PETIT BASSET GRIFFON VENDEEN. Definitely not a hairy Basset Hound, the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, or PBGV’s, name in French reveals much about him: Petit– small; Basset– low to the ground; Griffon– rough or wire coated; and Vendéen- the area of France from which he originated. A scent hound, the PBGV is bold and alert with a strong, tapered tail carried like a saber.