Our daughter Kalissa just won’t quit badgering me about puppy hunting so I caved in and started looking with her.
Our family came up with a list of what we are looking for:
A beagle.
Female.
A puppy under 5 months old…(this was everyone else’s choice but I am on board too)
Has had people contact including kids if possible…home grown…
Open to being from a shelter…NO puppy mills.
$400 or less…prefer less.
We don’t care about blood lines, we just want a healthy pet.
This is hard….really hard. It’s not the sadness that’s making it so hard, it’s the way things are done now days or maybe it’s me just being picky….but this is a lifelong pet. There are somethings that I can’t compromise on. There are also some things that I didn’t even realize we wanted until we started looking for instance:
Beagles come in lots of different colors…
Tricolor like Gracie was…
Saddle back or blanket back meaning black backed
scarf colored meaning the white around the neck
Lemon…(tan and white)
blue beagles which are grayish color
ticked beagles which have coloring in the white
and chocolate beagles.
There are probably more that we don’t even know about yet. We narrowed it down to tricolor…we like the saddle back too but aren’t picky on that part.
We looked online and found this adorable shelter puppy but…
no out of state adoptions.
That discouraged us from looking at Minnesota, Wisconsin or other shelters out of state as we might get the same rejection. We’d already check Iowa and there were no puppies.
While looking we also discovered that we don’t care if it’s purebred but we want the dog to look like a traditional beagle. Some of the dogs shelters list as beagles really don’t look beagle like to me.
We found a family that raises beagles about 2 1/2 hours from us and they had this cutie….
I don’t know if I like the ticking color- I am so used to Gracie’s white color…Kalissa thought the hair looked fuzzy and didn’t like it. See….we’re being picky.
We did find this little girl. She was born with a crooked tail so the breeder is selling her much cheaper…1/2 price. We don’t care about the tail…but how do people just buy a puppy from a picture? Of course I want an attractive dog but what about personality…I can’t see personality in a picture. I want to see a litter of puppies and pick one because of how it interacts with it’s siblings. I don’t just want to pick a picture. In my life I’ve seen some really beautiful people but didn’t think much of their personality.
Then we saw the cutest puppy here at Lonesome Grove Beagles….check out Allie. If you want complete cuteness overload check out this youtube video of their pups. That was definitely cuteness overload. Those videos even has sad me longing for a pup. I have a friend that got a beagle puppy from Lonesome Grove and recommended them. They are in South Dakota. I love that the picture of the puppies show them outside and social….They don’t have any puppies ready for a while yet and they are on the upper end of our budget but we are keeping them in mind.
Then we saw this puppy….
So-So-cute. Bella’s in Michigan and that’s a little far.
Then someone suggested a breeder not far from here…well after a call there and the owner said, “We just breed Puggles. No one wants beagles.” I moved on. I want a beagle!!!!!!!!
Then Kelli sent me this picture of some beagle puppies she found locally.
After some questions and answers, two of the tricolors are girls…..they cost $150 and we can come and look at them…now this sounds a little more promising. Kalissa isn’t happy though. She doesn’t want to wait until November to get one. Patience, girl patience.
Then someone gave me a phone number of someone else who might beagles in NE Iowa. The pups were three weeks old….he thought maybe there was two females but had no idea if they were the tri-colored ones. He didn’t know how much they were going to cost because I was the first person who called and gee, he didn’t even advertise yet so how could I have possible gotten his number. He’s getting back to me later. I am hoping he just doesn’t know these things and that his wife is in charge of the puppies…otherwise these puppies don’t sound like they are getting lots of attention.
Right now, we’re looking. We did decided to make an appointment with the local people who have the two tri-colored females. We’ll see how I feel after that. I am just taking this one shove (from Kalissa) at a time.
I’ve heard the saying when the student is ready the teacher will appear…. when the family is ready the puppy will appear. I think this could also be true.
Have you looked on Pefinder? I saw ome puppies listed.
That’s “some” puppies
We had Beagles for years! Most were tri-colored. Did have a blue born in a litter. He didn’t make it though. Our last was a NC/VA Beagle. Sassy was a completed different build then our others. Longer back legs, bigger feet and longggg ears. We got her from a Beagle farm that used them for hunting. Her only hunting was for food dropped on the floor, great vacuum! Have fun finding the perfect match.
Have you done a search for local beagle rescue groups? I know there are rescue groups for other breeds but not sure about beagles. You may think you are being picky but that is a good thing. Best of luck in finding just the right puppy for your family. Your heart will tell you it’s the right one. ;)
I really enjoyed reading your post about the puppy search. One of our beagles is a sweet girl that we found on the side of the road. I’m sure she’s not a purebred, but she looks like it and has the beagle appetite! She’s not as outgoing as most beagles. When we decided to get a pup, we went to a breeder. The male we picked was the bold one in the pen. I didn’t want another shy beagle. I didn’t get one either! I will tell you that the dog that we found on the road is always healthy. My dog from a breeder does have health issues. I do agree with the person that says when the right dog comes around, you’ll just know it. I’m glad to hear that you have begun a search for a new friend.
Good luck with your puppy quest. Hopefully by the time the right one comes up you will be ready to welcome it in to your family. We had decided on a Puggle for sure and done all the research when a friend from work found out her Pug was expecting in time for Christmas. It isn’t what I had in my mind, but now she is part of our family and I can’t imagine having any other dog. She is settled down next to me now snoring away. I hope your search is the same and you end up with just the right dog for you.
have you looked into breed specific rescues??
Good luck finding your new family member. Unfortunately it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes between backyard breeders and true breeders. Usually the good ones are very picky about who gets the pups, so if they let just anyone adopt, I would be suspect. Backyard breeders aren’t as bad as puppy mills but they’re only one step better. :( But you do have a better chance with them of getting a healthy pup.
Lonesome Grove has some cute pups. As you said, this is a life decision and not one that you should rush into or let anyone else rush you into, so if you have to wait until November, so be it. It is a shame that the rescue group in Wisconsin won’t allow out of state adoptions. That little girl is missing out on a loving family. akc.org is another resource. You can look up the breed and find breeders with puppies.
i am sooooooo glad that you are moving forward in your puppy search! it will help heal your heart, i know that from experience! and tell kalissa, if you have to wait, that november is only a few weeks away! lol
oh, and i don’t think you are being picky at all. this is a new member of the family and she will be with you for many years, even getting to know the NEXT generation, when it comes along.
Hugs to all and I’m so sorry about your loss. I gave your sweet Kalissa a hug at the nursing home last week and I understand how difficult it is to lose a pet. The right fur baby will come along and it will have a wonderful home with your family.
We wanted a pure bred beagle puppy 3 years ago. I asked at the vet if they knew any breeders, and the vet said to go out to Goochland (a neighboring rural county) and find one. They said someone had brought in a stray beagle a few days before. Somehow we ended up with a 2 year beagle/foxhound mix that a hunter abandoned in the woods. He was sick and underweight when we got him, and he wasn’t the age/size or breed we thought we wanted, but he needed us, and our other dog liked him. When you come across the dog for you, you will know.
My heart aches for you and the loss of Gracie. I admire you and your family desiring and searching for a dog so soon. Thanks for the education in beagles! The coloring info was very interesting. Some days I think I want another dog, but then I think of the traveling I do and don’t think it would be practically right now.
We had a beagle mix a few years ago named Simba – he was my son’s dog though everyone loved him. I too would love another beagle type – there’s just something about them. Praying you find a good friend soon – God will provide. :-)
So many pic of puppies that you are looking at. The one dated 9-26-12 has the eyes that just got to me and the longest ears. You will find the one that fits your family.
You will find the “right one” when you find the one that just melts your heart. Remember,
your daughter will not be home forever and you are the one who will deal with this puppy most of the time. If you do what I did, you also could wind up with 3 fuzzy critters. Get the one that melts you….not your daughter. She will love any of them.
Please, please do go through a reputable breeder. By that, I mean one who works diligently to improve the health, temperament and structure of her beagles and who will probably ask for more than $400. Meet the parents of the litter, meet the breeder, ask questions about health and problems she may have had in her lines. If she says she has never had a problem, run for your life. All breeders at times have some problems; it’s how they reputably handle these that make them good or not. A good breeder will be responsible for her puppies for the life of that puppy and will be there for you. Sometimes breeders will have older puppies or dogs that need to be re-homed; these can be excellent family companions and the breeder will already know about their temperaments and any issues that may have cropped up. The Beagle Club of America can refer you to reputable breeders in your area http://clubs.akc.org/NBC/breeders.html. But do your homework about the breed and get referrals if you can. Beagle rescue is another great way to go. Beagles brought into rescue spend time with a foster family where their health and temperaments are assessed, they receive some training and socialization, and a right fit in an adoptive family is the goal. Good luck!
Also, please ask the breeder what health and genetics tests she has done on the parents and the puppies. Here’s a link to that. Don’t let it scare you; many of these problems are not commonplace. http://clubs.akc.org/NBC/screening_tests.html
Crossing fingers that you find the next family member soon……where ever he/she may be from!!
Hi Jo. Before we got our beagle, Brody, we looked at lots of pictures of available puppies online. We eventually decided it was way too big of a decision to make from just a picture. We went on the AKC website to find a breeder in NJ. After contacting a few NJ breeders who did not have available puppies one of them led us to a breeder in NH. We contacted this breeder and we were extremely impressed with her and her puppies. We drove up when the puppies were 7 weeks old and we had a choice of two puppies. The other three were considered “show quality” and we just wanted a well bred, healthy family pet. We also wanted a tri color 13″ dog…boy or girl.
Brody is now a little over 5 months old. It is a joy to watch him grow and learn each day. I’m sure the right little puppy will come your way soon. It might be better to wait until spring when the weather is nicer for training purposes and you have had sufficient time to mourn Gracie. Whatever you decide, I can’t wait to hear about the new little beagle puppy you find to share your life with.
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I just got my puppy on Petfinder.com now she is a mix which was just fine with me. We rescued her from a shelter. That made me happy. I was looking for a little girl dachshund to replace my little girl dachshund that just recently passed away. What I ended up with was a dachshund mixed with a terrier. Now if she isn’t the cutest little thing EVER!! She looks more like the dachshund that I had, just a little taller, has the ears like the terrier, but really once I saw her I fell in love completely. Now that I have her and I’m working on the potty training.. I’m exhausted!! UGH! When you think about having a puppy pooping on your floor, you may think again about having one so young.. EXHAUSTING!!! She is smart though, and I love her dearly!
So sorry to hear of your loss. Pets occupy such a special place in our lives. Good luck with the puppy hunting–I’m sure you’ll find a great puppy to love!
There is a beagle breeder in Marshalltown. We bought a dog from them, we were able to see the parents, and she had papers. She did not have any of the common beagle health issues that some of our other dogs had. I would recommend, but I don’t know if they have anything available.