The Basset Hound is a short-legged, hound-type of dog with a long history going back to the Middle Ages around 1000 AD in Belgium when St. Hubert of Benedictine Abbey began a breeding program that later became known as "St. Hubert's Hound". Historical anecdotes also found the Basset Hound to have descended from a much older breed called the Laconia Hound in the ancient Greek city of Laconia. The Laconia Hound was quite popular that the famous English playwright, William Shakespeare wrote about the Laconian Hound in his comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
"My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind
So flewed, so sanded, and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew,
Crook-kneed and dewlapped like Thessalian bulls,
Slow in pursuit, but matched in mouth like bells,
Each under each. A cry more tunable
Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn,
In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly.
Judge when you hear."
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer night's dream, 1594.
The Basset Hound's ancestral origins have evolved over centuries and it has become known as one of the "basset-type" breeds. Today, it's considered one of six recognized "basset" types or in French translation means "rather low" (bas=low and et=rather).
Despite the Basset Hound's famously low and stubby build, the Basset Hound is prized for its impeccable sense of smell to track game animals like hares and rabbits. Their popularity also stems from associations with famous leaders like Emperor Napoleon III and George Washington who would take his Basset Hounds on his hunting expeditions.
The Basset Hound remains popular in modern times and has been featured in many movies like Smokey and the Bandit, The Dukes of Hazard, and the Disney Movie "The Princess and the Frog".
The Basset Hound's willful determination to actively follow a particular scent can make them challenging for some pet owners that prefer to stay on a straight path or be pulled away by the smell of a hare or rabbit.
Basset Hounds have sweet, gentle dispositions making them excellent companions. Their short coat requires minimal grooming and upkeep that many pet owners prefer to have.