Alice White
Basset Hound – corpulent short-legged with the gaze of an eternal resentment and the soul of a tireless hunter. This dog is by no means melancholic, although it looks like him most of all, but quite a sociable and cheerful pet. However, to say that it is always easy and relaxed with a Basset Hound would be a half-truth. Possessing an extraordinary intellect and a reserve of healthy egoism, a stocky “gentleman” rarely gives up his principles and comfort on demand. So if you want to get along with the breed, be prepared to respect its habits and interests – there is no other way with Basset Hounds.
#1 Officially, the Basset Hound is considered an English breed, but the birthplace of its ancestors was still France.
Since the Middle Ages, in the books and manuscripts of French historians, notes began to slip about squat dogs from the tribe of artesian-Norman hounds, who were involved in burrowing and searching for truffles. In written sources, animals were referred to as bassets and were depicted as short-legged dogs with massive bones. By the way, the characteristic short stature inherent in all modern representatives of this family was an elementary mutation, which was subsequently artificially fixed by breeders.
#2 In the 17th century, Basset breeding in France became widespread, as a result of which the breed expanded the list of “qualifications”.
Now with short-legged dogs, they went not only to the burrowing animal but also to the pheasants. It is clear that it was mainly hunting on foot since the bassets simply could not keep up with the horse, but they perfectly managed to wade through the thickets and dive for prey under the deadwood. Around this stage, the stratification of the family of dwarf greyhounds began. As a result: by the 18th century, in French kennels, one could find 12 lines of bassets, different in appearance and performance, some of which later "merged" into the so-called artesian-Norman type.
#3 The English stage of the formation of the breed began in the 19th century, when the Basset Artesian Norman crossed the English Channel.
In the homeland of Shakespeare, the animals immediately added a "national flavor", mating them with bloodhounds, which gave the dogs' body solidity and slight "folding", and their ears - an impressive length. The offspring obtained as a result of crossing was named Basset Hounds, presented at the Paris Exhibition in 1863.
