References to Beagles date back to Ancient Greece.
Beagles are unfortunately the breed of dog that is most often used in Animal Testing; they are used to test things like novel surgical procedures and cosmetics. The FDA even uses Beagles to test how toxic food additives and contaminants are; some drugs are even tested on Beagles.
President Lyndon B. Johnson owned three Beagles by the names of Him, Her and Edgar.
The US Department of Agriculture operates a Beagle Brigade, a large squad of Beagles that are responsible for sniffing out food products in the luggage of travelers arriving at US airports; these hounds are the first line defense against potential pests and diseases that could destroy the agricultural and food industry of the country. Indeed, Diana Verity, a Beagle Brigade Coordinator in Los Angeles, and her dog once confiscated a guava from Thailand that housed over 30 oriental fruit flies; the introduction of these fruit flies onto American soil could have disturbed hundreds of ecosystems and agricultural practices.
Snoopy, from the comic strip Peanuts, is a Beagle. Actually, he is one of the most famous canine characters in the country, and around the world, and he has been declared the world's most famous Beagle.”
Walt Disney and Hanna-Barbera have also used Beagles. The Beagle Boys were villains in Walt Disney cartoons centering on Scrooge McDuck, while Beegle Beagle was the best friend of Grape Ape in Hanna Barbera's The Great Grape Ape Show.
Beagles have been mentioned in some of Shakespeare's works.
Beagles have enjoyed quite a bit of on-screen time in movies such as Shiloh, Underdog and Cats and Dogs. They've also been successful on the small screen, appearing in TV shows such as The Wonder Years and Star Trek: Enterprise.
The ship on which Charles Darwin sailed while he was collecting material for his Theory of Evolution was called the HMS Beagle, after this wonderful little hound. The Martian explorer, Beagle 2, sent by the British to explore the surface of the Red Planet was named, in turn, after the HMS Beagle. All contact was lost with the explorer six days before it was scheduled to enter the Martian atmosphere; it is not even known whether or not Beagle 2 actually landed on the surface of the planet.
Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho is a peculiar-looking Bed and Breakfast, housed inside the World's Largest Beagle. The Inn is actually inside the 12-foot tall statue of a Beagle, built by the Inn's owners. Another statue of a Beagle, this one smaller, is found next to the inn; the large statue is named Sweet Willy, while the smaller one is called Toby. The husband and wife team that runs the inn also have a gift shop and a studio where they use chainsaws to carve wooden statues; most artwork done by the couple is of Beagles.
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