It could be an Italian Spinone, they meet your description, especially the mournful expression.
What's The Breed Of Dog With The Wiry Coat, Floppy Ears And Mournful Expression? It's Medium To Large.
Best guess without seeing it, is an Otterhound. They're not that common, so maybe that's what kept you guessing.
Generally speaking, the Otterhound is about 24 inches tall and around 65 lbs in weight. Their colouring is a grizzly black, with red and tan markings. The coat is quite hard, crisp but not too long, with a woolly undercoat.
An Otterhound is a field sports working dog by nature, adaptable and have good stamina despite appearances. Originally, as their name suggests, bred for hunting otter in England, the earliest references to Otterhounds are those belonging to the Hounds of King John and other thirteenth century packs. In that age, there was a much more relaxed approach to breeding, and the Otterhound then was much slower in action. The modern Otterhound is the product of the Southern Hound, Bloodhound, Griffon Vendeen and the Welsh Hound. It is now breed true to type, though still relatively rare.
Generally speaking, the Otterhound is about 24 inches tall and around 65 lbs in weight. Their colouring is a grizzly black, with red and tan markings. The coat is quite hard, crisp but not too long, with a woolly undercoat.
An Otterhound is a field sports working dog by nature, adaptable and have good stamina despite appearances. Originally, as their name suggests, bred for hunting otter in England, the earliest references to Otterhounds are those belonging to the Hounds of King John and other thirteenth century packs. In that age, there was a much more relaxed approach to breeding, and the Otterhound then was much slower in action. The modern Otterhound is the product of the Southern Hound, Bloodhound, Griffon Vendeen and the Welsh Hound. It is now breed true to type, though still relatively rare.
