Morning! I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone who has any of these breeds. We are thinking of getting a puppy next year and I really want to make the right decision with regards to breed. We want something smallish/medium sized that is also very good with small children - our dc are currently 4, almost 3 and 12 months, but you can probably add another year to that by the time we'd realistically get the dog. We don't have a particularly big house, with just 2 (biggish) rooms downstairs and an ok sized garden and this isn't likely to change anytime soon other than the possibility of a conservatory at some point. We live in a rural area though, so plenty of opportunities for long walks and runs for us all. I'd like something with a decent energy level (hence the maybe with the Basset) that we can take on long walks, but that also isn't TOO crazy and constantly bounding and won't tear my house apart if I don't manage to get out on a walk on the odd occasion (definitely plan to walk twice a day, but with 3dc you never know what may come up). I also really would like the dog to properly be part of the family and come out with us as much as possible, including UK and French holidays (will do pet passport), but will also need to leave it alone for a couple of hours sometimes. I am sahm and will be for the foreseeable future, so it will only ever be a couple of hours at a time. I also will also need to train it and be able to expect a certain level of obedience (I've heard that Beagles are hard to train - is this so?). Getting on with cats would be useful, as we'd potentially like a cat in the future too. I grew up with dogs, so am confident and happy with them, my dh hasn't really been around dogs (though he likes them and is up for this), so I do want something he will love and warm to easily, which I suppose means a breed that will cause as little destruction, etc, as possible!