THOUGHTS ON THE BASSET HOUND: TODAY AND YESTERDAY
all-breed, in Japan in 2001. The record of CH Fort Merrill Lipz Stick (Stix) remained as the top specialty-winning bitch, from 1992 until 2014, winning three all-breed Bests in Show with 93 Group placements. These two Bassets were campaigned by Bryan Martin. CH Fort Merrill Man In Black (Manny) was shown by Pat Willer, and garnered one Best in Show with 25 Group Placements, nine of which were Group Firsts. GCH Fort Merrill Topsfield Yahoo (Yahoo) was also shown by Bryan Martin, and won two Bests in Show with 22 Group Firsts. Yahoo was co-owned by Claudia Orlandi and Kitty Stidel for his show campaign. Currently, the top Basset Hound in my kennel is a son of Bomber by the name of GCH Fort Merrill Brunswick (Bruns- wick). He has been campaigned spar- ingly under the able hands of my friend and kennel manager, Aaron Costilla,
His tail is set-on with a slight upward curve. I have been seeing the unfortu- nate reoccurrence of some sickle tails and flanged ribs lately, which I hope the breed- ers will be quick to remedy. In looking back at more than a half a century of breeding and exhibiting Basset Hounds, I have had the experience of han- dling many of my own Fort Merrill Bassets to their championships under a variety of judges. Over a hundred Bassets carrying the Fort Merrill prefix have finished their championships. Some were campaigned under the expert hands of professional Basset Hound handlers Bryan Martin and Pat Willer. Several were ranked among the Top Hounds of the Year. CH Fort Mer- rill Great Gatsby (Bomber) won 78 Group placements, 24 of which were Group Firsts. Then, after winning two all-breed Bests in Show in the US, he went on to Japan to become the top-winning dog,
whom I am proud to say took Brunswick to Best of Breed at our national specialty last November. There are two types of judges, the spe- cialist judge and the multi-breed judge. Probably no judge can know every breed perfectly, but I would hope that all judges would be intimately familiar with the stan- dard of the breeds they judge. They must keep up with all revised breed standards and know everything about the makeup of each breed they judge. I know that all judges look for each dog’s best qualities first, but I have put together a quick list of Basset Hound faults and how the standard weighs them, just to help with the decision.
BASSET FAULTS & HOW THE STANDARD WEIGHS THEM A LIST BY JOAN URBAN
HEAD
FRONT
BODY
REAR
• Distinctly
• Knuckling Over • Height over 15" at Withers
Long Coat
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Cowhocks • Bowed Legs • Steep, Poorly Angulated Hindquarters
• Steep Shoulder • Fiddle Fronts • Out at Elbows • Feet Down in Pasterns
• Overshot • Undershot • High-Set Ear • Flat Ear
SERIOUS FAULTS
• Flat-Sidedness • Flanged Ribs • Sagging Topline • Roached Topline
• Broad, Flat Skull • Dry Head • Tight Skin • Light Eyes • Protruding Eyes
FAULTS
• A Deep Liver- Colored Nose • A Somewhat
PERMISSABLE, BUT NOT DESIRABLE
Lighter-Colored Eye, Conforming to the General Coloring of the Dog, is Acceptable but Not Desirable
302 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2021
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