Beagle
A merry pack-hunting scent hound famous for following its nose anywhere — the register's line on the Beagle is short, and every rating on its sheet follows from it.
The temperament sheet
Energy is rated high. A Beagle wants proper daily exercise, and its nose will happily book the itinerary if you let it. Tolerance for being left alone is rated poor: this is a pack hound to its bones, and an empty house is a problem it will announce. The one-line entry calls it merry, and the merriness is genuine — it simply prefers an audience.
With children the rating is excellent — the top of our scale — and the sheet carries a yes for first-time owners. Space is marked needs-garden; this is not a breed the table places in a flat.
The practical side
A small dog with an undemanding coat: grooming is rated low and shedding moderate. Budget your patience elsewhere, because barking is rated vocal. A Beagle has opinions and a voice built to carry them, which is charming across a field and rather less so through a party wall.
Before you decide
One caution the club repeats on every page: individual dogs outrank their breed sheet, and meeting the dog outranks everything.