The best dog I ever had was a beagle. My Beauregard, a tri-color, crown beagle. 13 years of love. And stubbornness!
The first time I had to go to court for him being "at large," the judge asked me what type of dog, and when I said "Beagle," he got this soft look on his face. "Ah, beagles. They DO wander. Suspended sentence, do try to keep him home, dear."
When he hunted, he used an honest-to-god grid pattern to pick up the scent again. And when he killed a rat, he would shake it, drop it, then pee on it. Kicked dirt over it and came to me all beagle happy.
It's why I love dachshunds, if that makes any sense at all.