(Read this first!)
The decision to bring a Beagle into your home requires careful thought and consideration. Beagles can live 15 years or longer; therefore, it is essential for prospective adopters be fully prepared to make a long-term commitment and understand all of the responsibilities of becoming a Beagle's life-long guardian. A dog will depend entirely on you; be realistic about what's involved! Consider your lifestyle, the type of home you live in, your work hours, travel obligations, and financial situation. Do they allow you to meet all of a dog's needs? Will you have the time in your daily schedule to properly care for a dog including training, socializing, and providing at least one hour of physical exercise each day?
We believe Beagles are wonderful little hounds that make great companions and fantastic family pets, but we also know that they are not the right breed for everyone. Beagles are the smallest of the "scent hounds" and come in two different sizes: the 13" Beagle, which stands up to 13 inches at the shoulders and usually weighs less than 20 pounds, and the 15" Beagle that stands 13 to 15 inches at the shoulders and generally weighs between 20 and 30 pounds. Originally bred for tracking rabbits, many Beagles today still possess strong hunting instincts and have an extremely keen sense of smell.
In general, Beagles are loyal, playful, and very social dogs with good temperaments and friendly dispositions, which makes them a popular choice for families. Beagles are capable of being very independent, wanderlusts, and can be downright stubborn at times! They are often endearingly referred to as "little Hoovers" because of their ability to inhale food like a vacuum. Beagles are naturally curious and often have a playfully mischievous side. Because they are very social dogs, Beagles do not enjoy being left alone for extended periods of time. They can easily become lonely, frustrated and bored, leading to behavior problems such as barking or howling and destructive chewing. Make no mistake; it's a package deal. If you don't have prior experience with Beagles we strongly recommend you invest time researching ALL of the characteristics of the breed before deciding if a Beagle will truly fit your lifestyle and meet your expectations of a canine companion. As one of the oldest recognized dog breeds, and one of the most popular, there is a lot of very useful information about Beagles as well as advice on dog care and training that can be accessed electronically by searching the Internet (try www.goodsearch.com), as well as numerous books and DVD's available through online sources including Dogwise.com and Amazon.com
Just like people, Beagles have unique personalities. Some are very outgoing and playful while others are more reserved and mellow. Because they live in foster homes, we get to know each one of our dogs very well. Our goal is to place them in loving, permanent homes and to that end we seek to achieve the best fit possible - the right Beagle for the right home. We do not accept applications for specific Beagles because we cannot guarantee the future availability of a particular dog or that he/she would be a good match. We always have many wonderful Beagles and Beagle-mix dogs of different ages, sizes, colors/markings and personalities available for adoption and we work hard to find the best possible forever home for each one. As a foster-based dog rescue, experience has proven this to be the most efficient method of prescreening applicants and matching available dogs to approved adopters.
Safe Hounds Beagle Rescue does not operate a kennel or shelter, nor are we affiliated with any municipal facility or animal welfare organization. Each Beagle lives with a volunteer foster family while awaiting a forever home. We believe this is the best environment for the dogs because it allows us to attend to their individual needs, and also gives us the opportunity to us observe and evaluate each dog in a home setting to assess their readiness for placement in an adoptive home. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate visitors to our foster homes. However, once an applicant has been approved to adopt, we will arrange an introduction with a dog we believe would be a good match based upon the applicants' preferences and the individual characteristics of our available dogs. If a good match is not available, pre-approved applicants are offered the option of being placed on our waiting list to be contacted when a suitable dog comes into our foster program. To avoid any confusion or disappointment, please carefully read our Adoption Policy & Guidelines above before submitting an application.
If you have decided that a Beagle is the right breed for you, and you have reviewed and understand our Adoption Policy & Guidelines above, we invite you to submit an Adoption Application. To download and print our application please click here. Please note: this is NOT a fill in form. We are working to provide this functionality and hope to have it available soon. In the interim, you will need Adobe® Reader® installed on your computer to view and print the application. (See below for our FAX number and mailing address.) If you do not have Adobe® Reader® you can download and install the FREE software by clicking the "Get Adobe Reader" button below.
If you would prefer, we can send an application to you by postal mail or fax. To have an application sent to you, please click here to send an email request. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address in the email message if you would like a paper copy sent to you by postal mail, or provide your name and 10-digit fax number and an application will be faxed to your attention.
Once you have completed the application it may be returned to us by:
Fax: (973) 729-5342 or
Mail:
Safe Hounds Beagle Rescue, Inc.
P.O. Box 81
Sparta, NJ 07871-0081