We chose bassets because my husband and I both like large dogs, but we did not feel that we could take on "full-sized" dogs. (Being in the ministry, you do not always have your choice, for example, of the kind of fence around the back yard of a parsonage, etc.) Bassets are large dogs with short legs. They have that laid-back "big dog" personality. Honestly, I don't think a dog can get much more laid-back than a basset.