The Etsy Dachshund

Thanks to Jim T. for the tip about all the handmade dachshund items over at Etsy. If you're not familiar with Etsy, it's "an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade." They are currently offering almost 400 dachshund related items, including cards, t-shirts, prints, wallets and cases, patches, plush figurines, collars, leashes, jewelry.....you name it. Above is a holiday card by stacybee which can be printed with whatever you want on the inside.

Begging for More, a limited edition print by Kerry Beary.

Dachshunds Waiting for Lunchtime, a print by Ellen Haasen.

Baby The Doxie, print by artpaw.

Dachshund Lovers Profess Their Devotion in the News

Here's a simple story about dachshund love: meet pretty red smooth dappled 'Copper,' 10, and his human Jimmy Davis from Montpelier, Indiana. Copper sure is a handsome boy, and even though he's 10 years old and graying around the edges, he loves to go for a ride in the van. Excerpt from The Star Press: Jim Davis hardly goes anywhere without his little pal, Copper.
"He's my buddy," Davis said. "Since I've retired, he goes everywhere with me as long as the weather is OK. He acts like the van is his."
Copper, a dachshund, has slept on their bed every night since Jim and wife Donna brought him home 10 years ago, at the age of 12 weeks. But Davis said it was kind of tough going in Copper's puppy days. "The first couple of years were difficult," Davis said. "He was into everything."
Davis chuckles as he recalls the time Copper dug his way under a storage shed and couldn't get out.
"We dug and dug and dug, but couldn't get to him," Davis said. "Finally, we took up the flooring -- in the wrong spot. Had to take it up in two places."
And then there was his mother's loveseat. Copper apparently heard a mouse in there and went in after it. The repair jobs cost about $260.
"They are better on mice than cats," Davis said.
In spite of it all, Davis said he wouldn't take anything for Copper now. "As a companion, Dachshunds are hard to beat." (Woof!)
Read all about Copper at The Star Press.

Celebrity Dachshund Watch: Elke and Ben Gazzara

As previously reported to happen, Elke, Ben, and red smooth 'Maxi' Gazzara gave a reading in the Hamptons, New York, on Saturday from Elke's new dachshund-related book Madison Avenue Maxi. Here's an excerpt from Hamptons.com: Accompanied by both her actor husband, Ben, and their adorable sable-covered miniature dachshund, Maxi, Gazzara relayed that she just wants “everyone to know the love of an animal, whether it’s a dog, cat, bird, or whatever animal you want.” During her husband’s illness and hospitalization in California, and through her own medical scare, Gazzara grew strength and comfort from the unconditional love and affection of Maxi, and wanted to honor their treasured canine with a book revealing the travels, trials and ultimate joy Maxi has brought both she and her husband.
Read all about the event at The Hamptons Online.

In a related Page Six tidbit from The New York Post: Veteran actor Ben Gazzara and his wife successfully snuck their beloved dachshund, Maxi, into restaurants around town for years - until they finally got busted at a French bistro. In her new memoir, "Madison Avenue Maxi," Elke Gazzara writes how she deftly warded off a maitre d' who tried to seize her bag containing the pooch, explaining, "Oh, no, no, no . . . I have all my money in here." But during dinner, "our waiter stepped a little too close to the bag resting at Ben's feet." The maitre d' quickly approached, and snipped, "Monsieur Gazzara, your money is barking!"

Related: Dachshunds in Literature: Madison Avenue Maxi

Dachshund Public Service Announcement

We interrupt our regular scheduled programming for this dachshund public service announcement from Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue.

The Christmas Dachshund

Spotted: dachshunds in festive garb. The first sign that Christmas is coming? Bonnie Camm's dachshund waits for the "reindog" parade to begin in downtown Port Huron, Michigan, Saturday afternoon during their "Merry MainStreet" events. The parade of dogs and their owners kicked off the Christmas season in downtown. Excerpt from The Times Herald:
Canines got festive on Saturday, parading down Huron Avenue in reindeer antlers, Santa hats and other holiday costumes.
The annual "reindog" parade is a treat for local dog owners, many who said they love to show off their pets wearing cute holiday garb.
"It gives them a chance to let the dog celebrate the holiday with the family," said Holly Cook, owner of Special Pet Care Services in Marysville, which sponsors the parade. "People feel their pets are a part of their family."
Read all about the event at The Times Herald.

This story was submitted by today's special guest host, smooth red piebald 'Rudy,' from Carlinville, Illinois. Rudy loves Christmas, and can't wait to sniff out the presents under the tree. Rudy is the cousin of your hosts, Joey and Maggie. Rudy has partially blue eyes which don't translate so well when his photo is taken, but he's a pretty rescue boy who went through several homes before finding his forever home. He loves all people and kids, and is the greeter at his mom's beauty shop. He also loves deer: deceased deer he finds in the woods near his home. His humans followed him in the woods one day to see what he was up to, and he promptly led them to a deceased deer and jumped on top of it and started rolling on it. No wonder he had been so stinky every time he went outside!

Dachshund Puppy Rescued by Photojournalist!

This is a screen capture of the video out of Ionia, Michigan, where News 8 photojournalist Bilal Kurdi climbed into a hole to rescue a tiny dachshund puppy. We love happy endings! Excerpt from WOODTV: Down a muddy and steep ravine on the side of the hill near Ionia Middle School, a fortress of twisted branches, a virtual slip and slide of sludge, children peered through a fence where the dachshund was stuck.
"Well, we've been trying to get the dog out of the hole and it seems to be barking a lot. It would stop and growl, we've been digging down there but we're not sure where it's at," said Tara Bush, a curious little girl.
Reports of a small dog around this area poured into Ionia County Animal Control. They were unable to catch the animal, but widened the hole to make it easier for it to escape.
"We hope to have it come out and into our live trap, which is baited with some wet dog food, and hopefully in an hour or two the dog will be safe and sound," said animal control Officer Erik Kelley.
24 Hour News 8's Kurdi put a camera down the hole and saw a little face peering out from the darkness.
That's when Kurdi realized the puppy inside the hole was within reach.
"He's going to get his shirt all dirty and that's not going to be good," said a child's voice as our photojournalist dove head first into the hole.
Kurdi braved the mud and rain by crawling into the hole, legs flailing to pull the dog out.
"Got her!" Kurdi exclaimed as he pulled the little Dachshund shivering and hungry from the ground. The dog gratefully kissed him.
Animal control officers suspect the young pup has been living off of scraps in the cold for days. For this dog, it's going to be a happy holiday.
"Dream outcome is to get the dog into our shelter, give it some food, and water, evaluate its health and get it adopted," said Kelley.
The Ionia County Animal Shelter said they will hold onto the puppy for about five days to give the owners a chance to claim it.
After that, it will be up for adoption.

Watch the remarkable video at WOODTV right here.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Olga Bauer-Pilecka

Dachshund Lover Olga Bauer-Pilecka (1887 - 1941) was an Austrian opera singer. Short of speaking fluent German, that's all we know.

Celebrity Dachshund Watch: Josh Duhamel and Fergie

Celebrity Dog Watcher dug up this photo of Josh Duhamel and Vanessa Marcil, as Vanessa arrived for Josh's birthday party. Both Josh and Vanessa star on NBC's Las Vegas.

Josh, whose most recent movie was Transformers, is currently living with pop singer Fergie. This is their black and tan (dapple?) dachshund 'Zoe.'

According to Blender, Josh and Fergie have 2 dachshunds: "purebred Zoe and mutt Dylan."

By all means, if anyone has any better photos of Zoe and Dylan, send them in!

Shopping at the pet store with Josh and Fergie. They bought an Earl "farting" rubber chicken!

Hanukkah Dachshunds

Meet pretty red long-hair 'Bradley' and one of his humans Adrienne Feldman. Hopefully Bradley will be enjoying Hanukkah dinner with all his humans, and whoever else would like to "watch them eat latkes, argue about money and what the kids are doing, light the menorah, and engage in all the other arcane rituals of a family holiday meal." Called The Feldman Dynamic: Hanukkah in Little Havanaka, it's a performance, it's real life, it's a public-private Jewish ritual taking place Dec. 4 through Dec. 11, the eight nights of Hanukkah, at Camposition Studio on the edge of Little Havana, Miami, Florida.

The Long and Short of it All spoke with the good folks at Camposition Studio, and Bradley's appearance isn't set in stone, but we certainly hope he can join the family on stage for dinner every night. What would family dinner be like without an impatient dachshund at your feet?

If you're interested in this event, read more at The Miami Herald.

Dachshund Hanukkah tip: Watch out for those Hanukkah coins! This is pretty red smooth 'Oscar,' from Newton, Massachusetts, who gave an Oscar-worthy performance last year by eating 40 of the foil-covered chocolate coins, and found himself in the emergency clinic.
"He pulled it down from the coffee table, got through the netting and opened the foil," his human Debbie Novick said.
And he'd done so with what Novick called "surgical" precision.
"When they finally had him throw up at the vet, they said there was no foil in there whatsoever," she said.
Novick said she didn't think much of the potential consequences at first.
"I was like, You pig,' and Thank God he didn't get chocolate on my couch.' "
Read all about Oscar's performance at The Daily News Tribune.

Hunting With Dachshunds

What an odd old German postcard. Think of all the trouble dachshunds would get into if they had human hands. There would be a big mess in the kitchen every time the humans left the house from all the frying of bacon and eggs that would be going on.
Regardless, Dave Bakke at The State Journal-Register out of Springfield, Illinois, had a look at the recent trend to use dachshunds to track deer. Here's an excerpt: First of all, I can just picture excited wiener dogs with their tiny, stubby legs hot on the trail of a wounded or dead deer. People are inclined to laugh, but it works.
Approximately 15 states nationwide permit the practice, though individual regulations vary. Illinois legalized the tracking of wounded deer using a leashed dog three years ago (520 ILCS 5/2.26). The dog must be on a leash of no more than 50 feet, the dog can track at night, and dog trackers don't need a hunting license. But they have to wear blaze orange.
But before you roust your fat, old house dachshund from her warm bed in the corner, know that just any dachshund won't do. They have to be trained first. So let old Fritz sleep by the fire this weekend. Read all about it at The State Journal-Register.

Related: The Working Dachshund: Meet Anja

Have a great Friday!

'The Long and Short of it All' - The First Six Months

Well, it's nothing to write home about really, but The Long and Short of it All turned 6 months old yesterday. Some would say that's an eternity in the world of the internet, but 215 posts later, we sure have seen some fun and laughs, some hope and some despair, and we've made lots of new dachshund friends. It's a lot of work sometimes - on some days we get up in the morning and say 'what in the heck are we gonna talk about today?' But no matter how trivial - or fantastic - a dachshund related story may be, we find it fascinating. Thanks so much to our faithful readers, and we hope you find it fascinating as well. Woof!
We always welcome any submissions, and please leave a comment when you visit some time!

Yours in Dachshund Love,
Joey and Maggie

Related: Welcome to The Long and Short of it All!

The Aging Dachshund

Meet 17.5-year-old 'Rudy' and his human Sue Darby. Oh, my aching old bones. Rudy has kidney problems, is losing his sight, and has had 3 back surgeries. But he's happy. The Gazette in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had a look at the tough choices humans face as our pets age. Here's an excerpt: Rudy has that grizzled, old grandpa look about him.
His steps are slowed by three back surgeries and assorted aches and pains. Kidney problems awaken him a couple of times each night, and he's losing his sight. He prefers long naps in the sun, but rallies for walks in the yard and some bickering with his canine companions, Sam and Casey.
Rudy, a miniature dachshund, recently turned 17 1/2 years old - about 88 in human years. And if aging is hard on him, it's been equally challenging for his owners, Sue and Terry Darby.
They have a calendar in the kitchen to track times for Rudy's vet visits and medicine, which includes pills for high blood pressure and saline solution for his kidney ailment. They don't vacation or leave home for extended times - the last time they went away and left a house-sitter in charge, the stress and worry put Rudy in the hospital.
Such is life with a geriatric dog - an experience that more and more people are encountering with their canine and feline companions.
The Darbys got Rudy in a pet store in Denver years ago, and the rambunctious little dog ruled the roost. "And he used to run like the wind," Sue says with a catch in her voice.
Now he spends most of his time sleeping in a warm, fluffy bed in the kitchen with the other pets. He eats senior pet food with an occasional hamburger, although for his birthday, he wolfed down a Twinkie and a doughnut covered with powdered sugar.
They say Rudy's life is a balancing act - an issue that confronts all owners of elderly pets.
"It would be easy for us to be selfish and keep him alive at all costs. But we have the vet monitor him and there is an agreement that when Rudy is in pain and has no quality of life ..." Sue says, her voice trailing off.
"We are prepared to lose him," Terry says. "Every day is a blessing."
Read more about Rudy and get some tips on aging pets from The Gazette.

Dachshunds in Literature: There's a Dachshund in My Bed!

It's with a heavy heart that we report author and dachshund lover Paul Epner passed away on Friday. Mr. Epner was also a math teacher, and championed animals, kids, reading, and learning. We're hoping that his popular children's book There's a Dachshund in my Bed! remains a classic and continues to entertain and teach children for many years.
Here's a description of the book from The Free Library: An interactive picture book specifically written in rhyming narrative couplets by Paul Epner and lively illustrated by Bill Reed for children ages 6 to 10, There's A Dachshund In My Bed! is the story of a dachshund puppy who is trying to get to sleep by creatively counting animals using different mathematical operations. Children are introduced to the names given to groups of different animals as well as learning how to work on the math problems that are interwoven into the engaging and thoroughly entertaining story.
My San Antonio said of Mr. Epner when he brought his dachshunds 'Chester' and 'Shirley' with him to a 2004 press conference on the book: Epner, who laughed loud and long and seemingly did not have an introverted bone in his body, didn't think twice about bringing canines to a conference.
The self-proclaimed "Wiener Dog Man" simply assumed everyone would want to meet Chester and Shirley. He was right. The dogs attracted quite a crowd, making an interview with their housemate difficult.
"I love dogs, and I love dachshunds," Epner said at the time. "I love animals in general and became a vegetarian as a result."
"In this world you've gotta find a passion in life," Epner said in a 2005 interview. "I love working with kids and I love to write, so I've found a special place."
Read the rest at My San Antonio.

NASCAR Dachshunds

And we're not talking about wiener races today! Meet 'Roxy' and 'Daisy,' the pretty red smooth dachshunds owned by NASCAR driver David Reutimann, his wife Lisa, and daughter Emilia. NASCAR.com took a look at where their drivers' pets go on race weekends. Most of them head to K9 Cabins & Dog Trails, Inc. in Troutman, NC; the ultimate NASCAR-style accommodation for canines belonging to some of the sports biggest stars and industry players.
"My husband [crew chief for Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 Busch Series team] knew I wanted to own a really unique dog boarding facility and he has made my dream come true," said K9 Cabins owner Elena Smith. "I always had a dream of taking care of dogs," she said, "so before we opened I went to a lot of races and started handing out business cards."
Each cabin is themed -- Harley Davidson, NASCAR, Gone Fishing, Jimmy Buffett, etc. -- and equipped with a doggie door that leads to an outside patio. Read all about it at NASCAR.com.

David Reutimann talked about Roxy and Daisy on his blog: "They're cute but they can be a handful at times. Of course, they're spoiled and occasionally make a trip to the race track with us as well."

Find out more about David Reutimann at wikipedia.

The Dachshund Commercial That Never Was

We think this should have won first prize! From 'jaspearianpictures' at youtube: Lunch just isn't complete without Heinz Ketchup and a loyal friend. This was an entry for Heinz Ketchup's "Top This TV Challenge", for which I served as writer, director, camera operator and editor.
Have a great Monday!

Dachshund Lap of Luxury

In a follow-up to Saturday's post What Ever Happened to Brooke Astor's Dachshunds?/Who is Iris Love?, this is a photo of Iris love with Brooke Astor's dachshunds, 'Boysie' and 'Girlsie.' Looks like there's lots of Love to go around. Excerpt from The New York Post: "Mrs. Astor and I shared two great loves - dachshunds and China," said Love. "They are really happy in their new home, although they miss their mother, Mrs. Astor."
Love has known the dogs for years. They are perennial guests of honor at her Westminster Kennel Club dog show party at Tavern on the Green, an annual bash she throws for about 500 canines, complete with fire-hydrant-shaped ice sculptures. Read the rest at The New York Post.

Update November 30th: There sure was lots of unfortunate drama around the wonderful Mrs. Astor and her doxies. If you like drama, check out this gossip column from The Daily News.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Mischa Auer

Mischa Auer prepares his face with the help of his dachshund in 1950

Who? Mischa Auer (1905 - 1967), born Mischa Ounskowsy, was a Russian-born American stage, film, radio and TV actor who was best known for his zany comedy roles. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1936 for his performance in My Man Godfrey. What a fun photo of Mischa and his dachshund! He led an interesting life; his father died as an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, and he lived on the street as a homeless child in extreme poverty. He was reunited with his mother, and they fled Stalin's socialist Russia to Turkey, where his mother, who had nursing experience, contracted typhus from her patients and died. The young Mischa dug her grave with his hands. He later emigrated to New York to live with his grandfather, violinist Leopold Auer. His grandfather encouraged him to study music, and while he became an accomplished musician and was able to play multiple instruments, he turned to acting. Find out more about Mischa Auer at The Internet Movie Database.

What Ever Happened To Brooke Astor's Dachshunds?/Who is Iris Love?

Astor and dachshunds, 1962

At the time of her death a few months ago, Brooke Astor had 2 dachshunds: 'Boysie' and 'Girlsie.' Where are they now? Liz Smith gives an update in The New York Post: Many people have asked what became of Brooke's two famous dachshunds, Boysie and Girlsie? They were the loves of her life, with whom she was finally reunited toward the end of her 105 years.
These doxies have now been personally escorted by Brooke's friend, Annette de la Renta, and placed in the care of our friend Iris Love, who raises championship dachshunds at the Dachsmith Love Kennel in Vermont. Here, they live inside with the caretaker and his wife and are treated like royalty. The Astor canines also seem to love the company of other dogs.

Related: NY Socialite Brooke Astor Dies at 105

And who, exactly, is Iris Love? We can't find much information on her, but she's been interviewed for Wiener Takes All: A Dogumentary, and is described as "famous archaeologist, historian, Guggenheim heiress, and patron saint of the dachshund world."

Here's part of an interview with Iris Love for Wiener Takes All: A Dogumentary that ended up on the cutting room floor. One of your hosts, Joey, totally agrees with her about the absurdity of the exclusion of the piebald in the AKC dachshund standard. Joey has made it his life's mission to see that piebalds are added to the standard. "The piebald, the original pregenitor of the dachshund." Woof!

Dachshunds Love Hockey

The Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors are hosting another popular dog day afternoon this Sunday in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. This is a pic from last year's event where little black and tan smooth 'Brittany' got to meet her hero IceDog Stefan Legein. Check out that coy smile on Brittany's face. There will be a contest for the best dressed dog in Majors gear, and the doggies get to run around on the ice during intermission. Find out more at The Mississauga News.

Happy Thanksgiving

'Doxieone' over at flickr has really outdone herself this time, this is too funny! And perhaps a little disturbing! Doxieone is one of the most prolific contributors of dachshund photos over at flickr, make sure to check out her pretty dachshunds.
Also, enjoy this surprisingly familiar dachshund Thanksgiving tale from The Fayetteville Observer: Janice Coleman of Euless, Texas, was another online respondent with a Thanksgiving disaster. Her story may make you think twice about letting pets in on the Thanksgiving fun:
“My aunt and uncle were having guests over for Thanksgiving, and my aunt had put her turkey on the table in her kitchen to cool. After talking to her guests, she went into the kitchen only to discover her dachshund had climbed a chair to get to the table, and was thus, eating their turkey!
“Needless to say, my aunt and uncle had to quickly bundle up their guests to find a restaurant to take them to that day.”