Skin

D Vautier
11/2000

Some dogs are born with lots of loose skin and then they are expected to grow into it.  It’s the reverse with humans.  We start out with nice smooth well-fitting baby skin and as we grow older our skin keeps growing until we are all wrinkled up like dried prunes.  Some dogs are all wrinkled up when they start out, and then get better looking as they grow older.  Bulldogs, Sharpeis, and Basset hounds are like this—lots of skin as puppies.

But bassets have so much skin; you should never allow your Basset hound to try to grow into its skin.  Otherwise you don't have a small dog anymore, but instead a very large pig.

Besides, bassets have real short feet and if they get too fat, their bellies (along with the ears) start dragging on the ground and picking up all sorts of debris.  Other dogs, such as bulldogs and sharpeis are given lots of extra skin at birth, and seem to be able to grow into their skin gracefully.  Bassets don't do anything gracefully.

Our basset still has lots of loose skin and wrinkles, which doesn't improve her looks at all--but then again--there's not much you can do to improve her looks anyway.