Both Tom and I had beagles in our childhoods.  This apparently tainted us for life.

Tom’s childhood beagle was Pumpkin.  She was a beagle mix, but apparently you could see the beagle in her appearance and in her attitude.  This is the only photo that Tom has of her, but she was clearly beloved.  My childhood beagle was Thor.  I believe we got a beagle because my stepdad had a beloved beagle named Maudy as a child (you see a trend?).  This is a photo of Thor as a puppy.  It is discolored because it has been in picture frame on my windowsill for years.  

Once I got my first camera as a kid I took lots of photos of Thor.

I spent a fair amount of my childhood chasing after him if he got away at home, at the family cabin or on hikes.  The most infamous story was when we were doing “obedience” classes in a large building at Boeing Field in Renton.  It was a sit, stay and then come exercise.  All the other dogs obediently came to their owners, but Thor pretended like he was going to come but then veered off course through an open door behind us.  He ended up on the tarmac of Boeing Field where we got to chase him around yet again.  Very beagle!!!

After Tom and I got together we wanted to get a new dog together as a new family.  I wanted a lab or shepherd, Tom wanted a beagle, and Thomas wanted a rottweiler.  We found a puppy through SPOT, a local rescue, who was described as a lab/beagle mixed with a Rottweiler/shepherd/border collie.  It seemed like the perfect solution.  We adopted her on 12/15/02, and Thomas named her Mopar.  Here is a photo of her as a puppy.  

As a puppy she didn’t look very beagley, but as she grew up she looked more hound dog.  She didn’t really have the beagle attitude, but she could howl.  

 On 6/21/17 we had to euthanize her after a back issue where she was no longer able to stand.  She was a great dog.  Her tribute is at Mopar.

On 10/2/04 we got Shilo, a beagle from the local humane society.  He was a classic beagle.  

Very sadly on 4/12/05 he was hit by a car and killed.  There is a tribute to him at Shilo.

On 4/21/05 we adopted Rocky from the NOAH shelter.  He was a stray picked up near Custer.

He also was a great dog with attitude.  Here he is near the end of his life.  He was euthanized due to old age on 11/22/19.  His tribute is at Rocky.  

On 12/15/13 we decided we could give a home to a needy beagle for Christmas.  Here is Sunny which we got from the Whatcom Alternative Humane Society.  Here she is on her first day here, perhaps a little nervous.

She was a great beagle, all about happiness and food.  

But she got bladder cancer, and we were forced to euthanize her on 9/16/17. Here is a tribute to Sunny.

We were both devastated by losing Mopar, Sunny and Rocky but especially Tom. He was not ready to get another beagle until recently. He wanted a puppy so he didn’t have to deal with another beagle death in the near future. So we found our beagle puppy after a search. We are excited for the next beagle chapter of our lives.

P.S. A friend fixed the puppy picture of Thor. Here is the improved photo:

Thanks Shimon!