Wiener Dog Nationals 2013 Movie Trailer

It looks like the long-awaited Wiener Dog Nationals movie is finally going to see the light of day!  Here's the trailer for the film, which is being released on DVD and Digital Video on July 2nd, 2013.  Start saving up your kibble!  Find out more at Inception Media.

Happy Birthday Gracie!

It's the Birthday Girl!

 

Thanks to much to Gracie's mom for writing in all the way from Portugal on this special day.  She pens:

Hi Rowdy and Bette!!!

Just wanted to share the birthday of my doxie mix, Gracie Blanche the First, who turns two today, 17th of April.
She is my very first dog and shares the house with my beloved 3 cats (Tomy turned 14 this monday, Silvie is 8 and Safira will be one next saturday) . I wanted to buy a purebred longhair dachshund, but then I saw her, her owner couldn't keep her any longer, and I didn't resist.
She came to our home on October 13th and it was amazing how fast she adapted to us, our cats and our home. It was as if she always had lived with us! She is such a sweetheart, a playful dog, that enjoys long walks but that also can't live without sleeping under the soft warm blankets...my blankets!!! 

Love you guys :)

The £1,500 Dachshund Stairlift - Video!

We're quite sure that you remember last week's story of The £1,500 Dachshund Stairlift.  Here's a fun video about the story via Daybreak ITV1.  Fantastic cheery wallpaper by the way.

By youtuber smassudi.

Rollin' With Rowdy

He's such a good boy

 

Move 'em on, head 'em up Head 'em up, move 'em on Move 'em on, head 'em up Rawhide Cut 'em out, ride 'em in, Ride 'em in, Let 'em out, Cut 'em out, ride 'em in Rawhide!  RAWHIDE!

 

Teckel Superstar!

You're a Superstar, yes that's what you are, you know it.  Thanks so much to our good friend 'Lovie' for sending in the link to this video.  He speaks a little German and has been able to ascertain some info about it:

Hey Rowdy and Bette,

A friend of mine from Germany sent me this link, a trailer for a Dachshund documentary on the German channel Arte. Unfortunately we can't watch the whole show here on the USA but the trailer is so sweet and wonderful!



Lovie, you're a superstar for sending this in!  Turn up the volume and have a great Friday.

Video by youtuber exilim1968.

Vintage Dachshund Lovers

Well aren't you proud of your little 6-pack?


Mid-century photo source unknown.

Margaret Thatcher's Final Dachshund Moments

What was the very last thing that made Margaret Thatcher smile before she left this earth?  Dachshund puppies of course.  Thanks to our friend Jerry for sending in the link to the Guardian:

Among the last things Lady Thatcher saw in the final hours before her death on Monday was a video of eight biscuit-coloured Dachshund puppies and their mother.
The dogs were the property of Lady Powell, the Italian wife of the former prime minister's trusted Downing Street private secretary, Lord Powell who on Sunday night was the last person to visit Lady Thatcher as she neared the end of a 20-year battle with strokes, memory loss and the rheumatic condition polymyalgia.
Sitting with her at her suite in the Ritz where she had been staying since the end of last year, Powell took out his iPad to entertain his former boss. On it, he showed her a video that his wife had sent him from their home outside Rome which the former prime minister had visited for several years running during her decline.
She had smiled at the antics of puppies and their mother, Lady Powell said her husband had told her. "That was probably her last smile," she told the Guardian. "After seeing her, Charles's comment was, 'I'm afraid that she will not be with us for very long. I think she's drifting away.'"

Was Margaret Thatcher ever owned by her very own Dachshund?  Not that we can tell, but Lady Powell goes on to say in Anorak:

Lady Thatcher adored animals. I have a dachshund puppy called Maggie that she loved. I name all my animals after friends and distinguished people. I have two black sheep called Barack Obama and Colin Powell.”

That’s raci…!

The £1,500 Dachshund Stairlift

We gotta tell ya, we thought WE were living the dream with our $25 stool at the side of the couch that we use when Dad rarely lets us up there, but THIS really takes the cake.  A £1,500 stairlift just for Dachshunds?  Wow.  Thanks to our friend Mrs. Drummond for sending the link to The Daily Mail, here's an excerpt:

Climbing the stairs can often become a struggle as you get older – even when you have four legs. But it is no longer a problem for these three dachshunds after their owners bought them a £1,500 stairlift. Sheila and Harry Lee installed the lift after one of the dogs, six-year-old Pippa, had to undergo a £5,000 operation on her spine.
They had been concerned about Pippa and their other dachshunds – Millie, seven, and Heidi six – straining their low-slung bodies as they negotiated the stairs to their beds. ‘We saw an advertisement for the stairlift and thought “Why not?”,’ Mrs Lee, 57, of Ossett, West Yorkshire, said yesterday.

Read more and see more fun photos at The Daily Mail. 

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Anna May Wong

Who?  Anna May Wong (Chinese: 黃柳霜; pinyin: Huáng Liǔshuāng) (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961) was the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American actress to gain international recognition. Her long and varied career spanned both silent and sound film, television, stage, and radio. Born near the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles to second-generation Chinese-American parents, Wong became infatuated with the movies and began acting in films at an early age. During the silent film era, she acted in The Toll of the Sea (1922), one of the first movies made in color and Douglas Fairbanks' The Thief of Bagdad (1924). Wong became a fashion icon, and by 1924 had achieved international stardom. Frustrated by the stereotypical supporting roles she reluctantly played in Hollywood, Wong left for Europe in the late 1920s, where she starred in several notable plays and films, among them Piccadilly (1929). She spent the first half of the 1930s traveling between the United States and Europe for film and stage work. Wong was featured in films of the early sound era, such as Daughter of the Dragon (1931) and Daughter of Shanghai (1937), and with Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg's Shanghai Express (1932).  Source.

Oh yeah, she was also a stylish Red Smooth Dachshund Lover.

Jack And His Flock Of Sheep

Round 'em up!

Your new 'Long and Short of it All' hostess 'Bette' got to attend her very first playdate with 'Rowdy' and our agility friends a few days ago.  'Jack' the Border Collie, who is just a puppy at 7-months-old himself, made a beeline to Bette to play with her and he got a little rough starting out, and boy did she whip her snout around and let him know what's what.  He didn't bother her anymore.  Later, they were playing together, and even with all the other Dachshunds around, the two of them took a nap together.
This wasn't your average playdate, either - it was also a spa day.  This crew gets together every two weeks for a spa day, and we were invited over to join them for "nails, teeth, and ears."  It took over three hours of hard work for the humans to drummel/grind 163(!) nails (each dog has dew claws, plus Rowdy has an extra nail on his back right foot), clean 18 ears, and scrape and brush lord only knows how many teeth.  It was exhausting.  But afterwards it was playtime in the yard.  One game we played was called "Find It!" where a handful of kibble was thrown in the grass and we had to sniff it out.  A few rounds of this was better than hunting for Easter Eggs.  You should should have heard us all barking we were so excited.  It was a funny sight. Hope we get invited back real soon.

Something's Stinky

Thanks to the Slovenian Princess 'Lea' for writing in with the latest 'Drabble!'  She pens:

Dear Rowdy and Bette,

Congrats on you new family member!

I think it’s time for Bette to meet Wallie.

Kisses to all from Slovenia

 

 

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

 

Did you know that yes, Drabble cartoonist Kevin Fagan does indeed have his own Wiener Dog?  Thanks to our friend Jerry for sending in the link where you can see a photo of the studio watchdog:  The Cartoonist Studio

 

We have it on good authority that her name is 'Lucy!'

All About Bette: Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night

Kisses!

Please welcome your newest hostess to 'The Long and Short of it All.'  Her name is 'Bette,' as in Davis.  No, not Middler!  It's been nearly two months now since Joey has passed, and Rowdy was so incredibly bored that we started to look for a buddy for him.  It's a terrifying task to adopt another long dog after one has passed, with so many guilt factors closing in around you, from "it's never, ever, enough time so that I pay respect to the wonderful dog which has passed," to "how do I make the right decision to adopt a new friend?"  You think about these things through the course of your daily life:  "after THIS dog, the NEXT one is going to be this way.  We are going to do things like THIS, and boy will everything be great." 
It's been my dream for some time to be able to be owned by a Standard Dachshund.  A Big Giant Black and Tan Dachshund - almost a rarity in today's age of the popular mini's.  Shortly after Joey passed, a beautiful big Red Smooth was available through our local Dachshund Rescue, Rowdy's alum, MidWest Dachshund Rescue.  But it was just two weeks after the loss of Joey, and was just too soon.  And in just two days, the big handsome guy was adopted - GONE just like that.
Maybe once a year or so will we ever see a Standard Dachshund come up for adoption in rescue.  A good friend started to put out feelers among her reputable breeder friends - is there an adult Standard Dachshund out there who maybe has been showing, but has gone sterile, or who has finished showing and is looking for a permanent place to call home?
Enter Bette.  She and her littemates were bred for show, but as the 9th and last puppy available in a November litter, she needed a non-show home because of an underbite.  We took one look at that underbite which causes her bottom lip to stick out and thought - just makes you want to kiss that little lip!  So, while we weren't looking for a puppy really, we couldn't pass up this opportunity to give this girl a home.
Her breeder is fantastic - if all dogs came from breeders like this, there would be no dogs in Rescue.  A contract was signed that stated if we came to a point in our lives that we could not care for the dog, the dog is to be given back to the breeder where she will always have a home.  Other points in the contract included a spay clause, and that "this dog must never be tied up outside," but is to be kept as a dog in the home.  While we are still struggling with not getting a dog through Rescue, we are also proud to support the fine Dachshund breeders out there who are doing it for the love of the Dachshund breed, and not just for money. 

And we're in love with little Bette - she is so snuggly, and so sweet.  She is just beautiful.  At 4 months old, she weighs a whopping 12 pounds.  She should be somewhere between 25 and 28 pounds when fully grown.  She and Rowdy get along famously - they bonded immediately, and after sleeping together, they run and run and run and run and run. Bette gives Rowdy a run for his money when they play together - she doesn't take any crap - and it won't be too long before his little sister will be his big sister.  Rowdy is so happy!
From somewhere up above, we know that Joey and Maggie are smiling down on us and our new adventures. 



Oh yeah, turn up the volume.

Modern Doxie Chat

We could use some levity around here.  Our very first post after our introductory post almost 6-years-ago was called Doxie Chat, and featured a fun and informative video roundtable of New York Dachshund Lovers discussing our favorite canine. 

Flash forwarding to 2013, enjoy a Doxie Chat with a Dachshund Lover versus his "on-the-fence Dachshund Lover roommate."  These guys could talk all day, but clearly the handsome Dachshund 'Portillo' is in charge of this situation.   Watch out for the profanity, but Portillo is well-loved.

By youtuber GameOverGreggy. 

Thank You

Thank you, from the very bottom of our hearts, for the kind words and notes of encouragement after the passing of your 'Long and Short of it All' host 'Joey.'  It's been a tough month or so for so many good folks.  Thank you so much for just everything, we're having trouble putting into words, for all the wonderful comments and personal notes, cards, tributes on other sites, and also the many donations in Joey's name, from MWDR all the way to Rolling Dog Ranch.  It's wonderful that his memory can live on by helping out more of his long brethren.
We apologize for the lack of posts as of late - we've never been so idle in nearly six years.  We're probably looking at retiring the site, as it was always Joey and Maggie's work.  Rowdy sure helped out over the last year or so, but his insistence on writing on the subtle variations of chicken vs beef vs peanut butter rawhides didn't garner much attention.  We kid.  He's such a great little guy.  He looked for Joey for several weeks after he passed - he would be laying in his bed and suddenly dart up and run to a strange corner of the house, wagging his tail and sniffing - thinking that he heard Joey.  Maybe Joey's ghost was visiting us - who knows?
Thanks to all the wonderful Dachshundists who have stood by us over the years, thank you.  There may be an odd post from us every so often, but it won't be a day to day affair - unless we completely change our minds and start up 'The Long and Short of it All version 2.0'. 
In the meantime - Carry On, and Love Your Dachshunds.


Yours in Dachshund Love.

Beloved Joey - December 23, 2000 - February 7, 2013

Dad's Little Hero

 

It's with great reluctance, sadness, and pain, that we report that we laid our beloved 12-year-old Dachshund 'Joey' to rest on Thursday.  My boy.  My sweet, wonderful, handsome, tail-wagging, perfect little spotted boy. Joey was your Long and Short of it All host for nearly 6 years, along with his littermate sister, sweet Miss 'Maggie,' who passed away on September 13, 2011.  He loved me more than anything else in the world, to the point where it was actually a little strange - eyes on my eyes, always watching my every single move, doing whatever was the right thing to do without ever being asked to do so, and so, so brave and stoic to the very end. I loved him just as much as he loved me. 

Something has been up with Joey for the last several weeks.  He was losing weight even though he was still eating the same. He was refusing a little jump over a 1/2 inch high piece of wood through the little door in the doggy gate, and refusing stairs.  I took him to the vet to examine his back, but there were no apparent issues.  We ran a series of tests, including a new one which looks at the overall stress of his heart, as sometimes the heart works so hard that it can cause muscle wastage.  This test came back as "medium," and we know Joey does have a murmur, but doesn't exhibit any signs such as coughing after exercise.  X-rays showed the heart was more enlarged than last fall, but there was no fluid build-up we could see. 

On Tuesday, I came home from work, and there was that cough.  It was very bad, and Joey seemed in some distress when breathing, as his abdomen would reflex when he would take a breath.  He was hungry for dinner though, so I decided to take him to the vet the next day.  He continued to cough all night long, and couldn't get comfortable in the big bed.  He couldn't lay on either side, but was able to lay on his stomach and find some rest.  I didn't sleep at all that night, but watched him closely, crying, and stroked and hugged him tight, as I suspected in the back of my mind that this could be it for Joey.

My veterinarian is closed on Wednesdays, but he is such a wonderful and caring person that he gave me his cell phone if I ever needed him.  I needed him that day.  He met me in the office and didn't have any techs with him, so I gowned up in the lead vest to help hold Joey in various positions while he took x-rays.  He ran a series of blood tests and other tests for over an hour, but nothing was jumping out at him.

And so, it was off to the veterinary referral center.  Cardiologists and radiologists finally determined that he had either a cyst or clot on the left side of his heart.  This was causing the right side of his heart to become extremely enlarged, as it was over-compensating, and the lungs and liver to become sluggish.  It was decided that they would treat it as a clot, and he would hopefully have some improvement after a day's worth of treatment and stay in an oxygen tent.  I went with a friend to visit him that night, and he did not seem much better.  I got the call in the morning from his internist that he had not improved over night, and they could run more tests if they took him to another specialty center, but his prospects were not good.  I opted to not perform any more tests.  It was time.  Lord knows he had been through enough in his life.  I called my good friend, and we headed to the center for his euthanization. 

Throughout all of this, surprisingly, Joey didn't lose his appetite.  That's what made this even harder, as usually dogs will lose their appetite when they are quite ill.  Must be the Dachshund in him.  I stopped at Burger King on the way and picked him up a Whopper with cheese, plain, and a small fry.  This would be his last meal.

We spent about an hour with him before the procedure.  Unfortunately he had an oxygen tube stapled down the front of his head and into his nose, and this was bothering him.  But he was able to work around it to gladly eat up whatever we offered him of the Whopper and fries.  We had some good quality time and talked with him about all the things that he loved.  He got lots of kisses, hugs, and strokes.  Joey continued to struggle to breathe when the doctor and the technician came in the room and asked us if it was time.  It was.

As he lay in my lap, his most favorite place on the planet, looking into the eyes of one of my dearest friends, the good doctor began to push in the propofol to relieve him of his suffering. Tired as he was, and struggling to breathe, he sat up from his laying position, as if to say "No, I can't go, No, I have to take care of my Dad and my little brother Rowdy. No, I am Joey, I am Dachshund, and I won't leave this world lying down." We soothed him with sweet words and caresses to relax, and in just three seconds as the drug began to take effect, he cradled his warm little head into my hand and rested peacefully, knowing that everything is gonna be alright. Faithful and true to the last beat of his loving heart.  Good Gosh I'll miss you Joey.
Thank you to all of Joey's friends here for your love and support over the years - I know a lot of folks here are gonna miss him too. And I know that his littermate sister Maggie was the first to greet him on the other side.

 

In the sky above Chicago, the world headquarters of The Long and Short of it All

Thank you to our dear friend Liz Kearley, who made this amazing image of Joey and Maggie, Together Again. They truly are. I can't wait til the day I can snuggle with them once more. 




I Am Weary (Let Me Rest) 
by The Cox Family

Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest

Seems the light is swiftly fading
Brighter scenes they do now show
I am standing by the river
Angels wait to take me home

Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
See the pain upon my brow
While I'll soon be with the angels
Fate has doomed my future now

Through the years you've always loved me
And my life you've tried to save
But now I shall slumber sweetly
In a deep and lonely grave

Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest
I am weary let me rest

Dachshund and Robot Blood Feud

We can't think of a better way to kick-start your week than with this exciting video sent in by Derek Prowse.  He writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Thrill! As my dachshund Tater and the Roomba continue to battle day in and day out.. Both are equally single-minded in the performance of their duties, be it guardianship or vacuuming. WHO will win the prized dominion of the dining room carpet?? WHEN will the fighting stop?? WHY did I tape a video camera to the vacuum cleaner?

Celebrity Dachshund Watch: Ashley Olsen

We spied Mary-Kate Olsen walking what appears to be the same Dachshund back in July of 2011, now it must be Ashley's turn.  Via Celebrity Gossip:

Taking time out of busy schedule to give her pup some exercise, Ashley Olsen walked around the West Village in New York City on Saturday (February 2). The 26-year-old mogul had her hands full in a black overcoat, multicolored scarf, and black pants as she carried a couple of handbags, her coffee, and her little dachshund. Giving his stubby legs a break, she carried the pooch in his knit sweater for awhile.

Dachshund Relaxation: Sunday Morning

We're hoping that your Sunday Morning is just as lazy as Tia and Teaka's, seen here in a new video by vimeoer Tamara C.

Walking The Dog

It's Friday and it's time to sing!  Thanks to Turnout Pete for sending in the link of his pretty little red longhair 'Loekie' out on a stroll on the streets in Belgium. 

Dachshund Theory

Fan of The Big Bang Theory?  We're fans too!  Thanks to an Anonymous Dachshundist for sending this in.  It's making the rounds on facebook, but no one seems to have credited it back to its origin over at Captain Leisure - T-shirts, hoodies, and other super stuff. 

 

And there's more to explore while you're there.