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Discover the Adorable: Top 13 Fun Facts About Basset Hounds You Can't Resist!

illustration of basset-hounds
Get ready to embark on a delightful exploration of the quirky and endearing world of Basset Hounds, where droopy ears and soulful eyes are just the beginning of the charm!

1. Sherlock Hound: Canine Sniffing Superstar

If Sherlock Holmes had a dog, it'd be a Basset Hound: these droopy-eared detectives boast a super-sniffing power that makes them the ultimate partners in all things hunting and tracking. Seriously, their noses are in the top ten among dog breeds, making them scent-sational sleuths that can sniff out clues with unparalleled precision.
Source => wagwalking.com

2. Voilà: French Hunting Couch-Potatoes

When the French weren't busy perfecting the art of baguettes and berets, they were crafting the ultimate-hunter-turned-couch-potato: the Basset Hound! Voilà: Bred in France for their short legs and high energy, these hounds were designed to be exceptional trackers in dense grasslands and bushes, slow enough for their human companions to keep up with their hunting escapades.
Source => bassethoundworld.com

3. Droopy-Eared Vacuum Cleaners

Equipped with legs like a corgi on stilts and a sniffer that could track down the exact location of Waldo, the Basset Hound struts around like the Sherlock Holmes of the canine world, solving all your houndy mysteries: Unexpectedly, these droopy-eared detectives boast 220 million smell receptors and pick up scents like a vacuum, but their adorable floppy ears also serve as a breeding ground for infections, so always be vigilant with those ear cleanups!
Source => healthypawsanimalhospital.com

4. Sherlock Vs. Vacuum Cleaner: Smell Showdown

With a sniffer more powerful than a vacuum cleaner on Red Bull, these floppy-eared sleuths put Sherlock Holmes to shame: Basset Hounds are the second-best scent trackers among all dog breeds, making them excellent hunters for small game like rabbits and badgers with their astounding sense of smell and unyielding stamina.
Source => topdogtips.com

Fishy Faces: Crime-fighting Sniffers

5. Fishy Faces: Crime-fighting Sniffers

Ever wondered why Basset Hounds look like they're constantly smelling something fishy? It's because they have super-sniffer powers that give them a leg up on crime-fighting: These floppy-eared detectives possess an incredibly keen sense of smell, making them indispensable assets to law enforcement agencies in their quest to detect drugs and other contraband. Among all dog breeds, Basset Hounds are renowned for their exceptional noses, diligently following scent trails for miles without losing focus.
Source => wagwalking.com

6. Smelling Olympics: Silver-Medal Floppy Ears

Hold your hound, it's not always a walk in the park smelling roses – or tracking scents, if you're a Basset Hound: While they possess un-dog-believable sniffing prowess, Basset Hounds are actually only the canine kingdom's silver medalists in the smelling Olympics, with Bloodhounds taking the gold. But wait, there's a twist in the tail – the Basset's famous floppy ears have a nose for stirring things up, helping these low-riders whip up scents with matchless efficiency.
Source => akc.org

7. Barkflix and Hounds: Medieval Origins

Long before the era of Netflix and "paws," esteemed canine connoisseurs and royals dabbled in "Barkflix and Hounds": Basset Hounds can trace their historical roots back to the Abbey of St. Hubert in France during the medieval period, where monks bred these unique dogs for hunting furred game in the rough terrains and heavy brush, ultimately refining the breed over centuries to become the long-eared, endearing dogs we know and love today.
Source => akc.org

8. Heavy Bones: Canine Heavyweights

Basset Hounds: the canine version of "dem bones, dem bones, dem heavy bones!" – possessing a weighty secret hidden beneath those adorably droopy eyes and floppy ears: these lovable hounds have the highest bone density per pound among all dog breeds, making them the true heavyweights of the canine world!
Source => akc.org

9. Queen Joséphine's Basset-less Zoo

Hold on to your leashes, folks: Queen Joséphine's petting zoo went down under with kangaroos and soared high with ostriches, but there wasn't a single Basset Hound to be found in her royal menagerie! Despite her fabled love for this breed of droopy-eared pups, historical records show no evidence of any Basset Hounds sashaying through the halls of her regal abode during her lifetime.
Source => napoleon.org

Couch Potatoes Need Exercise, Too

10. Couch Potatoes Need Exercise, Too

Don't let those droopy eyes and legato limbs fool you: Basset Hounds might look like canine lounge acts, but they actually need at least an hour of daily exercise to keep them from belting out the "Blues of Destruction and Depression."
Source => beaglecare.com

11. Stumpy-Legged Jumpers: High Hops, High Caution

While Basset Hounds may look like the couch potatoes of the canine world, they've got a surprising spring in their step: these stumpy-legged pups can jump up to 4 feet high thanks to their powerful back legs, but be careful not to encourage them, as jumping can be dangerous for their fragile backs and joints.
Source => bassethoundenthusiast.com

12. Truffle-Hunting, Hare-Chasing French Sommeliers

With a penchant for snuffling about like a French sommelier seeking the finest truffle, Basset Hounds were found to expertly hunt down something far less elegant: Hare. Haricot, mon dieu!: These adorably droopy dogs with their low-slung bodies, trailing ears, and soulful eyes were initially bred in France to track hares, becoming popular pets and beloved cartoon characters only after Lord Galway introduced them to Britain in 1866 and Queen Alexandra established a pack at Sandringham during the 1880s.
Source => countrylife.co.uk

13. Leisurely Strolls with Short-Legged Pups

"Long on body, short on legs, heavy on charm": the basset hound was custom-made with a genetic mutation for short legs, allowing hunters to leisurely stroll alongside them during hunts. First bred in France and mentioned by Jacques du Fouilloux in his 16th-century work La vénerie, these lovable, low-to-the-ground pups made it easy for their human hunting pals to keep pace.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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