Those Special Dachshunds: Meet Riley!

We love to hear why every dachshund is so special. And look at this guy in his little polo shirt! Thanks so much to his mom for sending in his story of how he has touched his humans' lives. Without any further ado, meet 'Riley!'

This is “Riley Chance Krueger” – our precocious 20 month old wirehaired dachshund. He is the light of our lives. In August of 2007 my fiancé and I were visiting an adorable pet shop in New Hampshire while on vacation and as fate would have it we adopted Riley. We weren’t even sure what type of dog he was until we asked the clerk, but he was too cute to pass up. He had such spunk. We named him Riley (Rye for short) based on the location in New Hampshire where we had been visiting. His middle name “Chance” was also purposeful as our landlord at the time forbade pets – so there was a chance we would be kicked out of our apartment. Regardless of that fact, something just felt right like it was meant to be. We had to have him. Well, not even a month after adopting Riley my fiancé’s father passed away suddenly. I swear, if it weren’t for Riley I’m not sure how my fiancé would have made it through the weeks that followed. Riley has been a great comfort and a fabulous companion. My fiancé and I believe that a higher power brought Riley and us together to get through the rough times we had ahead of us without his father. He truly is a special dog wrapped into a very small package. He is our “stick boy,” our “cave-bed boy,” our “little digger.” It always amazes us how the loving, cute, and quirky characteristics carry through each member of the breed as if there were a distinct “dachshund calling card.”