Six Week Evaluations: The Snack Cakes Litter: Little Debbie

 Beatrix O'Honey (AKC) and Rocketdog Rockford Rhoades (AKC) gave us seven wonderful babies in this litter and we couldn't be happier with the results at six weeks. This is Beatrix (Bit) O'Honey's (AKC) second full litter and Rocky's first. We evaluate all of our litters using a six point pseudo objective standard and it is a good idea to become familiar with it by clicking here.

Bit O'Honey, out of the Dog Hills Farm in Idaho, is a good -pet quality Basset Hound. Outside of a few minor structural issues Honey is correct to form in most respects when compared to the AKC Standard for the breed. This makes her puppies pet quality and we will not be offering breeding rights for any of this litter. Honey paired with our younger male Rocketdog Rockford (Rocky) Rhoads (AKC), from our own Rocketdog stock. Rocky is a very good quality Basset when compared to the AKC Standard. His sire ClarkeBar Grizwold (AKC) is a very good quality, smaller form, male whose characteristics are all true to form; ClarkeBar is a very good example of the breed. Rocky's dame, Grizelda Laffee Taffee is a small form Basset out of Country Corner Bassets in Idaho. Taffee is a very good quality Basset, with exceptional Basset traits, who has thrown three wonderful litters. Many pups from ClarkeBar and Taffee were of show quality and have exceptional Basset characteristics. Our expectation is that Rocky's genetics, will shine through Honey's minor flaws, but that none of these will be better than very good as they grow into adulthood.

Little Debbie came to us on September 11th, 2022 at 12:40 A.M. and weighed a healthy 10.7 ounces (the largest of the pups).  Her arrival was quite stealthy, she came into the world without notice of a sound. She nearly doubled in weight every week since that night and today weighs a very healthy 10.6 pounds. 

Little Debbie is of the patient type and more interested in sitting with people than hard play. This is not to say that she isn't playful.  She engages in hard play when challenged, but doesn't seem to seek out the fight. Little Debbie is a cuddle monster and loves her people and creature comforts. She is well suited for an older single person or couple than a large family of children.

Structurally Little Debbie seems very well built. Her stance is quite strong and this is often a predictor of future hip bone health.  Little Debbie had adequate foreleg bone size and her paws  are quite large, indicating that she might develop into a good sized  Basset Hound. She will not likely become very heavy, as neither of her parents are prone to overly heavy bodies, but sufficient exercise is a good idea to avoid a fat Basset. Her head is well domed, her ears and jaw are se very well too. Overall she is more of her Sire than of her Dame, carrying more of the American styling traits than those Normande traits found in her Dame. She is a well built Basset girl. 

Aesthetically Little Debbie is quite pleasing, though not of the show dog variety. Her beauty is in her structure. Her coat is a bit tight, owing to her mother's Normande lineage, and her fur is not well defined between browns, blacks, and whites. She's a lovely puppy, but not of the sort that wins at show. 

Little Debbie receives all five of the points derived from the AKC Standard, she is very well made, but she doesn't receive the aesthetic point, despite being a lovely dog, because her appearance is a bit of a mixed bag of Normande and American traits. Little Debbie will become a pretty little girl and a fine addition to any family lucky enough to have her.