The American Beagler Forum

in reply to some of the posts i've been reading on this forum i can't help but feel sorry for some of you. i don't know how many times i've read here, these are working dogs not pets. or i only keep them for 5 years and get rid of them. one of my favorites is i grew up on a farm so.......so what? you grew up on a farm and you don't have a heart? these are NOT PETS they are working dogs. what does that even mean? that your such a hard ass that you can't treat a dog that would run itself to death for you as part of your family? beagles are not machines. mine live in the house and are as much a part of my family as any one else. anyone who treats them differently is missing the best part of the hunt and i feel sorry for you.

adirondackjoe wrote:in reply to some of the posts i've been reading on this forum i can't help but feel sorry for some of you. i don't know how many times i've read here, these are working dogs not pets. or i only keep them for 5 years and get rid of them. one of my favorites is i grew up on a farm so.......so what? you grew up on a farm and you don't have a heart? these are NOT PETS they are working dogs. what does that even mean? that your such a hard ass that you can't treat a dog that would run itself to death for you as part of your family? beagles are not machines. mine live in the house and are as much a part of my family as any one else. anyone who treats them differently is missing the best part of the hunt and i feel sorry for you.

No reason for you to judge someone else's way of believing or their character. I do love the dogs I have, but they are dogs and not kids. If they aren't making me happy, they will go down the road. I've never been considered a hard@$$, a dumb one is more like it... Be happy with what you have sir and don't worry about others. I bet you a million dollars nobody cares that you feel sorry for them.

Have a good day sir.

I got schooled about 15 yrs ago from a kind gentleman in England. We went over and saw a few of the English pack hounds. He showed me first handed what old hounds thought and felt about being left out of what they were bred and raised for. How the younger come up to take over in pecking order and how the older are push out. How they fall out of the race for not being capable any more. How they wail and brood at being left at home. These hounds are not domesticated for being pets, they are truly "hounds that are pack hounds and live to hunt." This elderly man of about 80 yrs. loved and respected his hounds so much, but mostly he understood what the breeding of hounds was about and what their whole world encompassed. He did not let his selfish sentiment interfere with the welfare of his hounds.
It took me awhile to digest all that also, but after some time, I saw what he meant. He'd love to have a farmer for everyone of his hound to retire with but that was not available. The strength of a pack is continued by the young entry hounds that are coming up. The old live on to suffer their indignity or are put to rest, they can't remain with the pack or will most likely be killed by them.
Our hounds are a bit more domesticated for home living alone, many were never raised in a pack environment all their lives. But don't judge what you don't understand. jmho

It takes a special beagle to make it in the house for one. For two they are a tool or working breed ment to feed you if need be. For 3 it cost the same to feed a beagle that can feed you, as it cost for one that cant feed you. If you pay shipping I will send you every beagle that dont run good enough to feed me. As I dont sell this kind. I give them away. My way of thinking is I only sell dogs good enough to feed me. If they are not good enough for me then they are not good enough for me too sell them too you!!!!

A lot of guys that move their dogs at 5 or 6 don't have the heart to watch them go down hill. I have beagles ranging from 11 years to 12 weeks. All will live out their lives in the house or my kennel. I'll be about done by the time they are. I started way too late in the beagle game. Sure wish I had started sooner, but on the other hand I am retired and have more time to put in with them.

Larry

What is wrong with selling a beagle when it reaches five - seven years old. Hunters are getting a trained hunting dog most of the time. Yours may be more of a lap dog so be sure you represent it accurately.
Yours may be part of your family but we all don't think the same.

Do you expect your children to move out when they reach eighteen-twenty-one or do you build a room in the basement for their convenience?

adirondackjoe wrote:in reply to some of the posts i've been reading on this forum i can't help but feel sorry for some of you. i don't know how many times i've read here, these are working dogs not pets. or i only keep them for 5 years and get rid of them. one of my favorites is i grew up on a farm so.......so what? you grew up on a farm and you don't have a heart? these are NOT PETS they are working dogs. what does that even mean? that your such a hard ass that you can't treat a dog that would run itself to death for you as part of your family? beagles are not machines. mine live in the house and are as much a part of my family as any one else. anyone who treats them differently is missing t
he best part of the hunt and i feel sorry for you.

Sounds like a tree hugger.

Ron Conroe wrote:

adirondackjoe wrote:in reply to some of the posts i've been reading on this forum i can't help but feel sorry for some of you. i don't know how many times i've read here, these are working dogs not pets. or i only keep them for 5 years and get rid of them. one of my favorites is i grew up on a farm so.......so what? you grew up on a farm and you don't have a heart? these are NOT PETS they are working dogs. what does that even mean? that your such a hard ass that you can't treat a dog that would run itself to death for you as part of your family? beagles are not machines. mine live in the house and are as much a part of my family as any one else. anyone who treats them differently is missing t
he best part of the hunt and i feel sorry for you.

Sounds like a tree hugger.

x2

ron, that is so funny you wrote that i'm a tree hugger. i happen to own a tree service. i kill thousands of trees a year. probably over a million in the last 42 years. just goes to show you, ya never know.

Ron conroe x 3

Joe , Theres got to be a way , you can somehow incorporate that tree hugger thought into a nice advertising theme / clothing logo. Saftey line hugging the tree, chainsaw in one hand hound dog holding pull rope . His hard hat says "Hugging trees the old fashioned way" Lol.

adirondackjoe wrote:these are NOT PETS they are working dogs. what does that even mean? .

Working dogs- a working dog is a canine working animal that is not a pet but rather a type of dog that performs tasks to assist it's human companions.

Hope that definition helps ya out, let me know if ya need any help with anything else. I always try and help out when I can.

I've watched a friend ruin several dogs because of the whole "Its just another piece of equipment" mentality. Young dogs that were coming along and doing real good would get to the point that they would not hunt for him. Was fearful if they were out in the field, and possibly done something that was small would get shocked on the highest setting with the button held down. I remember one night we went running that a pup he had wouldn't return to him. Instead of giving her time he put the hand held on the highest setting, and held it down for several seconds. She quickly turn and ran away from him. He tried to run her down on foot for a good mile doing this over and over and over. She finally took off on him, and ran down a hill where he wasn't able to chase after her on foot.

bigcfromrbc wrote:I've watched a friend ruin several dogs because of the whole "Its just another piece of equipment" mentality. Young dogs that were coming along and doing real good would get to the point that they would not hunt for him. Was fearful if they were out in the field, and possibly done something that was small would get shocked on the highest setting with the button held down. I remember one night we went running that a pup he had wouldn't return to him. Instead of giving her time he put the hand held on the highest setting, and held it down for several seconds. She quickly turn and ran away from him. He tried to run her down on foot for a good mile doing this over and over and over. She finally took off on him, and ran down a hill where he wasn't able to chase after her on foot.

There is a difference between having working hounds "not pets" which I don't have and taking great care of them while u have them and someone just being plain stupid.

I guess each there own. My working hounds are also my family pets. My kids help out with feeding water and come with me sometimes on the early Sunday runs. If they where good enough in there prime to give 100 % on every hunt they will also retire in my kennel. It the least I can do for them. For me this is just a fun hobby that brings a smile to me when I'm hunting over them. Or when taking out some young kids on there 1 st rabbit hunt. Nothing more nothing less. Just having fun for over 25 yrs with the beagle.
Again each there own. Have fun