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Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Petfinder Post: Basset Hounds and Cats

Next on the list of dog breeds the British Meddlers & Blighters Union wanted to render extinct are the lovable, stumpy-legged Basset Hounds.

It's easy to see why Bassets were deemed an inherently dysfunctional breed. You can look at them and see that they wouldn't be likely to survive in the wild. Those long floppy ears can become a breeding ground for vermin and fungi. Those stubby legs can't keep up with a pack of normal-sized dogs. Their easygoing pace can easily deteriorate into sluggishness and hypothyroidism if they don't get enough exercise. Bred to track rabbits to their burrows and dig them out, Bassets aren't big or fast enough to catch most prey animals and would have a hard time feeding themselves. Humans can compensate for these survival disadvantages, and usually do. Bassets tend to be lovable, in a poky, stubborn, whiny sort of way, and are usually beloved pets. They are at least stereotyped as patient and good with small children.

They can actually work as service dogs. Bassets are a separate breed from what are now called Bloodhounds with a capital B...but if you're old enough to remember Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane fiercely threatening, on so many shows, to send his pedigreed bloodhound Flash after somebody and then bringing out a sweet, shy little thing that stood hardly a foot high, Flash was a Basset. She would have done a good job of tracking a lost child and not intimidating the child in the way a longer-legged Bloodhound or other type of hound might do.

For their size they are surprisingly heavy and strong. A show-quality Basset is no more than 14 inches high at the shoulder, but weighs 40 to 65 pounds. 

All purebred Bassets show at least two coat colors--white, and black or some shade of brown. Many show three colors. 

Several genetic weaknesses run in Basset bloodlines. Their bone and muscle mass is the same as a bigger dog's, but "sawed off short," and the bones don't always fit together in the most functional way. They can have trick "knees" and also hips and shoulders. They can be vulnerable to glaucoma. If you buy a pedigreed Basset, the American Kennel Club recommends having a veterinary examination for half a dozen diseases that are less common in most other breeds. Some of their health issues start with the teeth; the AKC recommends brushing these dogs' teeth with special toothpaste twice a week.

Their short hair doesn't look as if it needed brushing, but it tends to shed profusely and need a good brushing at least once a week. 

They can be hard to train, since instinct literally tells them to follow their noses, but they are considered trainable. Though not built for great athletic feats they can learn to walk at heel, sit, stay, and ask to go outside like other dogs.

Basset is a French word, derived from bas, "low," and two parts of France have developed special breeds of Bassets, also on the list of dogs of which the Busybodies of Britain disapprove. Since neither is common in the US we might as well consider them together with ordinary Basset Hounds. The Basset Bleu de Bretagne is a little more active than the usual Basset and more likely to have a "blue tick" or "blue marle" color. Spots mottled with black, grey, and white hair can add a fourth color to a black, tan, and white dog. The Basset Fauve de Gascogne is a little taller, has longer hair, and can be all one color without spots.  

There is no real cat counterpart to the Basset Hound. Some individual cats have relatively short, sturdy legs--like our Drudge, who is longer and broader-framed than Serena but not taller--and some people, whom I consider perverts, have bred selectively for extreme forms of this trait. While Bassets can at least hunt rabbits as long as their diet is supplemented with other things by their humans, stumpy-legged cats have no special ability that compensates for their dysfunctional shape. I'l show one photo of two short-legged cats and move quickly back to normal, healthy calicos and tortoiseshells.

Zipcode 10101: Riley from Brielle 


His humans dumped him in a shelter because they wanted to make changes in their own situation. Despite this Riley still seems to love any and all humans. He looks like a crossbreed, more like a short thickset Beagle than a really typy Basset, but that's typical: Basset Hounds are not normally left in shelters. 

Orchid & Iris from NYC


They think these poor little animals may have been deliberately bred for their deformity. The cats are NOT good with children or dogs, but behave well with other cats (besides each other). Fortunately, as shelter cats, they won't be producing stubby-legged kittens.

Gardenia from NYC 


Described as "a wonderful mix of calm, affectionate and playful," Gardenia has demonstrated an ability to make friends with other cats. How she behaves around dogs and children is unknown. Cuddly and confident, she looks like a junior-level Queen Cat looking for a place to rule through affection.

Zipcode 20202: Lydia & Dickerson by way of White Marsh 


Dickerson may be a little bigger than Lydia; they're not purebred. She was the one who looked more like a Basset Hound: short and dense. The siblings are described as a friendly, playful pair who have demonstrated good behavior around other animals, including chickens. Their origin is not clearly explained; there's some connection with Texas and they're said to be in "the Northeast"(which state?) but they can meet you in suburban or rural Maryland. The adoption fee is $450 for both dogs. They must be adopted together.

Maeve from Texas by way of Falls Church 


In Texas, they'll tell you up front, her adoption fee includes a veterinary bill and a carrying cage and adds up to $155. If they bring her to DC they'll add $200. Maeve is not really ready for adoption yet but they'd like to find a home as soon as possible. She has siblings and should be adopted with one of them.

Zipcode 30303: Sophia from Rossville 


There is no purebred, or even really typy-looking, Basset Hound on Petfinder's Georgia page--they're not a breed that winds up in shelters often. Sophia was the closest they had. They think she's part Basset and part coon hound because, although she has relatively short legs, as a skinny nursing mother she weighed 71 pounds. She tolerates, mostly ignores, other animals and young children. She really seems to prefer to cuddle up with her human.

Daisy Howell from Buford 


Daisy wants to be the only cat, or failing that at least the Queen Cat, and so far the only cat companion she seems to like is her dutiful daughter Demi. Their foster human seemed most amused by Daisy's bossiness. 
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