Basset Hounds are an aristocratic breed of French lineage, a descendant of the St. Hubert's Hound, a dog similar to the present-day Bloodhound. Friars of St. Hubert's Abbey in medieval France desired a shorter-legged dog, capable of following a scent under brush in thick forests, as hunting was a classic sport of the time.

 

Both Bassets and St. Hubert's Hounds were bred to trail, not kill, their game. Bassets were originally used to hunt rabbits and hare. The first application of the word "Basset" to a breed of dog can be traced to an illustrated text on hunting written by Fouilloux in 1585.
 

Early French Bassets closely resembled the Basset Artésien Normand, which is still a breed today though it is not recognized outside of France. Because many short-legged dogs from this time were called basset and record-keeping from this time was sparse, it is difficult to speculate which of these breeds have bloodlines in common with today's Basset Hounds.

 

It is commonly believed that Marquis de Lafayette brought Basset Hounds to the United States as a gift to George Washington.

In 1863 the Basset Hound reached international fame at the Paris Dog Show. At that time there were two common Bassets, those with a rough coat (Basset Griffon) and those with smooth (Basset Français). The dogs were further classified by the length of their legs. The two popular Basset breeders at this time were M. Lane and the Count Le Couteulx.

In 1866, Lord Galway imported a pair of Le Couteulx Bassets to England, but it was not until 1874 that Basset Hounds were widely introduced there by Sir Everett Millais. The Kennel Club accepted the breed in 1882 and the English Basset Hound Club was formed in 1884.

 

The American Kennel Club first recognized Basset Hounds as a breed in 1885. In 1935, the Basset Hound Club of America was organized in the United States. The current American breed standard was adopted in 1964.
 

 

Miscellaneous
In 1928, Time magazine featured a Basset Hound on the front cover. The accompanying story was about the 52nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden as if observed by the Basset Hound puppy. This prestige is often seen as the event which made the Basset Hound a popular part of American pop culture.
 

 

Famous Bassets
Basset Hounds have had prominent roles in movies and television.
 

Cartoon characters
The cartoon character Droopy Dog, originally created in 1943 by Tex Avery

Fred Basset, the main character in the comic strip Fred Basset, created by Alex Graham in 1963

 
Rosebud the Basselope from Berke Breathed's comic strip Bloom County.

 

[ Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane and sidekick, "Flash" from The Dukes of Hazzard ]

 

 

Films and TV
Cleo, in Jackie Cooper's 1950s TV show The People's Choice
The Basset Hound simply called "Dog" from 1970s TV series Columbo
Fred, the companion of Cledus in the 1977 movie Smokey and the Bandit
Flash, the dog owned by Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the 1980s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard . A life-sized replica named "Flash" was used in dangerous situations.
Quincey, owned by Luther in the 1990s sitcom Coach
Sammy from the TV series That's So Raven
Some Bassets in Hats in Nanny McPhee
Socrates, the companion of Maxine Gray in the 1999-2001 seasons of the drama Judging Amy
Gabriel, Batou's basset hound in Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

 

 

In advertising

The logo for Hush Puppies brand shoes; Basset Hounds are occasionally referred to as "Hush Puppies" for that reason. The dog used in the photos was named "Jason".
A Basset Hound is the companion to the lonely Maytag Man in Maytag appliance advertisements

 

Basset Hound Dog Breed Information and Pictures

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Basset Hound".