Frequently Asked Questions

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 dog 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.
• Oftentimes, 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.

There are always situations in which people really 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 dog's.

How do I know if a beagle is right for me?

Please read this article: Considering a Beagle?.

What is a puppy mill?

A puppymill is a cruel 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 Humane Society of the United States, You can read more about puppy mills here and here.

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 sells merchandise and holds raffles, auctions, etc. to help us raise funds to continue to rescue beagles. After you adopt an SOS beagle you will have the opportunity to attend beaglefests.

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.