ANIMALS: Top Dog

The beagle hound is a friendly, flop-eared little dog with a tail that wags with the furious regularity of a revving propeller. As the "harrier," he was bred in England and Wales at least 600 years ago to hunt small game; today he is equally at home on heath or hearth, looks like a slightly bowlegged, apartment-size (13-15 in. high) foxhound. Last week, as a reward for his amiable ways, the beagle was acclaimed No.1 U.S. purebred dog by the American Kennel Club. With a population of 45,398 registered A.K.C., the beagle nosed the friendly, flop-eared cocker spaniel (pop. 43,561) into second place, after a record 17 years as the national favorite. The other ranking breeds, in order: boxers, dachshunds, collies, Chihuahuas, German shepherds, Boston terriers, Pekingese, and standard poodles.

Of necessity, the A.K.C. overlooked lesser breeds without the law: still top dog and alltime U.S. favorite (with a population of about 20 million) is the plain dog, the all-American mutt.