Whenever I see a basset hound, I can’t help but think of Lafayette from The Aristocats — clumsy, good-natured and far cuter than any of the cats (sorry, cat people). One of the great joys of puppyhood, no matter the breed, is that irresistible puppy fat — soft, squishy and comforting. The magic of the basset is that they never quite lose it.

The term basset means 'rather low' in French — an apt tribute to their stature. The classic basset hound descends from short-legged scent hounds bred in France, with roots in the medieval St Hubert hounds of Belgium, prized for their stamina and unerring sense of smell.

Bred to hunt on foot — slow and steady — they allowed their humans to keep up without horses. Over time, monks and French hunters refined them into hounds adept at tracking hare a

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