Breed profile · Basset Hound specialty history

Basset Hound specialty history

The full record of the Basset Hound’s national and regional specialties, year by year — dates, venues, judges, entries, and winners, with sources. The current year is shown in full on the breed profile; this page is the archive.

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2026

National specialty

The 2026 National Specialty — Friday, October 9–Friday, October 16, 2026, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, James E. Ward Agricultural Center, 945 East Baddour Parkway, Lebanon, Tennessee 37087, hosted by the Mid-South Basset Hound Club. Conformation ran Wednesday, October 14 through Friday, October 16, with all conformation judged on a ramp. Entries closed at noon EST on Friday, September 11, 2026. Event Chair: Celeste M. Gonzalez. Event Secretary: Christine Allen.

The week ran the full Basset program: a hunting performance test on Friday, field trials and a Basset Fun Day on Saturday, tracking and scent work on Sunday, the Kentuckiana and Mid-South regional specialties on Monday and Tuesday, obedience and rally trials, the Futurity/Maturity on Tuesday, sweepstakes and the dog classes on Wednesday, the bitch classes on Thursday, and the Parade of Veterans, junior showmanship, and the intersex competition on Friday, with the annual banquet and awards that evening. The national drew 166 dogs and 187 entries in conformation.

Results (2026 national). Best of Breed: GCHB Blue Bay Heaven Scent (“Fiona”), a bitch whelped October 23, 2021, bred by Eva Kotilinek and Robin O’Rourke, by GCHB Blue Bay Simba The Beast — CH Damarna’s Rabbit Run Fizbin, owned by Eva Kotilinek and Robin O’Rourke; she also won Best Owner Handled. Best of Opposite Sex: GCHG DC Topsfield-Lebrera Vision Goodbye Mr. Chips, a dog. Select Dog: CH First Class John Prine. Select Bitch: CH Miracle Mary V. Grunsven. Winners Dog: Castlehill’s Tailgate Ring Of Fire At Topsfield. Winners Bitch and Best of Winners: Rivercity Are You Ready For It At Wendyhill. Best Bred By: Stradivarius That’s So Fetch. Best Junior Handler: Olivia Obreiter; Reserve Best Junior Handler: Kara Vitaich. Best in Junior Sweepstakes: Legacy’s Family Connection To Shadowmere. Best in Senior Sweepstakes: Castlehill’s Tailgate Walk The Line At Topsfield. Best in Veteran Sweepstakes: GCHB Ol’South’s Craigwood Beclove Ride ’Em Cowboy. Best in Futurity: CH Castlehill’s Tailgate Porche With No Brakes. Best in Maturity: GCHG DC Topsfield-Lebrera Vision Goodbye Mr. Chips.

Regional specialties

Regional Basset Hound specialties verified for 2026, including the two regional specialties that ran with the national in Lebanon, Tennessee:

Kentuckiana Basset Hound Club Specialty — Monday, October 12, 2026, Lebanon, Tennessee: at the Wilson County Fairgrounds (AKC event 2026141607). Judge: Claire (Kitty) Steidel. Best of Breed: CH First Class John Prine. Best of Winners: Ambrican Nutmeg, the Winners Bitch.
Mid-South Basset Hound Club Specialty — Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Lebanon, Tennessee: at the Wilson County Fairgrounds (AKC event 2026762013). Judge: Erica Cross. Best of Breed: GCHG DC Topsfield-Lebrera Vision Goodbye Mr. Chips. Best of Winners: armband 12; the registered name is unconfirmed.

2025

National specialty

The 2025 National Specialty — Friday, October 10–Friday, October 17, 2025, at the Purina Farms Event Center, 300 Checkerboard Loop, Gray Summit, Missouri 63039. Conformation ran Wednesday, October 15 through Friday, October 17, with all conformation judged on a ramp. Entries closed at 6 PM PT on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Event Chair: Robert E. McDonald. Event Secretary: Lorraine Yu, c/o DogZibit. The national drew 128 dogs and 154 entries in conformation.

The week ran the full Basset program: a hunting performance test on Friday, field trials and a Fun Day on Saturday, tracking on Sunday, scent work and obedience/rally on Monday, the Futurity/Maturity on Tuesday, sweepstakes and the dog classes on Wednesday, the bitch classes on Thursday, and the intersex competition, juniors, and Parade on Friday.

Results (2025 national). Best of Breed: GCHG DC Topsfield-Lebrera Vision Goodbye Mr. Chips, confirmed from the Westminster Kennel Club’s 2027 National Specialty Winners invitee list — the qualifying window (October 1, 2025–September 30, 2026) covers the 2025 national, the only BHCA national in that window. Best Junior Handler: Kara Vitaich; Reserve Best Junior Handler: Arik Kucheryaviy. Best of Opposite Sex, Best of Winners, Winners Dog, Winners Bitch, and the sweepstakes and futurity/maturity winners are unconfirmed.

Regional specialties

Regional Basset Hound specialties verified for 2025, run with the national week at Purina Farms:

Basset Hound Club of Western Pennsylvania Specialty — Monday, October 13, 2025, Gray Summit, Missouri. Best of Breed unconfirmed.
Badgerland Basset Hound Club Specialty — Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Gray Summit, Missouri. Best of Breed unconfirmed.

2024

National specialty

The 2024 National Specialty — Friday, September 6–Friday, September 13, 2024, at the Linn County Fairgrounds, 3700 Knox Butte Road East, Albany, Oregon 97322. Conformation ran Wednesday, September 11 through Friday, September 13. Entries closed at noon on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. Event Chair: Sylvie McGee. Event Secretary: Georjan Bridger. The national drew 104 dogs and 115 entries in conformation.

Results (2024 national). Best Junior Handler: Peytyn Pratt; Reserve Best Junior Handler: Amanda Toler. Best of Breed and all other top winners are unconfirmed.

Regional specialties

Regional Basset Hound specialties verified for 2024, run with the national week in Albany, Oregon:

Basset Hound Club of Greater Seattle Specialty — Monday, September 9, 2024, Albany, Oregon. Best of Breed unconfirmed.
Evergreen Empire Basset Hound Fanciers Specialty — Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Albany, Oregon. Best of Breed unconfirmed.