Christmas Fun in the Sun Down Under

'Mason' and 'Kai' picked up their fashionable holiday attire at their local K-Mart.

 

Dozens of Dachshunds recently got together to enjoy the warm weather and celebrate Christmas Down Under at the annual Dachshunds in Paradise holiday meet-up in the Gold Coast, Australia.  Dachshunds in Paradise is a local meet-up group which "gathers to celebrate their petite pups and to raise money to help find homes for neglected dachshunds."

Read more, see more pics, and hear audio from the event at ABC.com.

 

'Tasha' is first in line for the presents

DECORATION FOR A HERO

Meet 'Adolph' and his Human, Stephen Sweeney, 1959

Dear Gentle Readers,
     Please pardon our absence as of late, but we've had some family emergencies in the last few weeks and haven't been able to provide any updates.  We haven't even been near a computer for weeks on end.  Things are not good, although thankfully they are improving - Dachtober, so much to answer for.
     But today is Veterans Day 2013, and as we have done on Memorial Day and Veterans Day for all of our years here at The Long and Short of it All, we take time to honor those who served in the armed forces - and the Dachshunds who stood by their side.
     So let's head back to August 19th, 1959, where this handsome little War-Hero Dachshund-mix was honored with a gold collar as Newsday's Pet of the Year.  Here's how it all went down:

Sgt. Adolph Sweeney, a distinguished "war hero," was called front and center again today - perhaps for the last time - to receive the accolade of civilian Long Island.  Voters named him Pet of the Year in Newsday's annual Golden Collar contest.
The 17-year-old Dachshund-Beagle, who suffers from serious heart trouble since an attack last March, apparently won the hearts of voters.  They gave him more than triple the votes of his nearest competitor, the tiger-cat Mr. Peepers.
Adolph, owned by Stephen Sweeney, a chauffeur of 30 Madison Ave, Franklin Square, New York, brought to this year's competition an exciting war record.
He flew 39 World War II missions over Germany with his master, a veteran of the Army Air Corps.  Adolph was presented with the same medals that Sweeney earned:  the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and other citations.  As mascot of a B-17 Flying Fortress, he logged 800 hours flying time from bases in Italy, England, and North Africa.
"But this award," said his master yesterday, "is the best.  It gives me something awfully nice to remember him by."
In the last few years, Sweeney explained, Adolph's health has slipped badly.  "He lost his hearing completely two years ago," Sweeney said.  "Then that heart attack in March.  He just won't be around much longer, that's all."  Adolph's age is comparable to 84 years of a human life, it was estimated by a spokesman at Farmingdale Animal Hospital.
Largely on the basis of his dramatic story, Adolph was selected by Newsday judges as the sixth Pet of the Week.  Then readers voted him Pet of the Year.  He will receive a solid gold collar to mark this title.

Adolph and Human in Uniform in 1945 Photo

 

 

If you are a new reader at The Long and Short of it All, you will definitely want to visit the archives for some absolutely amazing military-inspired Dachshund tales and images:

Veterans Day 2012: Meet Schnapps and Booby Trap!

 

Memorial Day 2012: Historic Dachshund Fun

Airman Apprentice Able, Red Smooth

 

Dog Is My Co-Pilot

Dachshund Homecoming Video

Happy Memorial Day

Veterans Day and Dachshunds

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Fritz and the "Jane" Cartoon Series

Dachshunds in History: The Saga of Sgt. Wally D. Hund

Dachshunds Reunited with their Dads in the News

Dachshunds and Veterans Day

Dachshunds Teleconferencing with their Dads in Iraq in the News

Dachshunds in History: Mimi, A Most Unpopular Dog During WW2

Memorial Day Dachshund: Meet Gus

Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Vietnam War Veteran Jim Quick and his dachshund

Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Iraq War Veteran Scott MacKenzie and his new rescue boy

Dachshunds in History: Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark!

Dachshunds in History: Dogs of War

Bombs Away!

Euthanized by Accident

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of 'Weenie,' a troubled little guy who got the short end of the stick last week while incarcerated at the Harlington Humane Society in Harlington, Texas. 
We understand that mistakes are made, but what a tragedy.

Via kgbt4tv.

The Weatherman's Little Wiener

Oh, the trials and tribulations of being a Dachshund Lover.  This video went viral last week according to Alabama meteorologist Mark Prater's facebook page:

When we had our video blooper "little wiener" last week, I had a lot of folks tell me it would go viral. Little did I know what viral REALLY meant.

CBS Network - CBS This Morning
Jay Leno - The Tonight Show
Top Video - Daily Mail UK - London
Fox News: Special Report - with Brett Baier
VH1

We've lost count of how many radio stations (especially national shows) across the country.
1.8 million websites in the past 7 days! 

 

And see....like all good Wieners, Mr. Prater's Dachshund 'The Colonel' DOES get dressed up!

Dachtober Fun

Via the Chicago Sun Times:  Fall leaf pile in Naperville, Illinois: There is nothing like making a leaf pile. Now that my girls are too old for this, my dachshund, Rosie, keeps looking forward to the leaf pile, her rite of fall.

Who's Your Knight In Shining Armor?

Kisses!

Dressed as a dragon, Laura Price plants a kiss on the cheek of her knightly Dachshund, 'Henry,' before competing in the costume contest at the Aggieland Humane Society's Wiener Fest 2013 at Wolf Pen Creek in College Station, Texas, on Saturday, October 5th.
The event, a fundraiser for the organization, featured live music, vendors, a 5k run, "wiener" and "Wanna be a Wiener" races and more.

Check out all the fun photos at The Eagle.

This Dachshund Just Keeps On Smiling, Even After Being Attacked Twice By German Shepherd

Will you look at how happy this little girl named 'Clementine' is?  You'd think that after being attacked twice by a German Shepherd at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that she'd let her happiness guard down a bit, but apparently not so for her.  Both attacks required thousands of dollars of surgery to set her on the mend. 
Now Clementine's humans, Matthew Redding and his wife, Hoda Shawki, think that the same unleashed German Shepherd has attacked another small dog at the Experimental Farm last Friday, and they are wondering why city bylaw officers don't seem willing to do anything to stop it. 
You can read all about it at the Ottawa Citizen. 

2013 Bend Oktoberfest's Wiener Dog Races

Dachtoberfest is in full swing all around the world, and you better believe that there are plenty of Wiener Races as part of the festivities!  Here, Wiener Dogs took to the streets of Bend, Oregon, on Saturday afternoon for their 5th annual races. The event benefited the Central Oregon Humane Society.  Via the Bend Bulletin.

Pennsylvania Dachshund Rescued After Getting Stuck In Groundhog Hole

How many firefighters does it take to rescue a Dachshund stuck in a groundhog hole under a retaining wall?  Fifteen apparently!  Meet "Precious," the latest Dachshund to get stuck in a hole.  Why do we keep getting into trouble like this?   Via WTAE:

PENN HILLS, Pa. —It took more than two hours, 15 grown men, shovels and floodlights to free a 4-year-old dachshund trapped under a retaining wall.

The efforts on Clematis Boulevard were praised with applause after Precious, the healthy but shaken dog, was freed from a groundhog hole.

Precious was let outside for a bathroom trip, but her owner Abby Hile said the dog took off for the back yard and went into the hole. Hile said she tried for an hour to coax the dog out but she wouldn't budge.

Hile called 911 for help and the Penn Hills Station 227 volunteer firefighters arrived with the essentials: floodlights, shovels and a love for dogs.

"We had to remove some of the wall. The difficult part was digging and trying not to collapse the hole and cut off her air supply," said Fire Chief Randy Dolton.

Oxygen and a camera from the sewage department were on standby.

But after more than two long hours, the volunteer firefighters got their first glimpse of Precious and let her owner pull her free.

"There's no way I could've gotten close to doing that by myself. She's part of the family. She's definitely part of the family so we're very happy she's OK,” said Hile.

"I have dogs so I know how it is. They're like part of your family. You hate to lose a pet. It's a happy ending," said Dolton.

Wiener 500

Ninety-six Dachshunds sprinted down a track outside the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in a series of races to raise money for the Washington Humane Society on Saturday in Washington DC.
The 2nd Annual Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash, organized by OnTap Magazine, was expected to raise more than $2,000, according to event officials.
After a brief rain delay, a dog named 'Pumpkin' won the final race and was crowned champion.  Way to go Pumpkin!  Via the GW Hatchett.

All About Canadian Dachshund Rescue

'Rolo' Wears His Foster Dog Bandana

If you have a few moments to spare, make sure and head over to Samaritan Magazine for coverage of the fine work being done by Canadian Dachshund Rescue, including the challenges that are specific to Dachshunds.  Here's an excerpt:

If they could talk, the wiener dogs in the care of Canadian Dachshund Rescue would tell you that being ridiculously cute has its drawbacks. For one thing, it tends to obscure some of the unique characteristics specific to the breed that require firm and knowledgeable training in puppies to produce well-heeled adults.
“Every breed has its challenges,” Meaghan Middleton-Firman, vice president with Canadian Dachshund Rescue’s board of directors, tells Samaritanmag. “But dachshunds are cute, tiny dogs and people get them because everybody loves wieners. Kids stop us on the street to look at them.
“What people don’t realize is that dachshunds are hunting dogs; they are the only breed meant to hunt above and below ground. So they’ll go face-first into a badger hole, and then bark loud enough that their owner can find them while they’re underground. They are tenacious and loud.

Read more at Samaritan Magazine.

Brave Dachshund Sacrifices Himself For His Humans

We're not quite sure what to say about this story except that the phrase "Bold to the Point of Brashness" certainly defines this Michigan Dachshund named 'Bradley,' who fearlessly gave his life for his humans when a bear approached them. Via 9and10 News:

A dog being called a hero tonight, credited with saving the lives of two men when they were caught off guard by a bear. Bradley, a Dachshund, put up a fight against the bear on Saturday in Oscoda County.
While he didn't survive, the two men who were with him say because of him they did. The two men from downstate were visiting their friend in Comins. They say despite the large bear being feet away from them, it didn't scare the small dog one bit. "We came out in the golf cart, and this bear was standing right there," Mike Hodges recounts.
Hodges, who suffered a stroke just three weeks ago, says he and his friend Jeremy, didn't notice the bear right away. Bradley's owner, says the dog certainly did. "Bradley jumped off the golf cart and attacked the bear, and the bear grabbed Brad and took off," owner John Force explains. "He grabbed him up and took off running through the woods with two other bears following 'em," describes Mike.
They believe the bear was startled by Mike, Jeremy, and Bradley, and was trying to protect it's cubs, and when the bear reacted, Bradley was simply trying to protect the two men he had only just met that day.
"I think when Brad saw it, he did what he would normally do, jumped right off it and went at it. I wouldn't have ran after that bear with a knife as big as I am, and little Brad- 4, 5 pounds- he don't have a filter for fear," John says.
The two men eventually scared the bear away with a stick and loud noises. They brought Bradley back to the house, and the dog was rushed to an animal hospital, where he died. "He was a warrior," John speaks highly of his dog, "if he would have died any other way than that, you know, it was a noble death the way I look at it."
John believes his dog's fearlessness changed the outcome of what could have been an even more tragic situation. "Mike being in the medical condition he's in, I don't think he would have been alert enough to get away from the bear. I think Brad did save them from getting mauled at least," says John.
John says he and his family are proud of what their dog did, and know Bradley would do it again. "It ain't the size of the dog in the fight, but the fight in the dog that counts, and that sums it up for Bradley."

He was Handsome.  He was Bradley.

Wieners Let It All Hang Out In Montreal

Thanks to 'Fidgit' from Snug Harbor, Rhode Island, for sending in a link to the events which took place in Montreal on Saturday at the 6th Annual Montreal Wienerfest!  Proceeds of this year's event went to several pet rescue foundations and charities, including Helping Homeless Pets and Tiny Paws Dog Rescue Canada.  Video via CBC News.

Wiener Dog Wars

Get this monkey jockey off my back.

Over 13,000 people attended the Wiener Dog Wars at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, on Labor Day.  Red smooth 'Oscar' was there to defend his championship title from last year.  Did he pull it off? 
We're not about to spoil the surprise, you'll have to watch the fun video to find out.  It's worth the 18 minutes of your time:



Read more about these Wiener Races at Canterbury Park.

Meet Bridget, The Tree-Climbing Dachshund

 

The next time you're in Austin, Texas, searching for wiener dog-sightings, look high, not low, and you might spot pretty 7-year-old 'Bridget' up in a tree!  It seems this girl has a penchant for squirrel-hunting, and she doesn't give up easily.  Via the Statesman:

 

The Dachshund belongs to LGean Richardson of North Austin, who adopted the critter along with 4-year-old Dino from the Austin Animal Center in April after her husband of 69 years, Thomas, died.

It took a while for Richardson to discover Bridget’s tree-climbing talent, but there were clues: The dog first escaped through a hole in her yard’s chain link fence. When an object was placed in front of the opening, Bridget scaled that, going up and over.

The third time the tiny dog went missing, Richardson searched the house and yard, but her pet was nowhere to be found. So she grabbed her cane and headed down the street to look for her. When she arrived back home, the dog was lounging on the sofa. She had no idea where Bridget had been hiding until one day when friend Maria Ramirez, in the backyard during a visit, burst into the house calling for her.
“LGean, LGean! Come out here!” she shouted. “You’ve got to see where Bridget is!”
Richardson walked slowly into the yard, past the spreading fig bushes, to find her pet a good six feet up in a large tree. It turns out that Bridget chases squirrels and, Richardson says, now scampers and scrapes her way straight up the tree on her short legs almost every time she is let out into the yard. The first crook is around four feet off the ground, but Bridget doesn’t stop there. When she’s ready, Bridget climbs back down.
It’s clear the woman and her dogs have bonded deeply since April. Richardson thinks Bridget’s tree-climbing is pretty special (she shared the tale with her veterinarian, who had never heard of a dog that scaled trees), but that’s not the only reason she wanted to share it.
She visited three shelters before she found Bridget, adopting both her and her cage mate, Dino, because they looked deceptively calm and quiet together. She saw a lot of animals in those shelters and suggests that others might want to find their own pets to bring home.
“You never know what their talent is until you get them,” she says, smiling.


Read more and see another photo at the Statesman.  Have a great holiday weekend.

What Did Josh Duhamel Say?

After Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer stopped by to offer advice to Josh Duhamel and Fergie with their Dachshund 'Zoe', Josh reportedly proclaimed:

“He show’s up and I swear to God, this guy’s got special skills. Our dog normally barks like crazy every time someone comes to the house. He walks in and Zoe runs right up to him (and just looks at him). He just walks right in the house.
“She loves her ball, he bounces the ball, she tries to go get it and play (he commands her to stop) and she stops. And it’s really kind of amazing the powers that this man has. I mean I was actually becoming a little submissive myself.”

Wiener Dog Blamed For Wreck

Us dogs get blamed for everything.  What's that smell?  THE DOG DID IT.  In this case, a handsome black and tan smooth Dachshund named 'Gio' is being blamed for wrecking the car of his 91-year-old human in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  It seems that Gio was so excited to go to the dog park that he jumped on the accelorator to get there a little faster.  There was no stopping the car, which ended up in a creek.  Gio's dad is a great lover of dogs though - thankfully no one was hurt.  Read more at KRDO.

 

Get your Hold-A-Dox Harness at Dachshund Delights. Available in many colors in mesh (as shown), or pick your own fabric. We love ours; it's also a great walking harness.

Celebrity Dachshund Watch: Josh and Cesar and Fergie

Preparing for the arrival of their child, Fergie and Josh Duhamel invite the Dog Whisperer (and Dachshund Lover) Cesar Millan to their home.  The singer captions the picture on Instagram: "@joshduhamel & I getting our doggie daughter ready for her new brother with @cesarmillan"

 

 

Related:  All About Josh and Fergie and Their Dachshunds

Dachshund Believed To Have Died In House Fire Found Alive

Don’t underestimate the resourcefulness of Peanut, the Texas-tough 5-year-old Dachshund who survived an Austin house fire on Sunday.
The home was destroyed in the fire and firefighters rescued three dogs from the home, but did not find the fourth dog – Peanut, or the family cat, and assumed both had perished.
“I had been asking them for two days to just find his body, so that we could get him taken care of. Because, there is no way we would have thought he would have survived,” homeowner owner Gail Trafton said. “There’s nothing left of the house, and lo and behold, there he is.”
The next day, an insurance investigator came out to inspect the home and noticed a Dachshund. The family took him to the veterinarian where he was treated for smoke inhalation and dehydration. But other than that, he was mostly unscathed.
Gail Trafton does foster care for the Diamond Dachshund Rescue of Texas, so the organization is now helping the family with pet supplies.

Read More at My Fox Austin.

Dachshund Trouble: Who's A Bad Dog?

Savage: The Dachshund has not been identified

Some Dachshunds are good, some Dachshunds are bad, but most Dachshunds are good AND bad, and that's why we love them so much.  This is the story of a Dachshund who, at the very least, was having a bad day when he bit former MP Lembit Opik right in the privates while judging a show in aid of guide dogs.  Via The Mirror:

Former MP Lembit Opik needed his sausage seeing to – after it was bitten by, erm, a sausage dog.
The I’m a Celebrity star told how the dachshund left him feeling rough when it attacked him.
Mr Opik – who lost his Lib Dem seat in 2010 – nearly lost a lot more when the little dog leapt up and nipped his privates last week in Lambeth Park, South London.
The 48-year-old, once engaged to Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia, said: “Nothing had prepared me for one frisky four-legged ‘friend’ which insisted on taking a bad-tempered munch on my meat and two veg.”
He added: “I haven’t felt this violated since being passed up for a peerage by Nick Clegg.”
A pal, who told how Mr Opik needed attention in the medical tent, said: “He may see the funny side now but it was really painful and he had difficulty walking.
"He hopes it hasn’t done any permanent damage.
"But it won’t stop him judging dog shows again as he’s a real animal lover and accepts that it was just a one-off.”