August 31, 2012 - Flying Hound Dog
 

http://cellar.org/2012/bassett.jpg

Bassett hounds always make me smile!

Thanks Pet Side.

I figgered it'd be ears...

...but who can't click a link that says 'flying hound dog'?

You are the wind beneath my ears ...

That dog's skin is two sizes larger than it's skeleton.

Little Quiz for you all:

Basset Hounds were bred to hunt, following the prey's spoor, with it's great sense of smell.

So why were Basset Hounds bred to have such such short legs?

Presumably to be low to the ground to pick up scent?

I dislike basset hounds personally.
Overbred and as such prone to numerous illnesses which wouldn't thrive if natural selection took place.
And they look like they have a miserable hangover too.

YMMV.

:biggrin: Yes!!! Thanks for putting words to it.

I believe BHs have the second best nose in the canine crowd. Followed by Dachshunds.

Short-legged dogs were bred to enter animals' tunnels, especially rabbit warrens. I'm not sure if that's what BHs are for.

Interesting dog lore. Yeah, I think a Basset would be a bit big for heading down a rabbit hole. What about getting into fox dens and the like?

I have a soft spot for this forlorn breed. My neighbor had one when I while I was growing up. His name was Faux Paw. I, of course, did not understand the name until I was grown and he and his people were gone. I used to take him for walks. I loved the way he waddled and I especially loved his ears.

Later on, one of hubby's friends had a Basset. I don't remember his name, but I do remember that he showed affection, or perhaps approval, by sitting on a person's foot and farting. When we house-sat, I would NOT let him sleep with us, which is very uncharacterist of me, but I didn't want to find out what else he would do since he liked me so much!

Invite me over. I promise I won't sit on your foot and fart.
If I really like you I will simply cook you an English Breakfast. You might want to leave the bacon though :)

Basset Hounds are lovely dogs on the whole. Great temperaments. But...

I wouldn't choose any extreme mutation breed (unless you count the thick coat of a bearded collie :p), there are just too many health problems associated with them. I can't look at some of the breeds and not see physical discomfort. Variations in size, I can live with, but some breed profiles worry me.

Basset Hound Quiz: You all failed! (it's not widely known).

Short legged dogs bred to go down the den holes/tunnels - those were all terriers, because they had to be fighters: Jack Russell, Patterdale, Dachshund, Fox Terrier, etc.

Longer legged terriers were bred to run with the hounds better, and dispatch the quarry if it was caught, above ground. Irish terriers, for example.

Bassets are NOT terriers, and never go into dens to dispatch a quarry! (Fighters they are not). They are bred with short legs so they're easy for hunters to work with. Rabbits were their main quarry, and when a rabbit is chased by dogs at high speed, they go for their dens underground OR run madly away at high speed, and don't circle back (if they circle back, a fast hound might "cut the corner", and have a good chance of catching the rabbit).

But, if the Basset is in pursuit, the rabbit will usually circle back around, giving the hunters two or more chances to shoot them. Also, if the rabbit goes to ground, a deep baying Basset hound or two, will sometimes scare them back out of the den, at it's other entrance, so again the hunters have another shot at it.

The Bassets we have today, have been bred for still shorter leg length because it's "cute", but originally, their slow speed when they worked rabbits, was the reason for their limited leg length.

I completely agree with you about the gross exaggeration that has gone on in several of the pure breeds. Pugs and Bulldogs can't breathe worth a damn because of their pushed in noses. Bulldogs can't give birth normally (only by C section) now, because the heads of the puppies are so big. The list goes on and on.

I love pure breeds because you have a much better idea of the kind of dog the puppy will grow up to be. The genetic problems from in-breeding by foolish breeders, has done some real damage, though.

Genetic defects occur in non pure bred animals too.

We have a large dog which is about 1/4 ridgeback. She's a beautiful dog, but the ridge area of the dogs can be susceptible to developing cysts, and if your dog has this issue, it's normally ok when the dog is younger, but as the dog gets older, the cysts will get worse and will likely become cancerous which will most likely lead to a shorter life span.

Our Cleo gets cysts in her ridge area which normally just go away after a couple of weeks if we lance and drain them, but we've had to face the fact that we'll probably lose her way before we're ready to, and also that she needs to be desexed in order to do our bit towards not promoting this problem which has been sad too. We didn't want to breed her often. Just once so that Max could have the joy of playing with a litter of puppies when he's young. Anyway, not going to happen now, but that's life.

It's sad because we never have pure bred pets for the very reasons that have been mentioned above. Apparently no animal is safe really. You just have to take your chances if you're an animal lover, and then deal with the outcomes.

Yes, the gene that gives Ridgebacks (both Rhodesian and Thai), their backward angled hair ridge, is associated with this cyst and cancer problem.

It's like all white Danes, etc., the same gene that gives them the all-white color gives them a much higher probability for allergies and deafness. Sometimes the allergies are so severe, the dog has to be euthanized, out of mercy.