Quite possibly the most famous member of the Beagle dog breed came from the pen of Charles M. Schulz, the man who drew the Peanuts comic strip until he retired in 2000. Snoopy, the beagle who wrote fiction, talked to small birds, and imagined himself to be a World War I aviator, was Charlie Brown's pet and one of the stars of the strip. Today, Snoopy lives on as the mascot and spokesdog for Met Life Insurance.
The beagle dog you bring home is not likely to consort with the Red Baron. However, he/she will, more likely than not, keep every member of the family company. The typical beagle dog is a gregarious, attentive dog that is the right size and temperament for most families. 
In some families, that beagle dog may also join family members as they hunt rabbits or upland game birds.
A popular member of the American Kennel Club's (AKC.) Hound Group, the beagle comes in two sizes, but both are known for their sensitive noses. Before you bring him/her home, confirm if your beagle dog is part of the breed's small or large variety: 13" (not to exceed that measure) or 15" (greater than 13" but not over 15").
That two inch variation today is of utmost concern to the beagle dog breed in the dog show ring. It stems from the role of the beagle dog as a pack hound for fox hunting. A good pack of beagles is meant to be very similar in size, color, and form. Therefore, 13" and 15" should not be mixed.
But today, beagle dogs typically serve as family companions. These are alert, active, and outgoing dogs and like to be included in family activities. They also need to be exercised. A beagle dog is at its best when walked daily or has a sizeable fenced yard to play in. That same beagle dog is much appreciated as a house dog because it is normally free from any sort of "doggy" odor, does not drool like some hounds, and sheds very little.
Today's beagle dog breed traces its ancestry to the hounds of England. They arrived in the U.S. in the mid-1800's but were smaller, stouter, and much less refined than the beagle that inspired Snoopy. The beagle dog breed took a big leap toward becoming the dog we now know when new blood was imported from England around 1870. Within 15 years or so, the beagle we know today had become more common.
A beagle dog born in the U.S. is truly a top dog. The beagle dog breed is the fifth most popular in terms of the number of registrations with the AKC: 42,591 were registered in 2005. The beagle dog breed ranks behind the German Shepherd Dog and ahead of the Dachshund.
