The American Beagler Forum

Hey folks,
At about 3am after I had gotten out of work I was reading beagle site stuff. On a site I once in a while look at but don't post on "Better Beagling" I read posts where people seemed to be taking shots at ARHA. Comments about the hounds only needing to look like a beagle to get registered and claiming they are somehow terrier mix hounds, etc. I very nicely tried to set the record straight by posting that from what I have seen ARHA provides a format for beagles and their owners to trial some excellent hounds that would not get the opportunity else where because akc papers may have never been sent in or lost or whatever. That fact in no way makes them less of a beagle or any less valuable as a hunter. I went on to explain that in ARHA a beagle had to first be examined by a breed inspector to see that it meets the breed standard prior to being allowed to register. For that reason alone I could not see a terrier getting in. I mentioned that while all my hounds are AKC, they are also ARHA because I at times like to trial in this format. I went on to mention that many of the trial hounds I see in magazines that are AKC seem to have pointy muzzles, cat type eyes and short pricked over ears. These in my opinion appear much more feist or terrier appearing than what I have ever seen in an ARHA trial. I also am under the opinion that there are instances of paper shuffling and dogs who do not stand to get accurate measurements prior to trialing as well as "official measurement" hounds that appear taller than their stated heights. My post on that site was merely to point out all registries have some problems and that it serves no purpose to turn on each other. I am not sure what went wrong because after I posted, I checked to see if it was there and it was. Yet when I just checked to see if I was able to win over some new friends by showing we all need to get along I found my post was not there. Curious stuff! I suspect it was somehow plucked from the site for whatever reason. But then again maybe it was someting I did. Who knows? I still maintain we all have enough dirt in our own back yards that we not need to dig in someone elses. There are enough people out there who would like nothing more than to stop us from running any hound on any animal. As far as that goes they would stop us from hunting altogether if they could. We do not need to become our own worst enemy. We had better realize the need to stick together despite what we run or where we run and not get caught up in petty behavior and name calling. Lest we play into the hands of those who would love to shut us down.
Peace,
NYH

Well said NY Hillbilly! I'm no breeder and never will be, just a guy that likes a good race. I've read the mags and all the post about breeding and faults and line breeding, inbreeding and whatnot. I myself can not understand why someone would have something against a grade dog but I've seen the comments. I really would not mind if my beagles had a little off breeding if they did the job. Heck how did they get the beagle in the first place? I'm sure the early breeders did a lot of experimentation several hundred years ago and the beagle sure ain't perfect. No one has shown me anything the AKC has done spectacular for our little hounds except keep some records and prance some of them around a stage cause they looked pretty or meet some human set standard. I don't know nearly as much about beagles as most of you, but I read, I listen and I know what I like and I'm willing to learn. This is an argument that goes around and around in these sites, with no answer except as I always say -- "the best dog is the dog that pleases you the best."

NYH

Thanks for taking up for our slop dogs. Hey, why don't you load up some of your pot lickers sometime and head south. I'll put you up for a few nights and we'll round up Alabama John and have a SWINGING good time. Ted Peercy

Thanks Guys,
That is what I like about this site and why I come here so often. Even when we disagree it's all in good fun and seldom mean and ugly. I feel down home here and I think I shall no longer peek elsewhere. Its like eating at a diner you know you shouldn't have and then being mad when you get a gut ache and the runs. For now on I'll stay here and eat at Bev's diner. It's as close as I can get to home cooking and I like the folks that sit across the table from me!
And I'ld be right proud to come huntin you you Ted and John someday. If you can put up with my funny way of talkin and these hard headed hounds of mine. I can't help and laugh when I think about a trip I took my family on 8 years ago to Clemson, S.C. I stopped in to the local Wildlife office to ask if I moved south could I find a place to run my hounds. My family sat in the car with the ac running for close to an hour whilst me and my new found buddies talked rabbit hounds. I even learned about three different types of Yankees. Boy did we laugh! I had an office fulla guys bustin a gut. When I was leaving I was paid a real compliment. The head fella said to me "Hell you ain't no Yankee your just a good ole boy that had the misfortune of being born in New York State". To that I say humbly "AMEN".
Peace,
NYH