Welcome to the first part of a series called meet the breeds. I recently picked up a magazine that the American Kennel Club put out and aptly called it meet the breeds. I thought that I would share some of the interesting information here. In this issue they have grouped different breeds into seven groups: Sporting Breeds, Hound Breeds, Working Breeds, Terrier Breeds, Toy Breeds, Non-Sporting Breeds, Herding Breeds.

I own a beagle, which falls into the hound breed category. The beagle is considered to be a scenthound. Scenthounds are known for their endurance and perseverance. Scenthounds are known to bark and howl when they pick up a scent. All hounds (whether scenthounds or sighthounds)are mentally and physically designed to find and catch prey and hunt both singly and in packs.

I found this information on the American Kennel Club website:

Most hounds share the common ancestral trait of being used for hunting. Some use acute scenting powers to follow a trail. Others demonstrate a phenomenal gift of stamina as they relentlessly run down quarry. Beyond this, however, generalizations about hounds are hard to come by, since the Group encompasses quite a diverse lot. There are Pharaoh Hounds, Norwegian Elkhounds, Afghans and Beagles, among others. Some hounds share the distinct ability to produce a unique sound known as baying. You'd best sample this sound before you decide to get a hound of your own to be sure it's your cup of tea.