I paused to ponder this question. Would there be a large spike in the breed’s popularity just like what happened to Dalmatians after the Disney movie? Would demand exceed supply? Would unscrupulous types (not true breeders) find Beagles to breed purely to produce puppies to make profits?  

In today’s culture of instant gratification, lowered attention span, and trends that change as quick as Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, I think the Beagle’s reputation will prevail intact — sorry for the pun — and hopefully not suffer the same fate as the Dalmatians.

Let’s take a look at the breed’s popularity over the past century. Since 1915, the Beagle has remained in the Top 10 list of most registered breeds according to the American Kennel Club’s annual registration statistics. That’s 92 years. The Beagle is already hugely popular. Just look at how The New York Times and USA Today covered the Beagle pre-Best-in-Show on Tuesday. The Beagle rules popular culture. We have Charles Schultz and Hollywood to thank for that — think Snoopy and Underdog — and Underdog appeared in person at a booth at the recent AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, Calif. — where, by the way, “Uno” won the hound group. But the real evidence of this diminutive hound’s appeal was the roar of applause in the Garden on Tuesday night, the likes of which I have never heard before.

But if you do decide to investigate getting a Beagle for the first time, don’t forget the reality check. Beagles are scent hounds and they will follow their noses to the detriment of all other senses, such as the hearing.

“Fido, Come.”

“What? Can’t hear you, I’m on the trail of a small rodent in the back yard.”

And while the baying may have been very cute on TV it may not be so for your neighbors especially during last call at 10 pm. So don’t forget to research any breed fully before you purchase or adopt to make sure it’s a fit for your lifestyle. However, Beagles owners already know what a great pet or hunting companion they can be.

Before I called the reporters back, I went and did some research and found that the last two breeds to win Westminster, the lower ranked English Springer Spaniel and Colored Bull Terrier did not increase significantly because of their wins. In fact, it’s sad to note, that what drives breed popularity more these days, it seems to me, is celebrity ownership of small breeds, like Shih Tzus, Yorkshire Terriers, and Chihuahuas. It appears that the celebrity status of a particular dog, in the tradition of say a Lassie or Rin Tin Tin which had long-running TV series and multiple movie deals, is fleeting these days. Most likely, with the 24/7 information overload on the news cycle today, by the time you read this column, there will be more images fighting for your attention than the cute little hound baying in the Gotham night. 

Lisa Peterson, a long-time owner/breeder/handler of Norwegian Elkhounds, is the AKC Director of Club Communications. If you have a question, send it to Lisa elvemel@mac.com and she may select it for a future column.