Mary Allen
#4 A total of 9 years later, the Basset found its way across the pond to America, where it was classified as a “foreign dog breed” until 1916.
In 1936 the American Basset Hound Club was founded in the USA. During the Second World War, the spread of the Basset in Europe decreased sharply and there were only a few breeding specimens available.
#5 The breed’s continued healthy existence in Europe is due in particular to the British breeder Peggy Keevil, who crossed the Basset Hound with the French Bassets Artésien Normand (from which he originally descended), thus refreshing the gene pool.
#6 In this country, the first – officially recognized – Basset Hound litter registration took place in 1957.
Since then it has enjoyed great popularity here, as well as in the USA and England. In the 1970s it was considered a fashion dog for a time, which sometimes led to inbreeding, as some breeders preferred a grotesque appearance with an extremely long body and particularly long floppy ears. Of course, this has not been good for the health of the breed and has encouraged an increased incidence of back problems and herniated discs as well as ear infections.