Basset Saintongeois

		Basset Saintongeois
		He is not recognized by the F.C.I.


Origin			France
Translation			Francis Vandersteen
En français, cette race se dit			Basset saintongeois
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar			Basset Saintongeois
En español, esta raza se dice			Basset saintongeois
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd			Basset Saintongeois

The Basset Saintongeois was a Basset-type hound; it may well have been the oldest of the Basset varieties. The origins of this type of dog are unknown; some have suggested it descended from other short-legged breeds, such as the Dachshund or the Corgi. Other experts believe that the first Bassets originated from hounds affected by dwarfism. This latter hypothesis is the prevailing one, although the exact origin of the phenomenon remains a subject of debate: did it occur multiple times, or were different breeds simply crossed with existing Bassets?

This Basset variety, like its larger counterpart—the Chien Courant Saintongeois—has been extinct for at least a century.