A beagle is a small to medium-sized hunting dog with short legs, long droopy ears, and an incredibly powerful nose. Beagles were bred in England hundreds of years ago to track rabbits and hares by following their scent trails through fields and forests. Their keen sense of smell is so remarkable that they can follow a scent that's hours old, picking up traces that humans could never detect.

You'll recognize a beagle by its compact, sturdy build and its distinctive baying call, which sounds different from a typical bark. Most beagles have a tricolor coat of brown, black, and white, though some are brown and white. They're friendly, curious dogs with tons of energy, always eager to explore and sniff everything around them.

Today, beagles work as detection dogs in airports, using their super-powered noses to find prohibited foods or other contraband in luggage. They're also popular family pets because of their gentle, sociable nature. But their hunting instincts remain strong: a beagle who catches an interesting scent might follow it with such intense focus that they tune out everything else, including your voice calling them back. That powerful nose that made them excellent hunters can make them challenging pets if they're not trained well.

Snoopy, the famous cartoon dog from the Peanuts comic strip, is a beagle, though a real beagle would be far too interested in sniffing the ground to spend much time perched on top of a doghouse.