The AKC recognizes three breeds that have the word “Basset” as part of their name: The Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen, the Basset Hound, and the Petit Bassets Griffon Vendeen. One more “basset” breed is among the FSS group, the Basset Fauve de Bretagne.
The Basset Hound has a height no more than 14 inches. The Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen is typically 15 1⁄2 to 18 inches, and the PBGV measures between 13 and 15 inches at the withers, with a height over 15 inches being a disqualification. The Basset Fauve de Bretagne measures (depending upon the gender) between 12.6” and 15.5”. Notice anything they have in common?
The name, Basset, is derived from the French word bas, meaning “low,” and the attenuating suffix “et” means “rather low, but what these breeds have in common reflects that fact that the French call any breed that’s under 18 inches at the shoulder a “basset.”
Image: Basset Fauve de Bretagne by chrisukphoto/MIL Pet Photography/Depositphotos
Our post title comes from Chubby Checker’s 1963 song about the Limbo, “How Low Can You Go”