Basset Hounds were developed in the UK towards
the end of the 19th century, descended from the St Hubert Hound,
a French breed .
Basset Hounds are characterized by their short
legs. Relative to its size, however, it is the heaviest boned
dog of any breed.
Bassets are well known for being strong-willed
and loyal and are used for flushing out game such as hares. There
was a very funny article in the Guardian a few years back when
the question of banning hunting was first raised. It said that
the only thing to be attacked/damaged was the buffet when the
bassets arrived!
The name 'basset' is derived from the French
word bas meaning 'low'