Got A Light?

Joey made a new bff (best friend forever) at a local dachshund meetup on Sunday. His name is 'Frankie,' he's a red sable longhair, and it was love at first sight. See about 30 pics of pretty doxies from the event right here. Maggie is mad that there are no pictures of her to be found anywhere.

Regardless, find a local dachshund meetup group near you! The best place to start is meetup.com, google for a group, check your local craigslist, or start your own. Just get your dachshund out of the house! What fun!

Wienermobile Wipes Out

Thanks to Jerry S. for the story tip! Luckily no hotdoggers were injured when the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile took a spin and crashed on a snow-covered Pennsylvania highway on Sunday. Tongue-in-cheek excerpt from the Star-Gazette: Let's be frank: motor vehicle accidents aren't much fun for anyone.
But when a 27-foot-long tube-steak spins out on a snow-covered highway, it's bound to generate some grins.
The growler contained two "hotdoggers" -- driver Emily Volpini, 22, of Lexington, Ky., and Caylen Goudie, 22, of Hinsdale, Ill. Although they didn't relish the experience, they weren't hurt, investigating state Trooper Rex Johnson said.
"We thought we had come out of the blizzard," Goudie said. "We thought we were through it. Then we hit a patch of ice. The Wienermobile weighs 7,000 pounds, so usually ice and snow isn't much of a problem. It was this time.
"Stuck, Volpini called 911 dispatchers in Wellsboro. Though skeptical at first, they notified state police at Mansfield. As passersby called in the crash on cell phones, the dispatchers became convinced that the barkburger was indeed in hot water.
Police contacted Dave Kurzejewski of Costy's Truck and Auto Mart, and he showed up in short order with a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle and some chains. Johnson, the trooper, grilled the women briefly and concluded that a routine and sober spinout was all he had on his plate.
Kurzejewski hooked up and Emily fired up the highway hot dog, and a few well-timed tugs later, the Wienermobile was back on the highway.
For Kurzejewski, veteran of hundreds of tows over the years, Sunday's experience was a new one.
"I've pulled out a lot of vehicles," he said. "But that's the first wiener I've ever pulled out.
"It was a first for the women, too. They left none the wurst for wear.
"Usually we try to keep from scratching our buns," Goudie said. "But sometimes, things go wrong."
Read more at the Star-Gazette.

Related: Crimes Against Wieners

Exhausted Westminster Dachshunds

We've said it before: it's hard work to be so beautiful. Black and tan longhair 'Harley' takes a well-deserved nap backstage with her owner and handler, Alex Davison, at Westminster. Photo Source: The New York Times.

Westminster, So Much To Answer For

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It's 2008, and so what did this, the 132nd year of Westminster bring us? A first-time best in show for a dachshund? Nah, a beagle took the hounds, longhair doxie second. At least we're still the underdog.
It may as well be 1945, so enjoy this interesting dachshund illustration from that year by Gladys Cook which details the different dachshund coat types. Westminster doesn't know what it's missing.
Chicago Cubs..., Dachshunds at Westminster, it's pretty much the same thing: "just wait til next year!"


Related: Dachshunds at Westminster

Good Luck to All the Dachshunds at Westminster Today

After the Kentucky Derby, Westminster is America's second-oldest sporting tradition. The first show was held in 1877, when Rutherford B. Hayes was president, back when the telephone had just been invented and before electric light and power had come to be.
The 2-day event starts today at Madison Square Garden in New York, and even though a dachshund has never won best in show, we will of course be rooting for the dachshunds! The underdog! This is the year!

Related: Dachshunds at Westminster

Above, meet handsome wire-hair 'Romeo,' his human Janet Schwalbe of Pendergrass, Georgia, and one of his handlers, Gillian Caudill of Watkinsville, Georgia. Romeo will be spending most of this day in a bench showing, where people have an opportunity to "meet the breeds" and see which dogs best handle standing on display for hours. Romeo also will compete for Best of Variety (or the Best of Opposite Sex) and three awards of merit.
Read all about the local Georgians at Online Athens.
Find out more about Westminster at The Westminster Kennel Club.

Dachshund On a Roll

Meet handsome smooth black dappled 'Duke,' who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Duke injured his back jumping down off the bed, and it seemed to heal OK with the use of steroids, but a few months later his hindquarters became paralyzed, and he also lost control of his bowels and bladder. Excerpt from The Morning Sun: "I did think briefly about putting him down," Linville, Duke's owner, said, "but he's not in pain, and he still seemed happy. Then Dr. Micky Painter suggested a wheelchair, and I spent a lot of time researching them."
She settled on Dogon Wheels, which can be customized to the animal.
"It came with instructions on how to help the dog slowly get used to it, but he got accustomed to it very quickly," Linville said.
"I'm hoping that someday Duke won't need the wheels any longer," Linville said. "But if he does, that's all right. I really want people to know that animals don't necessarily need to be put down after an injury like this, and they can possibly continue to have a good quality of life."
Read all about Duke at The Morning Sun.
Find out more about dachshunds and IVDD at Dodgerslist.

Redneck Dachshund

You might be a redneck if you take your dachshund for a walk and you both use the same tree.
Regardless, this is pretty 2-year-old mini red smooth 'Dynadaux Redneck Girl,' and her nickname is 'Bellamy,' after the Bellamy Brothers who recorded the song, “Redneck Girl.” Bellamy and her human, Donnie Breaun, who hail from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, hope to impress the judges tomorrow at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Go get 'em Bellamy! Excerpt from the Murfreesboro Post: “Redneck Girl” will compete for conformation, defined as the “structure and physical characteristics of a dog.” Judges examine the whole dog for how it’s built and how it moves.
“Her movement is what sells her,” Breaun said with a touch of pride. “She has gorgeous movement.”
Dogs must be champions in other shows to compete at Westminster. The top five dogs are automatically invited. The 11-pound “Redneck Girl” is a No. 5 dachshund of both miniature and standards with only four others ahead of her. She is the No. 1 miniature dachshund.
Read all about Bellamy at the Murfreesboro Post.
If you want a closer look at the dachshunds at Westminster, competition in each breed and variety may be viewed in streaming video at The Westminster Kennel Club. This video will be available within two hours of completion of the judging of that breed.

Related: Westminster

The Dachshund, Iris Love, and The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Iris Love holding a dachshund in 1971
Photograph by: Condé Nast Archive/CORBIS

It seems like all roads lead to Iris Love and Westminster in the world of dachshunds. Now we know why Wiener Takes All labeled Mrs. Love "Patron Saint of the Dachshund World." We'd love to meet her. We love her support of piebalds. We love her devotion to the breed. And boy, we'd love to attend her annual dachshund soiree at Tavern on the Green. (Iris....call us.......wink wink!)
Condé Nast Portfolio offers up a revealing look at Iris Love, the world of dachshunds, and the world of show dogs and Westminster. We couldn't even begin to highlight just a piece of this must-read article. Don't miss it, it's called The Long Journey to Be Top Dog.

Related: Iris Love

Dachshunds in History

Meet incredibly handsome 'Jack.' Looks like he was well-loved. What a beautiful photo.

Dachshund Puppies Nursing

Meet pretty black and tan smooth 'Chloe' and her 12-day-old hungry little puppies. Youtuber jetcat9 offers up another video of these cuties right here. Have a great Friday!

Harley the Dachshund Survives Mississippi Tornado

Photo by Dave Darnell/The Commercial Appeal

Meet 'Harley,' the lucky red smooth dachshund from Lafayette County, Mississippi, near Oxford. Harley survived the deadliest barrage of tornadoes seen in the United States in 23 years, which hit five southern states Tuesday night. Our hearts go out to all these good folks. Excerpt from Commercial Appeal: Bessie Mae Russell, and her husband, John, went to the hospital for stitches. Bessie cried for her dachshund, Harley. He wouldn't come in the laundry room when the tornado hit.
There was no sign of him in the debris early Wednesday morning. But later, a family member called his name and the red dog wriggled out from under a pile of debris unhurt. Read more about the tornado damage in Lafayette County, Mississippi at Commercial Appeal.

Cool Collars For Hot Sausage Dogs

Sausage Dog

Woof! Boy do we like nice collars. We use our harnesses for long walks, but there's nothing quite like the comfort and luxury of a hand-made, hand-stitched leather collar.....quality that will last a lifetime. This collar is one of dozens of styles available at Paris-based Stray Leather.
Stray is the culmination of the years of experience of London-born Venetia Rudland, who studied shoe design at Cordwainers College, and worked for the finest leathergoods designers in London and Paris.
Of course, Venetia's inspiration and muse is her handsome red smooth dachshund 'Bertie.'
Available at Barney's in New York, Mungo and Maud in London, or contact Stray Leather. They also do custom work.

Meet 'Bertie'


Hound Dog

Dachshunds Bound for Westminster

It's hard work to look so handsome. Meet English Cream longhair 'Thomas' and his human Cynthia Perceful of Neosho, Missouri. Thomas is preparing to head to New York City for the 132nd Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show next week. Go Thomas Go! Even though Thomas retired from the show circuit several years ago, his mom, owner of Royal Oak Miniature Dachshunds Kennel, didn't want to pass up an opportunity for him to show at Westminster. Excerpt from The Neosho Daily News: “He will have to look beautiful,” said the owner. “His conformation will have to be compared to AKC standard for long haired dachshund, the way his head is shaped, the shape of his eyes, the coat, the color, his bone structure, his muscle strength, the way he carries himself, the way he walks and the way he behaves in the ring. He will be very animated, he will keep his eyes on his handler and he will be excited and happy.When he gaits (walks) he will be trotting and look like he is kind of floating on air, as he goes around the ring. The judges will be comparing all of these dachshunds, not to one another, but to the perfect dachshund standard.”
“Thomas has to beat 22 other dachshunds in the dachshund ring and if he wins that, he will go to the hound ring,” said Perceful.”
Read all about Thomas and his career at The Neosho Daily News.
The hound group will be showing live on USA Network on Monday, February 11th, the first day of the two-day event.
Even though a dachshund has never won best in show at Westminster, we'll be rooting for Thomas and all the doxies! The Westminster Kennel Club

Dachshund Momma 'Magic' and Her Puppies: Live Streaming Video

Don't miss this heart-warming live streaming video. Meet pretty black and tan dapple long-hair 'Magic' and her beautiful 2-day-old puppies. Over 50 people were watching Magic give birth on Ustream when there were complications and she had to be rushed to the vet for an emergency c-section. Read all about it here.
We're just so happy all the pups and mom are doing well. Congrats to Ustreamer Daemondox, all the puppies, and especially Magic! That's quite a trick!

A Couch For Dachshund Lovers

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Those clever Belgians. This modern modular seating called Woofie, the incredible sausage dog is by Das Ding design studio out of Brussels. "Lounging was never so much fun." We needed this for Superbowl Sunday!

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Lya Mara

Who? Dachshund Lover Lya Mara (August 1, 1897 - ?) was one of the biggest stars of German silent cinema. She was born as Alexandra Gudowitsch (Polish: Aleksandra Gudowicz) in a Polish family in Riga, Latvia. In 36 films from 1915 to 1931, Lya began her public life as a ballet dancer, became very popular, and was named prima ballerina in 1913. A screen test in 1915 secured her a film career. She married director Friedrich Zelnik in 1918. The couple became a popular hub for other filmworkers who met often at the Zelnik household. When Hitler took power in Germany in 1933, Lya Mara left with her husband for London. Talkies had ended her film life, and after her husband died in 1950, all traces of Lya vanished, although it is believed that she spent the last years of her life in Switzerland.
We don't know the names of her smooth black and tan Dachshund or Cavalier. Find out more about Lya Mara at wikipedia.

Dinah The Dachshund Videos!

Holy Disney Dachshund! Watch these quick before "the man" comes in and pulls them off of youtube. One of your Long and Short of it All hosts, Joey, totally has the hots for Dinah. Thanks to DiDisney for posting them. Above, Pluto's Heart Throb (Disney 1950)



Enjoy In Dutch (Disney 1946)

Related: Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Walt Disney's Dinah the Dachshund

When It's Time To Say Goodbye

Dachshunds bring such joy and happiness to our lives, and saying 'goodbye' to our furry friends who give us nothing but unconditional love is the toughest thing in the world. Meet dachshund lover Jonathan Yardley, book critic for the Washington Post, and his pretty red smooths 'Reggie' (right) and 'Sophie.' Mr. Yardly had to make a difficult decision with Reggie a few weeks ago, and writes openly and candidly about it in The Washington Post. Here's an excerpt: Of course it wasn't easy. It's never easy. I've now done it seven times: I've been Lord High Executioner to five dogs and two cats. I did it each time with the deepest regrets and, inevitably, with tears. Still, the decision to put Reggie "to sleep" (as the prevailing euphemism has it) was the hardest of all, not merely because he was the best dog I have ever known but because the vastly increased sophistication and expense of veterinary medicine can make euthanasia a far more complicated and morally vexing choice than it had been in the not so distant past. If you own a pet -- and odds are that you do, since the latest estimate of the American population of dogs and cats is 164 million -- sooner or later, you almost certainly are going to discover this for yourself.
Read the rest of this emotional story at The Washington Post. Our hearts go out to Mr. Yardley and his family.

Jack to Play for the Dachshund Team in Puppy Bowl IV

Sure, Tom Brady is great, but can he run down the field with a squeaky pork chop in his mouth? Meet cute little (longhair?) black and tan dappled 'Jack,' who will be our dachshund representative in Puppy Bowl IV tomorrow on Animal Planet. GO JACK GO!.....we're rootin for ya! Read all about the Puppy Bowl and see a preview video clip at The New York Times.

Slightly Related: Tom Brady the Dachshund Meets Tom Brady

Vintage Dachshund Humor

Another oldie but goodie....postcard from the late 30's - early 40's. Have a great Friday!