Bark, howl or bay? The three voices of a beagle

Beagles are famously vocal, and they actually have three distinct sounds, each with its own job.

The bark

The regular alert: someone is at the door, something moved, the vacuum cleaner exists.

The howl

Long and melodic, often triggered by sirens, other dogs, or pure loneliness. It is a group call. In a pack it means "I'm here, where are you?"

The bay

The signature move. A loud, half-bark half-howl that hunting beagles use to announce "I found the scent!" to the rest of the pack. It is surprisingly loud for a dog this size, and hearing it for the first time is a rite of passage for every beagle owner.

Fun fact: the breed name may come from the Old French bée gueule, roughly "wide open throat". They have been famous for their voices for at least five centuries.