 “Their heads are hung with ears that sweep away the morning dew,” William Shakespeare wrote of the Basset Hound in Midsummer Night's Dream. “Crook-knee'd, and dew-lapped like Thessalian bulls; slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like bells.”
The description is apt; the Basset's long, velvety ears brush the earth, gathering scents of game to his powerful nose as he maneuvers through brushy fields, marking his progress with glorious song. His shortened legs and gay tail make him easy to follow on foot as he flushes game into the open with a relentless drive.
The Basset is often considered a clown with his baleful Emmett Kelly countenance and odd build, but he is actually quite agile and intelligent and has a reputation as a steadfast family friend. A gentle dog, he is well-suited to families with children and usually gets along well with other dogs.
The Basset's demeanor is rooted in his purpose — he was developed in France as a scent hound of uncommon talent to locate and flush a variety of game from rabbits and foxes to deer and wild boars. His name comes from “bas,” the French word for short or low-set. Descended from the Bloodhound, that super-sleuth of dogdom known then as the St. Hubert Hound, the Basset is second only to that ancestor in his scenting ability and shares the same laid-back temperament and ability to work in teams.
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