Applications for our 2026 Litters are officially open. Apply Today!
Orbit x Sugarbee
This dear to my heart breeding has been completed and we await pregnancy confirmation.
Should it take, puppies are expected around March 15, 2026
A FoxFire First
This special breeding marks a defining milestone for FoxFire! It is the very first time two FoxFire-bred dogs are being thoughtfully paired together. This breeding especially is near and dear to my heart as it is a very special pairing built upon dogs I've not only bred and raised myself but it is purposefully and thoughtfully linebred on dogs that I know extremely well.
Having raised not only the dam's of Orbit and Sugarbee but also raising Grandparents behind this pair as well, makes me feel eternally grateful for the journey I've had and the milestones still yet to come. This pairing reflects not only where FoxFire began, but where it is intentionally headed with building upon a foundation of fabulous temperaments, great health and structure that continues to improve with each generation.
A Hopeful Vision
When I sat down with Laurie in 2025 to plan our breedings, Sugarbee wasn’t on the roster. I wanted to pursue her St. John Ambulance therapy dog career for the year thus resulting in the decision to put off having a litter in 2026. However, with a hiccup within the organization, they had to pause on training new recruits until summer 2026. With this delay, I made the decision to bump up her first litter so she can then go focus on her Therapy hours when her puppies have been placed in their homes.
My goal with every pairing here at FoxFire is to ALWAYS breed with purpose. While the intent behind each breeding can vary, this particular pairing with Orbit and Sugarbee was selected with very specific objectives in mind:
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To further solidify stable, reliable breed appropriate temperaments that both Orbit and Sugarbee have in spades
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To gain valuable insight into the results of linebreeding across two distinct branches of my program, allowing for thoughtful evaluation and future decision-making when it comes to making future breeding decisions.
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To produce a litter whose lineage I know intimately, offering greater predictability for homes with more specific goals, such as therapy prospects or future foundation breeding candidates.
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To thoughtfully combine two dogs with extensive, well-documented health histories, both fully CHIC-certified with all OFA health testing completed and clear, in addition to being Embark tested and Lafora clear.
The Heart
of Sugarbee
Sugarbee, or SHUG as we affectionately call her, was the only gal in her Apple Theme litter. While I went into raising her and her siblings with the understanding she would only stay if she was an improvement on her mother, I immediately felt connected to that little tri-colour face. To this day, she has been the youngest puppy to ever wag her tail at me and she truly has never stopped.
While we butted heads in the show ring (she loved to melt for cuddles on the table), Sugarbee finished her Canadian Championship fast with limited showing and obtained her GCH in two show weekends last year. She's currently three singles away from her American Championship and was almost held back from this breeding as we were weighing whether or not to complete it first. She will definitely head stateside post litter when she's back in coat for those three singles. However, on rabbit she is an entirely different dog - she LIVES for using that nose. In 2024, Sugarbee earned her Hunting Beagle Instinct title alongside 2 other Bred By's of mine - truly demonstrating her natural instincts.
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Living with Sugarbee is unlike living with any other Beagle I’ve raised. In the mornings, as I get ready, she’s always quietly at my feet, her back pressed against me, patiently waiting. In the house, she’s polite and mindful, most often curled up right beside me. She adores all walks of life, people of every age and other animals alike.
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But when she was just six months old, we shared an experience that made me realize she was meant for something bigger.... something more important and meaningful than any conformation title.
We were asked to do an unofficial therapy visit with a woman in palliative care who had previously owned Beagles. When I was asked if I would be interested in visiting with one of my crew, I immediately thought of my other Beagles and how terrible of a time that would be for all parties. Absolutely no way.
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Until I reconsidered Shug.
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Being just a puppy herself at only six months old, I was concerned she would be just that - a typical beagle puppy. Instead, during our visit, she curled up quietly next to this woman, polite and gentle, nuzzling her hand for pets and never once leaving her side. Seeing this woman light up, smile, and share stories of her own hounds was an impactful reminder of how one little dog can brighten someone’s entire day.
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In 2025, Sugarbee passed her St. John Therapy Dog Test with flying colours. We are taking a brief pause for this special litter, but before we know it, Sugarbee and I will be back to regular therapy visits. I live with many Beagles and have raised even more but Sugarbee’s temperament alone deserves to be shared.
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Preserving the breed has many parts, but temperament must always remain at the forefront. While this pairing offers far more than temperament alone, it is that piece in particular I value most and am most proud to share - the predictability of sound, stable temperaments shaped not only by the parents themselves, but those wonderful dogs I too selectively bred for both Orbit and Sugarbee. I am putting my trust in those dogs and truly feel this hopeful litter will give me wonderful companions - anything else is just bonus!
The Spirit
of Orbit
I had told Orbit's owner Lexus I wanted her to write about her boy for this section to better caption the essence of who he is as he was raised by her. Orbit is her first show dog and the Beagle that hooked this young member of the FoxFire team on Beagles. This is Orbit through her words:
Orbit is the definition of a merry little hound. His personality and drive for success have been nothing short of a dream. As many of you know, Foxfire’s very own Vanity is Orbit’s sister, and those sweet personalities clearly run in the family. As my very first show dog, I truly couldn’t have asked for a better partner.
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In 2024, Orbit finished his Canadian Championship after being awarded a Group 4 in a competitive Hound Group. Although he is now retired from the show ring, he has just begun his journey into other dog sports. In the past year alone, Orbit earned three new titles, including Expert Trick Dog, his Hunting Instinct title, and his BCAT. He has also explored barn hunt, tracking, and urban locating, showcasing his versatility well beyond the show ring.
Orbit is not just my dog—he is my partner, my rock, and my world. When joining the Foxfire family, you quickly learn that the beagles aren’t just pets; they are family.
P.S. I would love to see photos of the puppies in their new homes instagram pages should be a must! Haha!
For the Pedigree Nerds
On to the nerdy stuff! This pairing lends itself to linebreeding in several intentional directions, which is a key reason we chose to bring these two together in the first place. For visual clarity, we’ve put together a sketch of the FoxFire tree as it currently stands (psst, yes, there are Easter eggs in this video!)
This pairing represents a purposeful linebreeding that allows us to study multiple layers of our program at once. By breeding on the shared lineage behind Orbit’s dam, Jenny, and Sugarbee’s grandsire, Catcher, we gain valuable insight into how these relatives combine when thoughtfully paired together.
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At the same time, this breeding reinforces FoxFire’s priorities of sound movement, free-whelping ability, and health through our Shadynook influence. Beagles such as Trey (GCH Shadynooks McDreamy at RK Tooker), his sister Phoenix (GCH Shadynooks You Lite Up My Life) and her son Rory (GCH Shadynooks U Ought Be In Pictures) have consistently strengthened our foundation since incorporating Ruth’s lines into our program.
Linebreeding on individuals that have already proven successful for us allows us to further evaluate the qualities they contribute, while maintaining the traits we value most.
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Through this dual focus, our goal is to better understand not only the pieces behind Jenny and Catcher, but also how our established foundation dogs continue to influence and refine the next generation without compromising health or temperaments. This has been such a long time coming but we are so proud and hopeful to potentially share such special baby beags with the most amazing homes sent my way. So! Get those applications in now!
