By HANNAH MILLER
    COURIER TIMES
    Thursday, April 26, 2001
 

What is the basset hound?  It's the waddling, flop-eared breed of dog that defendant Gerson Benoit is accused of stomping to death.  And for some, the basset hound is a way of life. For these people, the violent death of Benoit's girlfriend's basset Jacques has made the puppy a martyr.  "This is my first time protesting anything," said Beth Ebert, who came from Delaware County to protest outside the Bucks County courtroom in Doylestown Borough, where Benoit faced trial yesterday. "I just don't understand this case. When I heard about it, I cried. Bassets are the most gentle, loving breed."  Ebert found out about the protest through her subscription to "The Daily Drool," an e-mail listserv for basset hound lovers.  In the dog world, bassets are known as profligate slobberers because of the deep skin folds around their mouths. Gathered by e-mail and through word of mouth, a dozen protesters assembled at 9 a.m. near the courtroom, wearing dog scarves and dog cardigans, "Justice for Jacques" buttons and bronze-colored basset lapel pins with little ears that waggled to and fro.  When Benoit was brought into the courtroom, they were more sedate yesterday than at previous protests. They didn't hiss the 26-year-old suspect, but quietly held up their banners - "Don't let Jacques' cruel death be in vain."  The protesters lined the hallway of the courthouse and later took up a few benches in the courtroom, whispering between breaks about topics such as canine surgery. Many of them are volunteers with rescue organizations and used to seeing abandoned, abused and hungry pooches.  "Basset hound people are very special," said Suzanne Fitch, volunteer coordinator for Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue. "They really go out of their way to help the breed because they know how much affection they return."  "This animal is defenseless. Especially a puppy. They can't stand up for themselves," said Fitch, who is "raising" five dogs and five cats.  "For animal lovers, it's the same thing as stomping a newborn baby," she said.  Benoit faces a fine of $1,000 and two years in jail if convicted of animal cruelty and making a false report to police on Jan. 3, when Jacques was found in a pool of blood in the Middletown home of Benoit's girlfriend.  The county clerk's office has a file on Benoit which includes more than 50 letters demanding the harshest sentence possible for him if convicted. It was not clear how many of them were basset lovers.  "We have to get tough on people who abuse animals," said Linda Burnes, a Bristol Township woman who runs a kennel called The Bed and Biscuit, "Mass murderers like Jeffrey Dahmer start this way. It makes me sick," she said.