Beauregard is one of five or six Basset Hounds who regularly visit The Farm, and the only one to have been a guest since we opened our doors almost 10 years ago. There are at least three other “Bassett” breeds but the original hound dates back to at least the 1500’s. The first breed description may be Theseus’s account of his hounds in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
“With ears that sweep away the morning dew
Crook-kneed, and dewlapped like Thessalian bulls
Slow in pursuit, but matched in mouth like bells.”
Today the Bassett is more often a household dog than a hunting companion but they have lost none of their “bell-like” voices.
Beau lives in Franklin with Suzanne & Garry Chaffin. Garry says the most interesting and endearing thing about him is: “Probably the way he “talks”. He uses varying guttural tones to communicate certain things. We know when he’s frustrated or impatient just by the tone of his sigh. If you rub his ears he says “Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” He’s a baritone: think Placido Domingo in a lower register. He believes in his heart that every person and every other dog loves him. Definitely a lover not a fighter. You can tell it hurts his feelings when another dog growls at him. Also – he has a tendency to lie about things: like whether he’s already had dinner. He always looks at you with a sad expression, but it’s a total fraud – he’s just trying to make you feel sorry for him and give him some bacon. We’ve tried to break him from lying; but they’re only white lies.”
Beauregard is one of those wonderfully old-fashioned southern names and we all agree that it’s perfect for this dog. He came from a small breeder in Springfield and his father’s name was “General Rebel”. Technically Beau is “General Beauregard” (Garry says if you listen carefully you’ll detect a slight Cajun accent) and he looked like he needed a long, slow southern name. Beauregard was the only name considered, although Garry points out that had they spent more time with him, they “might have called him “Stinky.’” The Chaffins never had Bassets before but there was something about the way this dog ran as a puppy with his ears dragging the ground that there was no way they could go home without him in the car!
Beau’s favorite thing is to chase other dogs. He is a regular Woof Club visitor and enjoys canine companionship and running with the (mostly taller) big dogs. The family reports that he’s never been interested in toys but does 
like trying to catch bees. He apparently got stung this summer and, according to the family “we had to hear about that for a while. You’d have thought he deserved a bronze star.”
As to why Beauregard is a perfect fit for his family, Garry says: “He’s typically quiet and loves to be petted. Perfect dog for when you come home tired. He wants to be fed the second you walk in, and then he just wants to be around you. If you’re up for a walk, he is too. Otherwise he doesn’t complain much.”
It’s likely that Beauregard doesn’t have much to complain about, being a much-loved and petted pooch at home and at The Farm. Whether he’s here to play, to overnight, or to get a bath (a melodious one: Allison reports he sings throughout the process!) we are always delighted to welcome him as one of our “founding members” of the Farm Family.