Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen The Charming Frenchman

This 'shaggy' dog has the sweetest face with the disposition to match. It's quite old-world, the air that the GBGV carries, coming from an interesting lineage of hunting dogs in France

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This French sighthound was bred keeping in mind the need for a hare hunter that was smaller in size than the hounds of yore. With a name that roughly translates to the low, shaggy dog of the Vendee region of France, the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen is cute and charming, sagacious, too.

ORIGIN: The breed comes from the Grand Griffon of Vendee, a larger breed of hunting dog originating in France, with a lineage that dates back further to the 16th century. At the start of the 20th century, the Griffon was bred by a Comte d’Elva but with shortcomings (pun intended). He was looking for a breed with straight legs, but it took some notice and action by Paul Dezamy – the president of a club dedicated to the GBGV – to set into motion the breed we know today. Paul realised the need for a dog with shorter legs to be able to hunt hare and other game faster and swifter. Once the size was set at 16 ins. average, the rest is history. The breed, till today, is bred to hunt game in the vast greenlands of France, and their prowess even extends to wild boar. Did you know there’s a European Cup for Hounds, awarded to the breed that can hunt game and wild boar successfully? Guess who won an edition of the Cup once! A team of Grand Bassets.