The Dachshund

The Dachshund

Part I.

The Dachshund is the Longest Dog

In the whole Canine Catalog.

He is so Long - to show him Here

He must in Serial Parts appear.

This is Part One - Observe his Air

Of Lack-a-daisi-cal Despair.

I fear he finds it does not Pay

To wag a Tail so Far Away,

He is so very Long and Low.

And yet he was not always so.

The Dachshund once was Tall and Fleet

As any Dog you'd wish to meet.

Alas! He met a Fearful Fate.

One Day - but we anticipate

Continued.

The Dachshund

Part II.

And now, Dear Reader, we must go

Back some Six Thousand Years or So

To Eden's Lovely Garden, where

With an Historic Happy Pair

Lived the First Dachshund, Tall and Proud.

The Sign that reads "No Dogs Allowed"

Hung not in Eden's Garden Bright.

And all was Joyous, till One Night

The Faithful Dog awoke in Dread,

To find the Happy Pair had fled.

Madly he searched the Garden round

But not a Trace of them he found,

When Suddenly he saw a Sight

That made him Howl with Grief and Fright.

Continued.

The Dachshund

Part III.

He saw with mingled Grief and Fear,

His Master and his Mistress Dear,

Thrust through the quickly closing Gate.

He sprang to join them but too late!

In vain he tried to leap the Wall;

Only one Hope was left to Crawl

Beneath the Gate.  It happened here,

By just an inch or two, to clear

The ground With Supercanine strength

He Squirmed and Squeezed, until at length,

When half way through, - unhappy luck! -

He could not move - in short, was stuck.

Here we must leave him to pursue

The fortunes of the Other Two.

Continued.

The Dachshund

Part IV.

Unhappy Pair!  Left to their Fate

In a Strange World, Outside the Gate

Without a single Friend; but hark!

What is that dear familiar Bark?

They pause a moment in their Flight

And see their Faithful Doggie's plight.

With willing Hands, and Patience too,

At last they pull him safely through.

But Oh, the Difference!  No more

The Tall and shapely Hound of Yore - 

This Strange, Flat Dog with Crumpled Feet.

But let us draw a veil discreet

Upon that meeting . . .  Now we know

Why the Dachshund is Long and Low.

(THE END.)

The Dachshund from the book "More Animals" by Oliver Herford, 1901.  Images by the author.

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