I have received a very interesting letter from branch member Geoff Alderton. He was prompted to write in after reading my article about Sigmund - a hound in front of the camera in the first issue of LOWDOWN. He wanted to tell of his late ‘magnificent hound’ called Mr Jeffries (Knightsfollie Ladiesman).

This Basset Hound’s claim to fame was that for about three years, according to the Guinness Book of Records, he held the world record for being the dog with the longest ears a staggering 29.2cms (11.5 inches) each!

Mr Jeffries’ endowments brought him appearances on television and in the national press. Geoff was not the hound’s first owner, and did not know how he acquired his name. I thought that as he looked so magisterial, perhaps he had been named after Hanging Lord Jeffries Is this idea too fanciful? Apparently, yes. A little research on my part revealed a more mundane reason - his first owner was called Phil Jeffries. Mr Jeffries - the hound - had a grandfather, Biggles, who had previously held the longest ears record and appeared on Hush Puppy ads.

Very sadly, at the age of only three years, Mr Jeffries developed bloat. Geoff says that although he was rushed to the vet he did not survive.

I understand that Mr Jeffries’ record was beaten and the current owner of the title is Tigger, a Bloodhound with ears that each reach 34.9 cms (13.75 inches), who lives in the U.S.A.

For the last four years Geoff has owned two ‘lovely’ girls, Iggy and Lilly, to whom he is clearly devoted. When we spoke on the telephone, Geoff was in the process of a seemingly traumatic house move, though he did express the desire to attend some of our walks in the future when things were more settled.

It is interesting to note the Kennel Club’s breed standard for Basset Hounds, against which all show dogs are judged, calls for ears that are: ‘Long; reaching well beyond end of muzzle of correct length, but not excessively so’.

Words by Tony Roberts, picture by Geoff Alderton.