A pretty basset hound with a Pittsburgh pedigree

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hermione, a basset hound who lives in Italy but has ties to Pittsburgh and Toledo, Ohio, has a star turn in a new Italian coffee table book, “Dog Chic.”

Hermione, the only basset hound in the book, appears on pages 58-59, draped in a lovely yellow scarf and bow. Her “bio” identifies her as 8 years old, her age when the photograph was taken in June 2016.

Her owner, Luisa Zambon of Toledo, got Hermione from John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Pittsburgh PostGazette, and Hermione’s mother was Clementine (now deceased), his beloved pet.

All of the text in the book is in Italian, but the whimsical photographs taken by Gio Martorana need no translation.

The dog on the purple and lavender book cover is Ginger, whose curly brown fur is accented by three strands of gold and brown beads. She looks like a poodle, but the book identifies her as a “barbone,” which means tramp or mutt in English.

Some of Hermione’s bookmates include Tiffany, a white Chihuahua wearing pink pearls and a white satin bow, and George, a Pembroke Welsh corgi wearing a red, white and blue coat decorated with Campbell’s soup cans.

Here is a translation of the book text accompanying Hermione’s photograph:

“Distinctive features: infinite sweetness. Hermione is a primadonna, always looking for attention. But how could you possibly deny her? With eyes that immediately draw you in and an adorable