Since prehistoric times man has utilised the dog as a pursuer of game. In the caves
at Lascaux in the
Dordogne there is a wall painting showing early man and his hounds hunting deer, and the
Romans during their campaigns in France noted the natives skill at hunting and their use of hounds.
Centuries later these ancient hunting skills were evolved in France, and this development meant
serious thought was given to breeding and management of hounds. In the early days royalty, nobility
and religious orders were the principal participants.
The best known was Hubert (AD656-727) son of the Duc De Guinne a cleric who hunted in the Ardennes
with a race of hounds, which still carry his name. He eventually refrained from hunting, was
Canonised and adopted as the Patron Saint of the sport.
By the middle ages a wide variety of short legged dogs used for hunting were known to exist, and by
the early 19th Century there were several clearly defined types of Basset, each with a marked
regional identity. Today in France there are only 5 recognised "Basset Francais". One of
these is the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen.
The French club was founded in 1907 by Monsieur Paul Desamy who fixed type and standard. The Grand
Basset must be prepared to go through the thickest of undergrowth to hunt his prey therefore he
needed a thick rough coat and sound straight legs to withstand the landscape of the Vendeen, which
has extremely heavy undergrowth. Monseiur Desamy bred his hounds to a height of 42 centimetres at
the shoulder and were often referred to as "42 Desamy" hounds.
The first Grand Bassets to enter England were brought through quarantine by Nick Frost in 1989,
after which time several breeders in England imported stock from the Dutch kennel of De Greffier Du
Roi owned by Jolanda Huisman and the breed grew from strength to strength. In 1992 Stella Blackmore
of the Melanter Kennels in Scotland purchased a bitch, Dehra Charlotte at Melanter.
The 1sst January 1997 was a major step forward for the breed when the Kennel Club allowed the Grand
to leave the Import register
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