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AROOOOOOO!
It's a voice that only a mother can love, and it belongs
to a beagle. It's called a "bay," and it's half-way between
a bark and a howl.
Beagles are quite famous for their voices. If you do not
live in close proximity to your neighbors, the wonderful voices
are usually not an issue. However, when you share walls with
a neighbor in apartments, condos, townhomes, etc., beagle
voices can be a real problem. Many a beagle owner has been
the recipient of eviction notices or visits from Animal Control
as a result of complaints from neighbors who are not appreciative
of the sound.
Beagles are not generally yappy dogs, but they will bark
if there is something to bark at, such as other dogs, people
outside, people through the walls, a doorbell, a squirrel
out the window, etc. They will bark because of excitement--when
you come home, if they think it's dinner time, when they think
there's a treat coming, etc. And they will bark out of boredom
or frustration--if they're trying to get your attention, if
they are left alone longer than they want to be, or if they
are unhappy.
"Does this mean that you don't adopt beagles to people
who live in apartments or condos?"
No, but it does mean that we have to be extra careful to
find just the right beagle for you. We will help you find
a beagle who is not going to let his/her voice lead to trouble.
You can't take home any old beagle and have good odds that
it will work out. The average beagle is too vocal to be successful
in a living situation where you share walls with your neighbors.
We have to look for one who is less vocal than the average
beagle, and ideally one who had a track record of living successfully
in that type of situation.
It will take longer to find a beagle for this situation.
We'd be on the hunt for one who is the exception to the rule.
But if you are patient and don't mind waiting for the right
one to come along, we can put you on a waiting list and notify
you when we come across an apartment-friendly beagle.
"I grew up with a beagle, and I don't remember him being
that vocal."
You probably grew up in a house. Remember that much of a
beagle's baying is either reactionary (barking in response
to another noise) or happens when you are not home (loneliness
or boredom).
In an apartment situation (or really in any scenario where
you are in close proximity to your neighbors), there are more
sounds for your beagle to react to. Your beagle will hear
people through the walls, hear neighbors walk through the
halls or outside, and hear the neighbors' animals. Ironically,
in the situation where it is the most important to have a
quiet dog, that's when beagles tend to be the most vocal.
If you live in a house and there is some buffer space between
you and the neighbors, there is less stimuli to make a beagle
bark.
In the case of barking when you are not home, you're not
there to hear it, so you wouldn't have known about it. But
if you are in an apartment, your neighbors will.
"My building is really dog-friendly. No one complains
about the other dogs barking."
Unfortunately, we can't pick our neighbors. If you are lucky
enough to have neighbors who are not bothered by dog noises,
that's great. But there is nothing stopping your neighbors
from moving out. Your new neighbor could be more uptight about
noise.
Your neighbors have the legal right to complain and would
likely win the argument if they reported you to management
or to Animal Control. All it takes is one person to make it
unworkable, and then you are faced with either giving up your
best friend, taking on the (often unaffordable) expense of
breaking a lease to move, or selling. None of these are good
options.
"There is another beagle in my building, and he does just
fine with apartment living."
That is wonderful for his people! They were lucky and ended
up with one of the exceptional beagles who are less vocal--the
same kind we'd be looking for on your behalf, should you decide
you still want to consider adopting a beagle.
Unfortunately, for every beagle that is successful at apartment
living, there are many who are not. You just don't see themŠbecause
they're already gone! All you end up seeing around are the
ones who do well. So, keep in mind that it's not a random
sample of the beagles out there. You're seeing the lucky ones.
It really is a risky proposition to have a breed that is
a known howler in an apartment. We can do our best to find
a beagle who we think is less likely to cause problems, but
there really aren't any guarantees. We can't predict a dog's
future behavior.
The safest thing to do is to look for a breed that is not
as vocal and that is known to make a great apartment dog.
If you are still set on a beagle, please let us know, and
we'd be happy to put you on our waiting list.
We wish you good luck and success in your search for a furry
roommate!
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