Basset Hounds

Everyone knows that a basset hound is that type of dog on the front of a Hush Puppy billboard. Basset hounds are actually very cute and playful breed of dogs—that is, if you can train them well enough to follow your commands.

A Basset hound is a type of dog from the hound family. It is a short-legged breed of dog. It is a scent hound which is often trained to track rabbits using its keen sense of smell. And a very keen sense of smell at that, since it is only second to the Blood hound’s.

The name Basset came from the French vocabulary. In French, the word bas means low, followed by the suffix –et, which together means “rather low”.

The bones of a Basset hound are proportionally heavier than any other dog breed of its size. Like we said, one of the Basset hound’s defining characteristics is its being a short-legged type of dog. Its coat is hard and shiny and it sheds a lot. The feet of a Basset hound are heavy with tough pads. The average lifespan is 10 to 12 years, just about.

A pair of Le Couteulx Bassets was imported by Lord Galway to England in 1866. It marked the breed’s entry into the country. Then Sir Everett Mills formally introduced the breed to the UK in 1874, and the rest was history.