Originally posted by: MrBond
Beagles are a good size/yapping ratio. Usually the smaller the dog, the more the yapping. Beagles come in three sizes, the medium size is about 13" high.
Mine is an outside dog, and he never howls when we're gone. He will bark at us if we're there and outside, but that's the extent of his barking.
Besides, how can you turn down a puppy as cute as
this 
.
Some beagle downsides. They can't be open fed (gotta give them food once a day, no automatic feederss, beagles will eat until they explode). Like all dogs, they will mine a catbox for "treasures". They're hard (not impossible) to train, most will housetrain fine, but will ignore "come" "sit" or "stay". You can't have them outside off a leash, because once they find a smell, they'll follow it forever (I think once their nose turns on, their ears turn off

). They really don't do tricks (mine will sit, but only if he thinks there is a treat in it for him) either.
They are however, one of the most loyal dogs you can get and they're GREAT with kids. Beagles love everyone equally.
Find a good breeder (if you're in the NW Ohio / SE Michigan area, I can direct you to one where I know he has pups still) and do some reading about beagles before you get one. They're great dogs, just a little different