The beagle is a breed of small hound that is similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle is a scent hound, developed primarily for hunting hare (beagling).

The temperament of a Beagle is notoriously friendly and gentle. They are even-tempered dogs, neither too aggressive nor too timid. They have medium energy and are of a smaller build

While this breed is generally healthy overall, some specific ailments that are known to affect the Beagle breed are patellar luxation, glaucoma, epilepsy, central progressive retinal atrophy (CPRA), hypothyroidism, distichiasis, chondrodysplasia, cherry eye, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS).