Beagle Fashion?

Hi. . .it's me Ben!

The highlight of every school day is going with Chrissy to pick up Matt and Dave. Every school day at 3:00 pm we pick up Matt and then at 3:25 pm we pick up Dave. As we sit and wait for them to come out of school, I like to watch all of their "friends" come out of the building. I get really excited when I am finally able to pick Matt and Dave out of the crowd.

Some of their friends are girls, some are boys, some are happy and some are sad, some have band and orchestra instruments, and some don't, while others have backpacks and some won't. But one thing all of them have is their own individual style. Their individual styles range from no hair, to hair of different colors and different lengths. Their clothing runs the gambit from shorts and tees to sweats and jeans. Their shoes range from flip flops to Doc Martins. And I have yet to figure out why they have earrings in their noses and lips!

All of this gets me thinking that even though Beagles have their own style it is more of a "personality" then a "fashion statement". Beagles are one of the easiest dogs to maintain in the world. . .okay, the Chinese Crested may have it a bit easier. . .but what I am getting at is it isn't easy for us to change our looks. . .except for maybe one way. . .the way we wear our ears!

For example, here is the normal Beagle look:

Then we have the Tao-Ming Beagle look:

Then there is the Flip-Over Beagle look: (no offense to you Comb-Over Guys):

And finally we have the Princess Leia Beagle look:

Even though these are all cool styles for a Beagle, we can't be trendsetters to you humans because your ears don't hang low. But one area that Beagles can set a trend is for a human to copy our markings.

Check out Matt's sock tan resulting from two weeks of Marching Band Camp. It is the ultimate compliment to this Beagle Hound! Don't you just love it?

What Humans Can Learn From Dogs. . .

Hi. . .it's me Ben! I was just sitting here all alone missing my family as they have all return to work and school full time and I thought I would share with you some lessons learned that have been passed down through the ages from the dog star, Sirius.

1. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

2. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

3. Let others know when they invade your territory.

4. Take naps and stretch before rising.

5. Eat with enthusiasm.

6. Be loyal.

7. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

8. When something you want is buried, dig until you find it.

9. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

10. No matter how often you are scolded, don't dwell on it. Run right back and make friends.

Wouldn't the world be a better place if humans followed these lessons too?

So. . where to start

Hi, my name is Ben and I am a two-year old Beagle living with a great family in Michigan. My family says I have my own philosophy of life. . .Beagleology, thus a blog is born.

Speaking of being born, July 1, 2006 is my birthday, so you could call me an All-American Hound. I was adopted by a really nice lady who loved me a lot, but fell and unfortunately broke her hip and could no longer take care of me. Her kids tried to take care of me while she was recuperating, but of course being away from my home and her I acted up quite a bit and they thought it best that I was re-housed.

My current family saw an advertisement in the newsletter. . ."Needed A Good Home for a Beagle Pup" and they fell for it; hook, line and sinker. I have been living with them since October 2007 and have won their hearts over for eternity. Let me introduce them to you. . .

First there is Chrissy. . .she is the one who read the advertisement and found me. She is the Human Alpha Dog of the family, she is fun-loving and caring and lets me hang my head out the window when we go for car rides. In addition, she lets me sleep with her even though I drive her crazy with going under the covers and out of the covers all night long. . .I love to burrow! My favorite name that she has given me is Benjamin-a-min-a-min. I like it because it rhyme with cinnamon which is one of my primary colors. Unfortunately, I am not a typical Beagle. . .I don't have a bridge, just the beginnings of one. I think it keeps me young at heart.

Next there is Matt. . .he is the teenager of the family. He claims that I have the biggest ears in the world and love to call me "ani-mule" and "hound" when I do something he doesn't want me to do. Since he is going to be going off to college is just a few short years, I have a tendency to migrate into his bed at night. . .after all, it will be my sanctuary when he isn't home. He just bought a motorized scooter. I don't know what is so "cool" about it. . .it didn't even come with a sidecar and there are warning stickers all over it that say "No Pets".

I do have to admit, I do think that Matt is a really cool guy. . .even though his scooter doesn't have a sidecar. He is the best at come up with inventive ways to keep me entertained. See how he captures me attention?

Finally, there is Dave. He is a real-lovey kinda guy and every time he looks at me he says "zzzzBeeeagle". Even though I am not one of those snuggling kinda Beagles. . .Dave really knows how to make me melt in to a good snuggle mood. When it come to riding in the car, Dave has the best lap to sit on. Needless to say, since Dave and I spend a lot of time together when we are awake, I don't bother him at night. . .after all he needs his "beauty" rest.

Oh well, that's it for my family. I really love them a lot. I have just one questions for you. Do you think I have the biggest ears in the world?