Westminster Dog Show winner Uno the Beagle Unleashes Beaglemania

Posted on Feb 14, 2008 By Julia Szabo Comments (1)

Each year, the breed that wins Westminster experiences a spike in popularity thanks to the high profile of "America's Dog" on TV and in newspapers and magazines. But the Beagle, already a perennially popular breed thanks to Snoopy of Peanuts fame, will now be a bona fide rock star. And that's because everyone's now on a first-name basis with the merry little hound who's Top Dog and numero Uno in the country, Ch. K-Run's Park Me in First.

Uno seemed to get preferred parking in the hearts of Americans the minute they heard his loud-and-clear "Arrooo!" In fact, in the dog world, it's looking a lot like it did nearly half a century ago, when a certain musical quartet from Liverpool invaded these shores. Call it Beaglemania, complete with screaming female fans.  

Exhibit A: FetchDog's own McKenna Troast, age 8. Watching Uno win, the Maine resident literally squealed with delight.  

But even before Uno took the title, David Frei, co-host of the Westminster broadcast on USA Network and provider of expert canine commentary throughout the show, had no reservations about the pop-culture impact of a Beagle win - or the sheer numbers of fans who would want to reach out and touch him.  

"If he wins best in show, I'll rent him an apartment in New York City because I'll be traveling with him all year, so many people will want to see him," Frei told Associated Press.

The Westminster judge thought Uno was perfect, but Beagles aren't perfect for everyone - and speaking of urban apartments, they're certainly not ideal apartment pets, cautions Susan McCullough, author of Beagles for Dummies and a longtime member of the Dog Writers Association of America.  

"They're very independent," the author explains. "They have minds of their own, they know what they want, and they're willing to do what they think they need to do to get it." Think back to Uno's star-making turn in front of the Westminster Best in Show judge: he didn't sit there quietly, like some Snoopy statue - he did his Beagle thing, baying heartily before, during, and after.  

"Baying is not good if you have a partner who doesn't care for that kind of behavior - like my husband," McCullough says. That's why the she and her husband don't have a Beagle, even though Susan wrote the book on the breed.  

"Beagles need quite a bit of interaction and exercise," McCullough adds. "A tired Beagle is a good Beagle. These dogs need a more structured life than perhaps, say, a Shetland Sheepdog. Beagles want to please you, but they don't live to please you."  

As for housetraining, that's a special challenge for Beagle owners. Happily, McCullough wrote the book on that, too: Housetraining for Dummies. 

"They are not the easiest dogs to housetrain," McCullough cautions. "You have to be really consistent with them in establishing a schedule and routine. And if they have an accident, by God, you better clean that up." That, she explains, is because of the breed's legendary sense of smell. Their keen olfactories makes them favorites with the Department of Homeland Security, Agriculture Detection division, which employs Beagles to sniff for illegal fruit and plants at airports and other points of entry.  

We hope anyone considering adopting a Beagle will consult the FetchDog Breed Selector first. Sadly, though, as past Westminster precedent indicates, many will take a blind leap, acquiring their very own Uno without thinking about their lifestyle needs, or the Beagle's. And that, sadly, is how we'll soon see many hundreds of given-up-on Unos abandoned at animal shelters across the country, a prospect rescuers of this breed dread.  

The great news is that if you adopt a pre-owned Beagle from a breed rescue group, the rescuers will have begun necessary training steps to get him or her in move-in condition - much easier than buying a puppy and doing it yourself.

To locate a Beagle rescue near you, simply type the words beagle and rescue into your search engine, or go here. 

If you're not ready for a real Beagle, feel the love by watching a Beagle movie, reading a Beagle book, and checking out FetchDog's exclusive article by author and Beagle rescuer Kristin Von Kreisler.

Post a Comment