The Beagle and The Hare

Debra Chamberlin writes about The Aesthetics of Foxhunting:

I kinda think Teddy is a beagle; his legs are short like a beagle's and his ears are longer than the foxhounds. I enjoyed reading this segment about hunting and Jessica Fletcher. It gave me an opportunity to call up distant memories of my own long-gone beagle, the magnificence of the hunt, and the fun of seeing the unparalleled Angela Lansbury in modified hunting livery.

Here is a Beagle, which looks like Teddy:



And here an American Foxhound, which is "taller" than the Beagle (and more handsome, I might add):



Beagles were also hunting dogs:

Beagles were developed primarily for hunting hare, an activity known as beagling...Before the advent of the fashion for foxhunting in the 19th century, hunting was an all day event where the enjoyment was derived from the chase rather than the kill. In this setting the tiny Beagle was well matched to the hare, as unlike Harriers they would not quickly finish the hunt, but because of their excellent scent-tracking skills and stamina they were almost guaranteed to eventually catch the hare. The Beagle packs would run closely together ("so close that they might be covered with a sheet") which was useful in a long hunt, as it prevented stray dogs from obscuring the trail. In thick undergrowth they were also preferred to spaniels when hunting pheasant.[Source: Wikipedia]

Debra continues:

Your readers might get a kick out of this five-minute youtube about beagles

Here is the link to the video (the embedding function has been removed). It is of rambunctious Beagle puppies scampering around. Play is training for work, and these puppies, with their cuteness factor removed a notch, will run after the hare when the time comes.

Still, there's Aesop's fable:

The Hare and the Hound

A Hound started a Hare from his lair, but after a long run, gave up the chase. A goat-herd seeing him stop, mocked him, saying "The little one is the best runner of the two." The Hound replied, "You do not see the difference between us: I was only running for a dinner, but he for his life."

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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