9781422279281

American links Beagles first arrived in the USA around 1640. At this time, they looked very different from the Beagle we know today. There are re- ports of hounds that looked more like Dachshunds, although they had straight legs. The Beagle was particularly popular in the Southern states, but the Civil War (1861–1865) put a stop to all hunting activities. When the war ended, breeders once again turned to Britain to import new stock that could revive the breed. General Richard Rowett from Illinois imported some dogs from Britain around 1870 and began breeding. Rowett’s Beagles are be- lieved to be the models for the first American standard. Addition- al imports by Captain Assheton and James Kernochan brought the breed to its current look of a “miniature English Foxhound.” These early day

Beagles were excelled in both hunting and the show ring. In 1885, Blunder be-

came the first Beagle to be registered in the American Kennel Club’s stud book. In 1888 the National Beagle Club was found- ed. A breed standard was drawn up, and it has not changed much since. American breed enthusiasts agreed that there should be two siz- es of Beagle—thinking it unfair to run smaller Beagles against

larger ones in the field— and to this day the two size varieties are shown in separate classes.

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