THE BEAGLE NOSE

It was about 13 years ago, that I started getting the idea of possibly becoming a dog owner, once again. When the kids were little, we had a couple of German Shepherds, but that was over 30 years ago. I had always liked Beagles, but never owned one. Without a lot of research, I found an ad in the Modesto Bee for Beagle pups, and after seeing them, it didn't take me long to pick Sami from her litter mates. I soon discovered, that this particular breed of dog is ruled by it's nose. There's a saying that goes - "a Beagle is a nose, that just happens to be attached to a dog". Over the years, we've learned that when outside, the leash is always attached, and when she gets a scent of a critter, you better have a good grip on the handle. At this Thousand Trails, there are ground squirrels everywhere. This picture shows the aftermath of a quick chase, where the squirrel easily makes it into the hole, followed by that nose. She sometimes pushes her head so far into the ground, that I swear she's going to get stuck. A walk around this park is great fun, but concentration on other important business, is sometimes impossible.