It’s said that France, known for its development of scent hounds, created more of these breeds than any other country on earth. Hunting in France was so venerated, in fact, that it lead to a unique science of its own –  Venery: The exercise of the art and science of hunting. Venery was divided into two groups divided by the quarry: La Petite Venerie and La Grande Venerie. Stag boar, and roebuck, of course, belonged to La Grande Venerie that embraced a formality passed on by an aristocracy that existed long ago. La Petite hounds venery hunted hares, though 20% hunted fox. All of the these hounds had, and still have, a great “tongue,” superb noses, and a good pace – but if you own a hound that you don’t exhibit at dog shows, do you know which kind of hound you own? Don’t you want to know?

Our image is of a Basset Fauve de Bretagne. Which type of hound do you suppose it is?  Answer: These dogs are short-legged scent hounds originally from Brittany.

Basset Fauve de Bretagne by LA Shepard/thedoglover
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