BADGERS!

Thanks to our pretty pal 'Princess Lea' for sending in the latest Drabble and kisses and barks from across the globe.


Read more Drabble at GoComics or keep up with Wally at his blog.

Medieval Tomb Unearthed By Badger!

They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, so we keep a keen eye on what's happening in the world of Badgers.  Apparently a badger in the Motherland, in the eastern state of Brandenburg, has unearthed the 12th Century tombs of two medieval lords.
We haven't been this excited since a wirehaired Dachshund unearthed a 2 million-year-old fossilised mammoth bone way back in 2007. 

Via The Daily Mail:

Badgers might be known for being a menace in gardens by digging up lawns, but the creatures have proved they can be useful by helping German archaeologists uncover the graves of Medieval warriors.
An artist saw the badgers digging up bones and called experts to find out what the creatures had uncovered.
Archaeologists expanded on the badgers' helpful excavation work to uncover eight graves, including two skeletons that appear to noblemen.
This nobleman above was buried with a bronze belt buckle of a snakes head, a double edge sword and bowl by his feet ( all pictured). Archaeologists said he was a well-equipped warrior. Scars and bone-breaks show that he had been hit by lances and swords, and had also fallen from a horse.

Read more at The Daily Mail.

Yes, they're kinda cute, but don't let them fool you!

Where's A Good Badger Hound When You Need One?

It seems to us as though Dachshunds are taking over the world, but apparently none are to be found near Somerby in Leicestershire, UK, where tunnelling badgers are being blamed for the collapse and closure of a country road.  BADGERS!!  Via This is Leicestershire:

Two large craters appeared in the surface of the 1.5 mile lane between Somerby and the hamlet of Newbold, making it impassable to most vehicles.
Highways engineers examined the damage on Friday and say the road will be shut for at least three weeks.
The subsidence was discovered by horse riders from the nearby Somerby Equestrian Centre.
Horse owner, Katie Jones, who keeps a pony at the centre, said: "The road collapsed just over a week ago. You can see where badgers have dug a hole next to the carriageway.
"It has collapsed and the road surface has fallen in. The same has happened on the other side of the lane."
"One side of the road collapsed when someone from the centre was walking past.
"The other side collapsed after a vehicle drove over it."
A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council said: "We are investigating the damage which has been caused to the road and we are in discussions with Natural England, the Government's adviser on the natural environment, as to the next course of action.

Or, an even simpler solution would be to just get some good Badger Hounds.

A Badger Wanders Into A Nevada Convenience Store

Where's a Dachshund when you need him?  Probably napping under some covers somewhere.  Catching up on the latest badger news, the city of Sparks, Nevada could have used a Dachshund a few weeks ago when a wayward badger walked into an open door at a bottled water/convenience store at about 3 PM in the afternoon.  He kept authorities at bay for about an hour after he couldn't be snared and he dodged a tranquilizer dart.  The tricky little fella was finally lured into a cage with cat food.  Excerpt from the Associated Press:

No one was hurt in the standoff at the bottled water/convenience store in a residential neighborhood in Sparks, and the badger ultimately was returned to the wild north of Reno, Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy said.
"Obviously it was pretty hungry because when they put the cat food in the trap, it went right in," he said.
A state game warden was called to the Fresca Waterstore on Rock Boulevard near Sparks High School along with two assisting officers from Washoe County Animal Services, Healy said.
"Some species we can't relocate, we have to euthanize them. But this one was determined to be OK."
"They are a lot more common than people realize up here but they are nocturnal – they operate at night, and usually not in areas like this," Healy said. "It's the first one I've ever deal with and I've been here 27 years."

For any Badger Hound out there who thinks they could have taken on this critter, have another look at those claws...

....and those teeth.  It might be better to just stay under the covers.

Because Badgers Are....

Show some solidarity with your long dogs and wear THIS to your next Dachshund event. 

Badger News Roundup!

We've certainly got a love-hate relationship with these critters.  On the one hand, being badger dogs, all our instincts tell us to "go get it!" - we're slightly salivating as we type these words and drooling over the thought of bagging our very own badger.  On the other hand though, we're not sure if we've ever seen anything so cute as an 8-week-old badger missing an ear, lovingly named 'Vincent' after Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh, who famously cut off one of his ears   That's right, it's a Badger News Roundup for a beautiful Spring day, Wednesday, April 28, 2010.  Kicking things off, this little fella is being looked after by staff at St Tiggywinkles (huh?) Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England, after being attacked. Excerpt from This Is Local London:

Les Stocker from the hospital said: “He's doing fine. There's a little bit of damage to the bit round his ear but he should be OK.

“It might have been a fox or a dog that came across him and attacked him. I think another badger would have killed him.”

Vincent will be released back into the wild later this year.

Meanwhile, these often pesky little digging machines have been busy desecrating 100-year-old graves at a cemetery in Sidmouth, Devon, England, unearthing the human remains.  Excerpt from The Daily Mail:

A Natural England representative and Department of Environment badger expert lan Crowe visited Sidmouth Cemetery and will make recommendations about how the badgers should be managed 'in a sensitive, humane and legal way'.
A council spokesman said: 'There is absolutely no question of any harm being done to the animals and it is illegal to interfere with a badger sett during the breeding season.'
The council will erect a sign near the newly dug sett, informing the public of the presence of badgers and explaining they have caused some disturbance.
'In July, after obtaining expert advice, we may be able to fit one-way doors at the entrances to the badger tunnels.
'This will mean the animals can leave their sett but cannot get back in.'

Read more and see more photos at The Daily Mail.

And finally, thousands of badgers will lose their lives in a cull planned in south west Wales over the next few months.  Animal activists, including Queen guitarist Brian May, are up in arms over the cull, which would cover over 100 square miles, and is aimed at combating bovine TB.  Excerpt from BBC News:

The assembly government has said compensating farmers cost the taxpayer nearly £24m last year and cattle and badgers were the main sources of the disease.
Reacting to Friday's (April 16th) ruling Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones said: "We welcome the court's decision.
"Bovine TB is one of the biggest problems facing cattle farmers across Wales, and we have to tackle all sources of the disease.
"We are dealing with an epidemic that has serious consequences for us all and we must stamp it out.

Read more about the troubling cull at BBC News.

Von Linderhausen Meets Badger

Von Linderhausen Meets Badger
by SYDNEY ALLEN for the American Dachshund magazine, August, 1967.

As our Microbus moved along through a sagebrush flanked section of the highway that parallels the Colorado river east of Grand Junction, I heard my baby sister give one of her familiar hunger signals. Dad parked the car, and while Mom carried out a feeding operation, my brothers and I went with Dad for some exploring along the river.
Our companion on this trip was our family Dachshund, who bore the pretentious name of Von Linderhausen.
I skipped stones along the surface of the stream. Then I began to notice some of the birds that were flying up and down the river to their evening roosts. All the while, Von Linderhausen strained at his leash, looking for animal signs in the soft mud along the banks.
Then, suddenly, I saw a small animal a little way ahead. It was apparently searching for food along the margin of the water.
I thought it might be a skunk. Then I thought it might be a small bear, or even a cat. Von Linderhausen acted as though he knew what it was. He whined and lunged at the end of his chain.
Then I recognized the animal. It was a badger. I had learned from my grandmother only a few days before that Dachs means badger in German. I had never seen one in the wild before.
Now I had a chance to test the results of all that breeding the ancient houndmasters had put into our dog's pedigree. I found it easy to persuade Dad to let me turn Von Linderhausen loose.
Von Linderhausen hurled himself forward as fast as his legs would carry him. It seemed that he was going to fly right into the alerted badger's claws and teeth.
But if the dog was brave, so was the badger. It was caught in an unfavorable terrain. Its normal method of defense - to dig itself out of sight - was out of the question in the soft mud along the streamside. It couldn't run away, since a sharply rising bank lay between it and the open brush.
With no other choice, the badger stood its ground like a brave warrior, determined to fight this impudent intruder.
It put up such a heroic front that even an impetuous fellow like Von Linderhausen had second thoughts. He put on the brakes just before he made contact with those menacing teeth and claws. Last-minute prudence saved him from the scars of combat. But at that moment I remembered reading in the American Kennel Club's dog book that judges aren't to penalize Dachshunds who show such blemishes.
The badger spat, growled, and hissed, sparring with its paws like a boxer. It looked as if it was saying "O.K., dog, come right ahead. I can handle the likes of you."
Von Linderhausen kept moving closer, snarling and barking. A tremendous excitement had come over him, as though all his breeding and instincts, nurtured through the centuries, were finding an outlet.
After a few minutes of this standoff, the beeping of our Microbus horn told us that Mom and the baby were ready to go to Denver.
However, Von Linderhausen wasn't ready. He refused to obey my commands, so I used a long piece of driftwood to separate him and his enemy. After I knocked him sprawling into the icy water a few times, he remembered a little of his obedience training and allowed me to snap the leash onto his collar.
But on the way to the car, he kept turning around to snarl tough-sounding dog language back at his adversary.
"Well, I guess our dog really is a badger hound, eh?" Dad observed.
Von Linderhausen agreed. It was nearly an hour before he calmed down, but by the time we got to Denver he was sound asleep, probably dreaming about that confrontation on the banks of the Colorado.

END.

Image: Early 1900's postcard.

Badgers and Badgering

Today we are featuring a response written in the October, 1970, edition of the American Dachshund magazine which discusses the modern Dachshund and his conformation in relation to badger hunting ability. Specifically, the issues at hand are steep scapulas and short chests, and how these relate to the pet and show Dachshunds of today, or at least in 1970.

We found the reading to be fascinating, not only for the dedication that fanciers have to the breed, but also the humorous and well-written prose.

It also of course begs the age-old question: for if we are not badger dogs, then are we just dogs?

Without any further ado:

Badgers and Badgering
by John Winther
6022 N. E. 107th Ave, Vancouver, Wa, 98662

I was reminded of the fancy's badger problem in July issue where George Spradling registered shock to find in the show ring Dachshunds, some of whom were low-stationed, steep of scapula, and/or short of chest. These faults were viewed as impediments to their bearers for the singular though hypothetical task of slaying badgers.
Mr. Spradling's comments implied that his show placements reflected a sort of badger-killer ranking. Presumably, his winners were most suited for doing-in badgers, while the lesser specimens were perhaps better fitted for more mundane tasks.
While I get a certain vicarious pleasure in the thought that my resident Teckels are keeping badgers out of the snapdragons, I must admit the matter of relating form to function still has me puzzled. Estimating performance in the field from appearance at ringside may be frightfully simple for an old badger killer like George, but my efforts in this direction are beginning to sap the morale of my pack. In a nutshell, I keep rewarding the wrong dogs for keeping the badgers away.
I don't claim to be an authority on the North American badger, Taxidea taxus, much less the European form, although I will confess to a bit of clandestine checking in the local public library recently just to see what the dogs were up against.
To begin with, the badger standard reads almost like a Dachshund standard. I was pleased to learn that both badgers and Dachshunds were robust mammals. Similarly, standard weights for both run 12-24 lbs., a fair match. When I learned that badger holes are about 1 ft. in diameter, I made a mental note to cull any Dachshunds whose dimensions exceeded the proper fit. I skimmed quickly over the part which said badgers 'toe-in' markedly because I remembered that their fossorial friends, the moles, 'toed-out.' Alteration of the Dachshund standard to 'toes-ahead' now struck me as a reasonable compromise.
I was disappointed to discover that badgers do not climb, especially since I have Ami, a rash and persevering Smooth Standard bitch, who does. Just last week I surveyed the trees in the vicinity looking for badgers. Finding none, I praised Ami and rewarded her with a pound of choice chuck. The scapulae which permit Ami to climb are the very same that she uses for walking, running, and digging. That there remains hope for her rests on her excellence in the latter endeavor.
Since badgers move around mostly at night, the thought struck me that Sally probably also deserved some recognition as she has the best nose. She tracks anything and wouldn't be caught dead with her snoot more than 3/8th of an inch from the ground. She has killed rats and cats and rabbits - and will bite on sight anyone who looks like my father - all in all, a poor show prospect, but the best hunter of the bunch, and a show champion son to her credit.
Hummer is a digger, using her scapulae some, but especially her long strong nails. I'm not sure that she is more effective at excavating than say a razor clam or mole, but I am sure she looks more like a dog. I think this is what the badger killers sometimes forget - the Dachshund is more dog than digger.
As my experience in the exhibition of Dachshunds increases, my respect for the placements of multi-breed judges continues to grow. The all-rounders tend to judge Dachshunds as dogs. Probably only rarely would one claim that he was able to sight-rank a class as to its potential for killing badgers. I have never heard a judge of Chows speculate as to the culinary potential of his entry, nor is it likely that a Poodle judge makes his awards with waterfowling in mind.
The subject of Dachshunds and badgers must be confusing to the new fancier. If he tries to grapple with the problem of optimum scapular angle in relation to the historical art of badger throttling, it must be difficult to also monitor the realities of the show ring.
Perhaps we should all be reminded from time to time that the Dachshund is first and fundamentally a dog. The experienced exhibitor eventually learns that good dogs, regardless of breed, share many features in common. Gait and showmanship, for example, have little to do with the specialized tasks for which the various breeds were originally bred. Must we lose sight of the fact that dog shows today are just that - half dog, and half show.
Like George Spradling, I too kill badgers in my sleep. Most exhibitors, however, would be well advised to leave the badger killing to the dreamers. Show dogs merely have to symbolize their heritage. Until such time that someone throws a badger into the ring, it is probably best that we study the handlers who win and learn to pose the scapulae and other parts into a suitable facsimile of the attack stance.
END

Here is the column to which Mr. Winther replied, from the July, 1970, edition of the American Dachshund magazine:

TWO WERE 'DOUBLE-YOUR-FUN'
By George C. Spradling
923 First National Bank Bldg., Wichita, Ks 67202

The Longshore-Southport show held June 7 at Wilton, Ct, had an entry of 90 dogs with few absentees. If we may consider the entry as a fairly good cross section of the present dogs in the area, it might be interesting to compare them with the dogs shown in shows I have judged or attended in that vicinity during the past few years.
On the plus side there were several improvements. Thus, a goodly percent of the dogs shown had good to excellent feet. The reverse was true a few years ago. Back lines and heads were above average; front stance about the same but a little improvement in width of rear stance.
It was, however, shocking to find a large percentage of dogs with steep scapulas. Some of them were so bad the scapula laid right along the neck. Improper layback of the scapula causes padding. In extreme cases it results in substantially a hackney pony gait. Steepness sufficient to cause padding is a fault that seriously impairs the dog in doing the work for which it was bred and hence should be penalized accordingly.
Another serious fault that was more prevalent than average was the number of short chests. A short chest or inadequate ribbing is also a serious fault in that it affects stamina, a necessary requirement for a hunting dog such as the Dachshund. It should be heavily penalized. Too many of the dogs were too low in body stance with the depth of chest at or even below the wrist.
One of the rewards of judging is occasionally finding an outstanding specimen. It doesn't happen too often, but here there were two splendid specimens. sort of a "double-your-pleasure-double your-fun." One was a longhair dog in the Open Class named Bayard L'Aquilon. He was placed Best of Variety and later Third in a strong Hound Group by Mrs. Van Court. the other was a Wirehair bitch who appeared in the Specials class. Her name is Ch Westphal's Donnybrook. Both of these youngsters are of such superior quality they should make spectacular wins in the future. They approach perfection of the characters specified in the Standard.
It was a delight to see them.

END

Badger image source: early 1900s postcard

Badger Watch: Meet 'Kleinman,' The Reckless Honey Badger

The "Quirkiest" honey badger ever known. This is the full sequence of the Badger vs. Snake videos you may have already seen. The other versions fail to portray the reckless character of the badger in its full glory. Watch the video and judge for yourself. Enjoy...

It's an excerpt from the documentary titled:"Snake killers: Honey badgers of the Kalahari"

Find out much more about the award-winning documentary at sadunkal on youtube.

Related: The Honey Badger: The Most Fearless Animal On Earth

Firefighters Dig Dachshund Out Of Badger Hole

Oh, the embarrassment and utter humiliation - to be rescued from being stuck in a badger hole by firefighters. Well, that's exactly what happened to a dachshund in Bovey Tracey, UK. See where our tenacity gets us? The dachshund has chosen to remain anonymous, but here is his story from This Is South Devon:

A DACHSHUND was rescued by spade-wielding firefighters after being stuck for a day down a badger hole outside Bovey Tracey.
The trapped hound disappeared down the hole in a bank at Higher Elsford Farm early on Monday.
And a few hours after sunset he emerged bleary-eyed, but unhurt from his underground prison.
Firefighters from Moretonhampstead grafted away with their shovels to remove the distressed animal.
Fire spokesman Tony Hayward said: "They worked very hard. The only way to get the poor dog out was to dig him out.
"He went down early in the day and could not turn around in the tight space to get out again."
He said the dog was visible to his rescuers throughout the ordeal.
"A good pair of long arms eventually scooped him out," said Mr Hayward.
The dog, found to be in good shape despite his prolonged subterranean stay, was reunited with his owners.
The alarm was raised just after 10pm.

Related: Badger Stories

BADGERS

They mock our very existence.

Badger Badger Badger.....this crazy "badger song" viral video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

Badger Madness Devastates Garden

Evil Badgers have turned the lawn of a Buckinghamshire, UK, country house into a lumpy mess. We're thinking they need some badger dogs.

The Honey Badger: The Most Fearless Animal On Earth

Know Thine Enemy.

Baby Badger Saved From Freezing Temperatures

Gather 'round, badger dogs. Meet 5-day-old 'Snowdrop,' who was found abandoned in the snow in Torquay, Devon, in the UK. A homeowner heard her whimpering in the garden and rescued her from the brink of a certain cold demise. She is currently being nursed back to health at Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre at Highbridge in Somerset.
All prejudice aside, do you think she's cute? Read more, and see more pics at The Daily Mail. Also check out a great video at The Weston Mercury.

Thanks to our good friend 'Clancy' for the story tip! Enjoy Westminster today. GO DACHSHUND!

Related: Christmas Badger Recipe

Related: Dachshunds in History: Who Said We Don't Like Badgers?

Christmas Badger Recipe

OK Badger Dogs.....you've caught and killed your poor badger, so now what?
'Bad Boy,' a dachshund in the UK, offers up a simple recipe that would make a nice addition to your holiday table this year in lieu of typical standards like turkey, ham, or beef. This can only be the dachshund's favorite dish: The Christmas Badger.

Christmas Badger

1 30lb – 35lb badger
4 litres Holts bitter
1kg sausage meat
17 shallots
8 large onions
4 sticks celery
8 tbsp wholemeal breadcrumbs
zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp thyme
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 tbsp allspice

Eviscerate and skin the badger. Soak it in a fast flowing river for at least 48 hours. This will help to degrease it more easily. Hang the badger over a smudge fire for at least another two days until the meat has begun to stiffen.

Gather the seasoning. Mix the stuffing ingredients and allow to cool for 36 hours. Dice the onions and place the badger in a cooking bag (a washed, empty Fisons bag will do). Insert the stuffing at the rear and line the bag with the onions. Pour the Holts bitter over the meat.

Place the badger in a stone pit oven or conventional cooker set to 325º F/ gas mark 6. Allow plenty of time because a 30lb badger will take 6-8 hours to cook. Use a meat thermometer, if you have one, to ensure thorough penetration of the heat.

The result is a gamey, very Christmassy roast.

Happy Holidays!

Recipe Source

Dachshunds in History: Who Said We Don't Like Badgers?

Dachshund: Badger Dog.

"We don't need no stinkin' badgers!" They're more than welcome to share our doggie bed though. This is a fun tale about some homeless baby badgers who were adopted by a pack of dachshunds! The story was submitted to the August 1965 edition of The American Dachshund by Esther Olson of Santa Maria, California. Woof!

"The Badgers Even Accepted the Dogs"

When a young badger invades a miniature Dachshund doggie bed, there could be some resentment. But in this case, there wasn't.
We found two baby badgers beside a country road. A tragedy must have occurred in the badger family, for there was no mother, and one of the babies had an injured leg and a bloody stump where a tail had been. The babies eyes were not yet open.
We raised them on the bottle. They were friendly, gentle, and definitely nosey. They even accepted the dogs.
Since the Dachshund is supposed to hunt badgers - well, it's a cute picture, isn't it? The dog pictured is our Rayes Bita Wire Magic. She loved the badger.
We didn't want to keep the badgers permanently, so we found them a good home - the San Diego Zoo.