InTouch Magazine Articles Archive

Issue 19, June 2008

What Breed For You? The Basset Hound

By Carol Jade.

THE BASSETT HOUND A Scent Hound Following the French Revolution, the ordinary French working people returned to their love of hunting. The less well off peasant hunter now needed to hunt for his families food, using a dog he could hunt with on foot; therefore a slower dog was required in order that he could keep up with his hound. The hound had to have an excellent scent, and be robust enough for the difficult ground work to be covered. The hunter knew a short legged hound was required and hence the Bassett Hound evolved. The hound would track the pray down, mainly rabbit, hares and small deer, and allow the hunter using a firearm, to kill.

He was developed skillfully, having been bred and nurtured by using a number of other recognized hound’s gene pool. His long pendulous ears act to stir up the scent of pray, and hold it in their ears, for the long nose to eagerly smell. He is considered a very popular dog, mainly due to his pleasing disposition and very pleasant personality and somewhat comical appearance. Everyone loves a clown, and the Bassett can depict being one, with his droopy ears, eyes, and his tummy slung low to the ground. That however is where it ends, as they are not given to displays of showing excitement, but are a gentle appreciative dog, which cannot help being loved.

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