Awww, funny I was watching an episode the other day and was wondering. Sad but it happens to all of us.
I'm assuming the twitter post was regarding Prada, who was the first Porthos, so for him I grieve (losing a dog 8 years ago is still a big loss for me). Prada must have been 14 or 15, as I think his first work was in 2001. I do slightly raise an eyebrow though, that they apparently went through several dog auditions, yet wound up hiring from one of Brannon's relatives. And really, Porthos still lives in all of us.
And Windy. http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Porthos Go straight to the Background section. The History covers every freaking second Porthos wags his tail.
Awww.... that explains why that secret stash of cheese went untouched for so long. Damn. I guess that means they won't be "getting the band back together" now.
Did Porthos ever make a convention appearance? Not sure what he would have been able to tell us, but his trainer could have provided insights into animals on television.
So sad. I would absolutely love to have a beagle puppy... I would also love not to pay between 500-800 for one either.
If you want to find a beagle, find a farmer, they're likely to have some. My exwife was a farm girl, and they had beagles. We could have gotten one, but they might be too loud for an apartment.