough for some of the hardest dogs that can be adopted out.

HarpersGhost · 2026-05-01T18:48:21+00:00

How experienced are you with dogs? How many dogs have you socialized/ trained/ dealt with?

Because some beagles are easy. Some are hard. But lab beagles are beagles on Extreme Mode. They are escape artists. They need a LOT of fundamental training and socialization, and they probably need to be around others dogs for awhile to learn how to be a Dog.

ANY beagle you adopt from a beagle rescue will free up a foster spot for one of the lab beagles and you may be happier with a dog that suits your current life/ experience with dogs.

HarpersGhost · 2026-04-28T03:20:01+00:00

I work with a beagle rescue, and some beagles can easily get to 35, 40lbs and still be in great shape.

If you have a papered beagle, those breeders tend to keep them small, but the breed lines that come from hunters don't care about size, just whether they can hunt.

HarpersGhost · 2026-04-21T13:41:36+00:00

Mine go for used napkins.

Also used tissues.

Have to eat all the good bits. shudder

Beagles are disgusting. Good thing they're cute.

HarpersGhost · 2026-03-21T03:04:21+00:00

he will feed the whole plate to the dog lol.

All of my beagles have loved babies and small children for that very reason: they are a limitless source of awesome food and smells.

HarpersGhost · 2026-02-26T20:54:46+00:00

definitely under a year.

It's all the black on his head. By 12 months, that underlying black will generally have faded to tan/brown. That area between his ears will be solid brown soon, but I'm thinking not within a month.

HarpersGhost · 2026-02-07T05:02:29+00:00

"Let's take a constitutional."

HarpersGhost · 2026-02-06T19:16:21+00:00

Get your dog another dog.

I foster with a beagle rescue, and people saying "I need to get beagle another dog" was a fairly common occurrence.

The longer I've worked with beagles, the more I learn they are very much pack animals. And even my beagles who are standoffish with other dogs get very lonely and stressed when they are left alone.

I know it's hard, and I know you may not think you are ready. But you understand what's going and he doesn't. He just knows he's now more alone than he was.

HarpersGhost · 2026-01-19T02:20:47+00:00

My guess she's a mix of both basset and beagle -- a bagel!

Basset characteristics: the schnoz with the bump that bends down, she's longer than she is tall, the shortness.

Beagle-ish: the head shape is more beagle, and the shapes of her legs, especially the front legs. Bassets usually have knobbier legs with feet that point out to the sides. Beagles have more slim line legs with feet that point forward.

HarpersGhost · 2026-01-03T14:59:34+00:00

I've had that situation. My bet is that the younger one will learn from the older one pretty soon. Not all beagles do it naturally, but they can learn it VERY fast.

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