Pet Painting #42 – Oscar

 

“Oscar” Acrylic on 12×12 canvas

Here he is, completed as promised!

Oscar is a Beagle, a very popular breed that has traditionally been used for fox hunting.  Famous Beagles include the well known characters Snoopy, Shiloh, and Gromit.  The seem like a very run-of-the-mill type of dog, but when I Googled their history, I found out all sorts of interesting things about them.

First off, did you know there was once a mini beagle?!  We all know a sure-fire way to make something cuter is to make it smaller. Here is what http://www.cesarsway.com has to say about the pocket version:

“The earliest dogs that were referred to as “Beagles” were small hound dogs that stood at 8 to 9 inches tall. These tiny dogs were called “Pocket Beagles” since they were literally small enough to fit into the pockets of hunters. In the mid-18th century, hunting increased in popularity and larger dogs became the preferred trail companions, leading to this line of miniature Beagles being overlooked, and eventually becoming extinct in 1901.

Also, their name is pretty. . . straightforward. It literally means loudmouth.

beagle

a small hound with a smooth coat, short legs, and drooping ears, used in hunting small game

Origin of beagle

Middle English begle ; from uncertain or unknown; perhaps Middle French bee gueule, literally , wide throat ; from Old French béer, baer, baier (see bay), to gape + gueule, throat ; from Classical Latin gula: see gullet

Other than those interesting facts, Beagles just seem like pretty cool, laid back dogs to have around if you are looking for a family pet.  They may be a bit loud at times, but if you watch this video, you can see that their personality makes up for any flaws they may have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8qxlkbGGyE

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