Avoid The Pocket Beagle

A pocket beagle was a very popular breed of dog back in the 1300’s and 1400’s with royalty and prized by the royal family. They were called pocket beagles because they were measured at no more than 9 inches at the shoulders. Currently the American Kennel Club, the standard that many breeders use for determining the health and other important factors of a dog breed, only recognize beagles that are 13 inches or 15 inches in size. So what happened?

Right around 1901 both the standard American and British dog breeding organizations declared the pocket beagle extinct. It is said that what is called a pocket beagle today is an unhealthy dog that is small because of physical issues that could cause you to be investing in a very unhealthy animal. Even though many of the more accepted breeder organizations have made the pocket beagle extinct many breeders still sell them today.

If you go looking for pocket beagle breeders you will find a very different story than many of the breeding associations are currently telling. There is a breed of pocket beagles being sold all over the world being referred to as old English pocket beagles and they differ just a little bit from the original pocket beagle breed. An old English pocket beagle is considered to be any beagle 12″ or smaller and it almost seems as though many people are trying to get their dog to fit into a category that it may not be part of.

If the old English pocket beagles are indeed truly healthy animals then they will not be suffering from ailments such as hip dysplasia and epilepsy that normally accompany dogs that are destined to be pocket beagle size. It is na?ve to think that someone has not found a way to breed healthy pocket beagles but it never hurts to ask questions and be sure before you buy one.

It is very difficult to look into the eyes of what is being called a modern day pocket beagle and think that there could be any kind of controversy surrounding such a cute little animal.

But there are breeders that claim they are more than able to offer healthy modern day pocket beagles and then there are the main breeders’ organizations that claim that the breed went extinct over 100 years ago. It is a very difficult discussion.

There are very specific criteria that a dog must meet when it is being classified as one breed or the other and the main breeding organizations of the world consider a dog outside their criteria to be unhealthy. Are old English pocket beagle breeders selling unhealthy dogs?

This debate will rage on for years and as long as it rages on the pocket beagle will remain a popular breed all around the world.

Last 5 posts by Michelle Adams

• Dog Beds - Tips On Selecting The Right One. - June 18th, 2009
• Beagles Temperament Makes Them Easy To Train - January 16th, 2009
• How to Choose a Beagle Rescue - January 6th, 2009
• What To Expect With A Beagle Rescue Dog - December 23rd, 2008
• The Beagle Puppy - December 18th, 2008