I chose to create a beagle because I personally have two loving beagles and like the saying goes, "like dog, like owner." I believe I share similar traits to dogs in general like friendliness, loyalty, and compassion. To capture the "essence" of the beagle, I really tried to understand and represent some of its distinctive features (strong nose & muzzle because hounds are scent driven, droopy & flappy ears, tri-color pattern, white tip tail, affectionate tongue). Studying the natural form that many recycled materials had was essential in constructing the physical animal. 

My beagle really came alive as I strove to integrate interactive parts; the head can turn side to side like a bobble head because it is simply hanging from a liquid container opening, the mouth can open and close and therefore play "fetch" by holding and dropping a tennis ball, and the tongue seemingly has the texture and appearance of a real tongue so licking can be imitated. I had a lot of fun creating my animal that when I finished, I even called my plastic beagle by one of my real beagle's names!