According to “Native Irish Dogs” by Shane McCoy, there are nine native Irish dog breeds, and one of them is the Kerry Beagle. This breed isn’t related to the Beagle we’re familiar with in North America, but it is one of the oldest Irish Hounds. She’s believed to be a descendant of Celtic Hounds (sometimes called the Old Southern Hound) or “gadhar,” a dog written about in ancient Irish texts that was most likely introduced to Ireland during the Middle Ages by the Celtics.

The Kerry Beagle is larger than the traditional Beagle: She can weigh up to 60 pounds and stand up to 24 inches tall. Bred as a specialized hunter, she nonetheless makes a fine family pet.

Image of a Kerry Beagle from Wikicommons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license