Meet the Basset Fauve de Bretagne (or the “Basset Fauve, for short), a special breed for a few reasons: It’s one of the smallest French hounds, one of six recognized breeds of Basset, and one of five whose origins are entirely French.
We always defer to breed experts, but our reading tells us that the Basset (also known as the Tawny Brittany Basset) was created from crossbreeding the Basset Griffon Vendeen with short-statured basset breeds near north-west France in Brittany (rumors suggest that breedings to standard wire-haired Dachshunds also occurred). The name Basset is derived from the French word,”bas,” meaning “low”, with the attenuating suffix -et, together meaning “rather low.”
One aspect of the Basset Fauve de Bretagne’s nature is the breed’s penchant for being vocal (it’s a hound thing), and they’re surprisingly loud. Their coat is low-maintenance, but it should be “rolled” (plucked) at least twice a year. The breed is lively and energetic, intelligent and strong. They are more than capable of going under or through fences which they are not capable of going over, and the height of fence that a Basset Fauve de Bretagne can get over may be surprising. The Basset Fauve de Bretagne is courageous, headstrong, and affectionate.
The United Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1996, and it’s currently on the AKC’s list of FSS breeds. You can visit the American breed club here.
Image of a Basset Fauve de Bretagne by pc.david – photo-0577.jpg, CC by 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2031165