Dachshunds at Crufts 2009

A Dachshund is judged in the parade ring during the Crufts dog show in Birmingham, central England, March 5, 2009. Photo Source.

Well, all the hoopla aside, Crufts, the "world's largest dog show" has started as planned. The hounds showed yesterday, and it should come as no surprise that a dachshund didn't take the group, as it went to a pharaoh hound.
It's kind of nice for us Yanks that the BBC canceled its Crufts coverage though, because we can watch it live this year at cruftslive.tv. If you become a subscriber, you can watch recorded events. There are also short clips available at the youtube Crufts channel.

If you're unfamiliar with the hoopla across the pond around Crufts, check out EDP24 for a recap. Here's a dachshund lover excerpt: Clare McDonald, 48, of Hevingham, near Aylsham, who has been showing dachshunds with her daughter Laura, 21, for the last 10 years, said it was "disappointing" that the BBC was not broadcasting Crufts this year. "The BBC documentary has made the general public think very badly of pedigree dogs and there was no balanced argument for pedigrees, which has given the dog world a good shake-up," she said.

The above photo shows Laura McDonald with some of their doxies headed for Crufts.

Below are the Dachshund Breed Winners, smooth, longhair, and wirehair, standards and minis. Congratulations! You're all beautiful! See the rest of the winners at the results page.

Related: Crufts Coverage

Miniature Dachshunds at Center of Diet Scandal

Last year's dachshund champions from Crufts: smooth, wirehair, longhair; minis and standards (click photo to enlarge)

With just about a week to go before the 2009 Crufts Dog Show, more drama around pedigree dogs is surfacing across the pond in the UK, and this time it involves miniature dachshunds. As we recall, the broadcast of the UK television program Pedigree Dogs Exposed has resulted in the BBC canceling its coverage of Crufts, dog welfare groups RSPCA and Dogs Trust pulling out of Crufts, and the pet food company Pedigree ending more than forty years of sponsorship of Crufts.
Now Jemima Harrison, the producer of Pedigree Dogs Exposed is back in the news with headlines about "Size Zero Dogs", saying that miniature dachshunds are deliberately deprived of food and water prior to weigh-ins at dog shows. Excerpt from The Telegraph:

The row centres on Miniature Dachshunds, which breeding guidelines state must be no heavier than 11lbs – a limit drawn up in the days when the dogs were sent down rabbit holes.
The Kennel Club has banned weigh-ins for the breed at Crufts in response to fears that owners were denying food and water to dogs in the hours before they were due on the scales. It has also relaxed the regulations for other shows, leaving it to individual judges to choose whether to hold a weigh-in or not.
It recommends that bowls of water be provided to prevent the dogs from dehydrating but critics say this has done nothing to stop the problem.
"This is Size Zero for dogs," said Jemima Harrison, producer of a BBC documentary which in 2008 exposed breeding techniques which led to genetic illnesses that affect pedigree dogs.
"I am inundated with owners and judges who say they are seeing dehydrated or malnourished dogs on the scales, all for the sake of a rosette. It sounds funny to think of dogs having the same issues as fashion models but it is a serious welfare issue.

Read all about it at The Telegraph.

Related: BBC Cancels Crufts Coverage

Dachshunds at Crufts

Good luck to all the dachshunds competing at Crufts in Birmingham, UK this year! Crufts is the largest dog show in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records, some 23,000 dogs are expected. The hounds show on Sunday, and like Westminster, a dachshund has never won best in show. But we will always root for the underdog! This is the year! Above, arrival for Crufts with doxies in tow, 1933.

Two wirehairs in the Discover dogs part of Crufts, Thursday, March 6th, 2008. See more photos of other dogs at Crufts by Hajari-stock at flickr.

Enjoy this fun video of dachshunds from a previous Crufts show.

Crufts, 2011

Katerina Belova from Moscow, Russia with her Dachshund (Smooth-Haired) called 'Chester,' who won Best of Breed March 12, 2011, the third day of dfs Crufts 2011 at the Birmingham NEC

Congratulations to all the Dachshunds and dogs who competed at the 2011 Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, UK over the weekend.  A beautiful Basset Griffon Vendeen (Petit) took the hounds, and a striking Retriever (Flat Coated) took Best in Show.  See all the Best in Breed Dachshunds at the Crufts official site (scroll down to select Dachshund under the Hound group).


Of the six Dachshund "breeds," Crufts just released the video judging of the Dachshund (Min Smooth-Haired), seen here.


And congrats to Sue Ergis from Poole, Dorset with her Dachshund (Miniature Smooth-Haired) called 'April,' who took Junior Warrant winner on March 11, 2011.

Dachshund News Roundup

Proving once again that dachshunds are taking over the world, here's another bonus roundup of dachshunds in the news from all over the globe. Woof! Above, 120 doxies and their humans attended Suburban Chicagoland Dachshund Lover's Luck of the Irish Dachshund fundraiser and get-together yesterday in Grayslake, Illinois. Money was raised for Midwest Dachshund Rescue, Dachshund Rescue of North America, Almost Home Dachshund Rescue Society, and Dodger's Dachshund Orthopedic Disc Group E-mail Resource.


Jill Blasdel-Cortus, President of DRNA, holds her black and tan 'Gypsy,' during the Luck of the Irish Dachshund fundraiser. Read all about the event at The Daily Herald.


While there was no Best in Show for a dachshund at Crufts in the UK again this year, lots of doxies strutted their stuff to win titles. Above, Laura MacDonald, a 20-year-old who works in security at Norwich International Airport, took her four dachshunds to the Crufts competition on Sunday, and won a title with her doxie 'Roger.' Read all about it at Norwich Evening News. See all the wiener winners at Crufts.
Related: Dachshunds at Crufts

'Jewels,' a black and tan smooth double dapple dachshund owned by Paula and Eddie Alejos of Racine, Wisconsin, sits for a portrait with the Easter Bunny on Sunday at a pet night at Regency Mall. Read all about it at The Journal Times.

Sandy Gachassin, a member of the board of directors of the Iberia Humane Society, nuzzles with her blue-eyed red long-hair sable 'Buddy' during Walk in the Park, a fundraiser in New Iberia, Louisiana, on Saturday. Buddy was adopted from the Iberia Humane Society by Gachassin. Read all about the event at The Daily Iberian.

Crufts Begins Today

Crufts, the  "world's largest dog show" begins today in Birmingham, England, and despite the troubling press the organization has received, the show will go on, with nearly 28,000 dogs competing over the next several days.  Above, 12-year-old Elliot Haywood, who hails from Devizes, will be one of the youngest handlers competing at this year's event; he will be handling his grandmother's Dachshunds seen here, 'Cleo,' and 'Razzy.'  We're rootin' for ya!  His grandmother said:  “Elliot is not in the least nervous about competing against adults. In fact, I think he prefers that to being in competition with people his own age.”  Source.

Keep up with Crufts at the official site.  Hounds are being judged on Friday.  We'll do our best to provide highlights. 

Hound Group Judging at Crufts 2012

Thanks so much to Elspeth S. for writing in:

Hi there Boys,

I thought you might like to see the Hound Group judging at Crufts on Sunday. It gets interesting about 24 seconds in. Sadly the Mini Dachshund came fourth - he would have been Best in Show if I had been judging.
I love the blog. I'm in Glasgow, Scotland and, oh yes, I have a smooth black-and-tan called George, who is sleeping on my knee as I type.


Thanks again!  We were searching for some videos of Dachshund judging at Crufts, but it looks like nothing was posted this year.  But the extra Dachshund lap in the Hound judging makes it all worthwhile! 

Hattie the Dachshund and Crufts

Meet red long-hair 'Hattie,' and her human Fran Mitchell, of East Boldon, UK. Hattie made it to the final eight in the Crufts competition, but didn't win best in breed like her father and grandfather did before her. You're still a wiener Hattie! Excerpt from Sunderland Echo: Fran said: "She didn't do as well as the rest of her family but it was still absolutely brilliant. It is a wonderful thing to show off your dogs. Some people say Crufts is just another dog show. It's not, it is the best show." Read more about Hattie and Fran at Sunderland Echo.

RSPCA Pulls Out of Crufts Dog Show

(click image to enlarge)

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one of England's major animal welfare charities, has announced it is pulling out of running stalls at Crufts, "the Greatest Dog Show on Earth," because of fears that thousands of pedigree dogs are suffering due to genetic defects and inbreeding. Specifically related to the dachshund: Old prints show a small powerful dog with strong hind legs, but today the breed has a bizarrely elongated body and tiny legs. Serious back problems are common and inbreeding has made epilepsy and deafness common. Running and jumping are difficult for today's dachshund.
Excerpt from the Scotsman: Yesterday, the Kennel Club, which runs Crufts – to be staged next March – said the RSPCA's comments were "unhelpful". But its own figures reveal one in ten pedigree dogs suffers problems that affect quality of life.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokeswoman, said: "The Kennel Club is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of dogs through responsible breeding. "The fact that the RSPCA continues to make such unhelpful statements … is extremely regrettable but we will continue to endeavour to work with them despite their stated position, for the benefit of dogs."
Read all about it the Scotsman.

Image above circa 1881.

Related: The Quest for the Perfect Dog

BBC Cancels Crufts Coverage

This has been an interesting story to keep up with to say the least, but the British Broadcasting Corporation has kept good with its threat to drop the broadcast of the prestigious Crufts Dog Show. Here's an excerpt from UK's The Guardian: Crufts will not be televised by the BBC next year after the Kennel Club refused to accept the broadcaster's "insupportable conditions" for certain breeds of pedigree dog to be excluded from the show.
The club said yesterday it had "regrettably" suspended its 46-year relationship with the BBC because the corporation had failed to take account of the measures it had introduced to improve the health of pedigree dogs or the fact that judges would ensure that only healthy animals would be awarded prizes.
The move follows the screening of a BBC documentary in August [Pedigree Dogs Exposed] that claimed that the breeding process used to produce pedigree dogs had resulted in a high incidence of inherited genetic disease.
The club said it could not discuss which breeds it had been asked to exclude, but they are thought to include: basset hounds, clumber spaniels, dogues de Bordeaux, mastiffs, neapolitan mastiffs, pekingese, rottweilers, shar-peis, St Bernards, chow chows, and bulldogs.
Dachshunds have not been mentioned at this point.
Read more at The Guardian. He said: Kennel Club UK article. She said: BBC article.

Related: Dachshund News Roundup! with link to watch Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Related: The Quest for the Perfect Dog

Top Dachshund News Stories of 2008

My New Year's Wish for you, dear friend, contains enough of everything to have you want for nothing more.

Well, where do you begin after such a busy year in the world of Dachshunds? We've been working on this Dachshund News Roundup: 2008 for a few days now, and it's nearly impossible to highlight just a few of the heartwarming news stories, the great work of our rescue and educational groups, and all the awesome dachshund events, photos, and videos. We hope you've been reading all year so that you haven't missed anything, it's been great fun. Thanks for all the great story tips over the year.
Of course, there were some sad stories sprinkled in with the good ones, and our hearts go out to all the dachshunds who have dealt with some serious issues this year, and in some cases where dachshunds are now waiting for us at The Rainbow Bridge. Rest in peace, little ones.
Probably the biggest story of the year, as it concerns the welfare of the dachshund breed, is the August puppy mill rescue of nearly 1,000 dachshunds in Parkersburg, West Virginia. This may be the largest puppy mill raid in history. How a country of dog lovers came together to the aid of these dogs is nothing less than astounding. Not a single dog was euthanized in the effort. It also shows us that as a country, the United States has a lot of work to do to wipe out puppy mills. Bless everyone who helped rescue, adopt, foster, transport, donate, and volunteer for dachshund and dog rescue in 2008.
The next biggest story to affect the dachshund breed in 2008 was the study which was released in July naming the dachshund as the most aggressive dog breed on the planet. Some readers dismissed the study as a bunch of "hoo-hah," but some wear the badge as an honor. We admit to being a bit shocked at first, but when you combine such factors as lap dog, a genetic marker for fierceness, and the learned experiences of a little dog who is often teased by children, you end up with a dog that could very well have behavior issues. Thankfully, a dachshund bite generally does little damage, but it's an important factor to consider when choosing a dachshund for a companion dog. Of course, many dachshunds don't have an aggressive hair on their long and short little bodies.
In sentimental stories, our favorite was the story and video of Sam, the loyal dachshund who found his way to his owner's funeral, 2.5 days later, 6 miles from his home, across busy highways...one of the most amazing canine stories we've ever heard. Other notables include Annie, who saved her human, and Tootsie, who was found 5 years after he went missing, some 350 miles from his home.
Thanks to all the readers who sent in news story tips and "Dachshund Love" stories over the year. There's nothing better than seeing beautiful dachshund photos and reading about why every dachshund is special and loved. These wonderful stories can be found throughout this link.
We've tried to provide other forms of entertainment throughout the year when news is slow, from finding great videos, photos, poetry, humor, art, and shopping opportunities, to researching dachshund history, posting vintage images, and highlighting famous and celebrity dachshunds. Many of these can be found by clicking on the Favorite Topics links in the right hand column of the website. There's a brand new section in the right hand column, scroll way down, which lists all the famous dachshunds we've profiled so far....pick your poison! There are more to come!

Thanks again for all your support! May you be happy, healthy, and loved in 2009.

Sincerely,
Your Long and Short of it All hosts,
Joey and Maggie

P.S. So, what was your favorite story for 2008?


January, 2008: Dachshund Lovers head south for the big Key West Dachshund Walk; New Pedigree Anti-Dachshund Commercial; The Dachshund Slips to Number 7 in AKC Registration; Dachshunds in the Ringling Bros Circus; 'The Ugly Dachshund' Actress Suzanne Pleshette passes; 'Jesus' held hostage over 'Wiener Poopie'; South Beach Dachshund Winterfest.

February, 2008: Live streaming video of dachshund momma 'Magic' and her puppies; Dachshunds compete at Westminster; Wienermobile Wipes Out; Iris Love's Dachshund Party at Tavern on the Green; Tink the Dachshund nurses Pink the piglet.

March, 2008: We meet Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog; Stolen Dachshund Offered at Pawn Shop comes home; Dachshund Hero Saves Cat; Dachshunds Compete at Crufts; An E-Mail from the Empress of Iran; Viral Dachshund Video: Jerry Needs No Help Playing With His Ball; Roxy the Dachshund Bitten By Coral Snake (rest in peace little one); The Dachshund Song (wiener dog, wiener dog, wiener dog, wiener dog!).

April, 2008: Bingo, the Famous LA Dachshund passes; Loyal Dachshund Finds Way to Owner's Funeral; Buda Wiener Races; UC Davis Doxie Derby; Dachshund Gets New Grill at the Dentist; Signs of the Dachshund Revolution Surface in Washington, DC.

May, 2008: Queen of Denmark's Dachshund Hit By Car; New York's Dachshund Spring Fiesta; Two UK Dachshunds Come Home After Missing for 3 Months; Denmark's Royal Dachshund Bites Guard; Eddie's Wheels Featured on the Today Show; Annie the Dachshund Saves her Human; we meet Sylar, an Albino Dachshund; The Long and Short of it All turns One Year Old.

June, 2008: Ft. Wayne Wiener Nationals; Lady the Dachshund Warrior Protects Family from Bear; Summer Wiener Races and Festivals; Sophie Rescued After 3 days in 16-Foot-Deep Hole; The Wheelchair Pushing Dachshund.

July, 2008: DRNA wins $1,000 Donation from iGive.com; New Study Finds Dachshund the Most Aggressive Dog on the Planet; Wiener Races and Summer Festivals; Bella the Dachshund Recovers from Rare Brain Surgery; We meet Bubba, the Dachshund on Mole Patrol; Fred's Journey to the 2008 Olympics; Mighty Dog Commercial With Dachshund.

August, 2008: Possibly the Largest Puppy Mill Raid in History, 1,000 Dachshunds Rescued in Parkersburg, West Virginia; Who's Your Dachshund begins; Dachshund Gene Mutation May Help Humans With Blindness; Dachshund Digs Up Wallet Lost for 60 Years; Wiener Takes All Released on DVD; BBC Announces Review of Crufts Dog Show; Dachshund Club of America Supports West Virginia Rescue Efforts.

September, 2008: More Fallout From Parkersburg, West Virginia Puppy Mill Raid; The costs of Owning a Dachshund; Eleven Dachshunds Left at Over-Crowded Ohio Shelter; Wiener Races and Festivals; Our Dedicated Folks in Dachshund Rescue.

Dachtober, 2008: Still More Fallout From Parkersburg, West Virginia Puppy Mill Raid; Election Fun, Dolly's Incredible Story; Dachshunds Are Blessed; Savannah Wiener Dawg Races; Dachshund Dream Team; NYC's Dachshund Fall Parade; Halloween Fun; Dachshunds Versus Bees; Lots of Wiener Races.

November, 2008: Dachshunds Rescued From Hoarder Are Reunited; George Clooney is All Wet; Dachshunds in the White House; Veterans Day and Dachshunds; Dachshund Champion Dash is Lost and Found; Doxie Digest Magazine Debuts; Texas Dachshund Rescued From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning; Edgar, a Stolen Dachshund; Dachshunds Feeling Economic Crunch; Tootsie, A Lost Dachshund, Found 5 Years Later, 350 Miles Away.

December, 2008: Christmas and Holiday Dachshund Shopping; Maggie's Dachshund Babies, Live Streaming Puppies Video; Awesome Dachshund Videos; The Longing Eyes of a Puppy Mill Dachshund; BBC Cancels Crufts Coverage; Holiday Dachshund Fun; Dachshund With Half A Pack of Cigarettes a Day Habit Killed by Car; Dachshund Lover Literature: Mrs. Astor Regrets; Neglected Dachshund Now a Picture of Health; Daisy Revived with CPR after House Fire.

The Quest for the Perfect Dog

(click image to enlarge)

The BBC, the world's largest broadcasting corporation, has announced that it is reviewing its coverage of the Crufts dog show in light of a program which aired yesterday, Pedigree Dogs Exposed, that they commissioned on canine health. Excerpt from The Times: Two years in the making, the documentary shows many dogs suffering from genetically induced illnesses, including epilepsy, and compares practices at the 135-year-old club to Nazism in its emphasis on breed purity.
A spokesman for the club dismissed the idea as offensive, “not just to us but to the people who suffered at Hitler’s hands. What we are talking about is dog breeding – let’s get this into perspective.”
But the BBC fears it will not be able to defend its coverage of Crufts after the showing. A spokesman for the broadcaster said that it would be seeking a meeting to discuss “the impact of the matter raised by this film”.
Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London, told the BBC: “People are carrying out breeding which would be first of all entirely illegal in humans and secondly is absolutely insane from the point of view of the health of the animals. In some breeds they are paying a terrible, terrible price in genetic disease.” Read all about the drama at The Times.


In lieu of being able to see the program yourself, check out Time Magazine's take on the topic in 1994's A Terrible Beauty. We're woofless.

Dachshund News Roundup!

Proving once again that you can't keep a good dachshund down, here's a dachshund news roundup on a cold and very wet Tuesday, December 9th, 2008. Woof! Above, we've featured artist Dee Dee Murry before, but she's in the news in a nice article over at The Chronicle, out of Centralia, Washington. She is seen here in her studio with her pretty black and tan longhair 'Hallie.' Read all about her award-winning art and love of animals at The Chronicle.

Related: Dachshund Gifts and Fine Art by Dee Dee Murry

In politics, dachshund lover Donald Rumsfeld had a party a few months ago, and The Washington Post noted: The low-key brunch for 50 or so included Democrats and Republicans (although next-door neighbor Dick Cheney was not spotted), according to a guest; a "very relaxed" Rumsfeld greeted everyone by name and directed them to the lawn, where a little fleet of dachshunds zipped through the crowd. Related: Famous Dachshund Quotes: Donald Rumsfeld.

The crisis facing Britain's Kennel Club and Crufts continues after the BBC aired its documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed a few months ago. Still yet to air on BBC America, you can watch the troubling documentary in six 10 minute clips at Daily Motion. Related: The Quest for the Perfect Dog.

Need a job? The perfect job? Oscar Mayer is now hiring wienermobile drivers. Submit that resume! Photo Source. Related: Really fun Wienermobile stories.

Remember the unfortunate story of the bees which attacked and killed 2 dachshunds and seriously injured their human in Florida a few weeks ago? Meet their human, Nancy Hill, in a follow-up at the Palm Beach Post. Related: Dachshund News Roundup, 10.27.08.
And finally, that nice E.B. White Dachshund Bookend by Levenger has SOLD OUT, and is no longer on their website! It was a limited edition of 1,000 which sold out in a few weeks. As a consolation if you didn't get your order in, these new bookends are available at Target.

Have a great day.

Dachshund Evolution: 1888 Versus 2008

How have our lovable dachshunds evolved in 120 years with selective breeding? Above, an 1888 Dachshund drawing: Mr. F. Barclay Hanbury's FRITZ. Imported, by Mr. Schuller, from the Royal Kennels, Stuttgart (Germany)

Last weekend's dachshund champions from Crufts: smooth, wirehair, longhair; minis and standards (click photo to enlarge).

Related: Dachshund Evolution

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Lady Una Troubridge

Who? Una Vincenzo, Lady Troubridge (born Margot Elena Gertrude Taylor; 8 March 1887 – 24 September 1963) was a British sculptor and translator. She is best known as the long-time partner (28 years) of Marguerite "John" Radclyffe-Hall, the author of The Well of Loneliness.
Troubridge was an educated woman who had many achievements in her own right. Most notably she was a successful translator and introduced the French writer Colette to English readers. Her talent as a sculptor prompted dancer and choreographer Nijinsky to sit for her several times.
Hall and Troubridge raised and showed dachshunds and griffons. The dachshunds shown in the above Romaine Brooks portrait of Troubridge were a prize winning pair given to her by Hall.
Find out more about Una Troubridge at wikipedia.

Lady Una Troubridge and Radclyffe-Hall at Crufts dog show, 1923

Dachshunds Compete in Ugliest Dog Competition

A pair of disabled dachshunds compete for the nation's ugliest dog on Sunday.

Ugly? Never! There may be a movie called The Ugly Dachshund, and we may never win best in show at Westminster or Crufts, but we're way too beautiful to ever win an Ugly Dog Contest. Excerpt from WLTX: It wasn't a dachshund or a bulldog, no, this year, the winner may not surprise many.

San Diego crowned its "ugliest dog" Sunday during the 13th annual "Ugly Dog Contest."

Some say these four-legged furballs are so ugly, they're cute, but only one dog can walk away the ugliest.

Victoria, an Italian greyhound, won the contest for the second year in a row.

The competition benefited a therapeutic riding program at the Helen Woodward Animal Center and the Rancho Coastal Humane Center.

'Victoria' the Italian Greyhound

Dachshund News Roundup!

We're still trying to catch up after a busy week around the House of The Long and Short of it All, but here's a dachshund news roundup on a soon-to-be warm and beautiful fall day, Saturday, Dachtober 11th, 2008. Above, don't miss the Savannah Now news video from last weekend's annual Wiener Dawg Races that were part of downtown Savannah's Oktoberfest celebration. The staff at lowdogworld attended the event, and they've got links to lots of photos and several nice recaps, don't miss it. 'Longfellow,' the 3-legged inspirational champion from last year, returned to defend his title, but he's such a gentleman that he let another dachshund win this year.

A crushing defeat: Dachshund 'Molly,' right, cuts in front of last year's winner 'Longfellow' to take one of the top three spots in a run off during the Annual Savannah Weiner Dawg Race on historic River Street, Saturday Oct. 4, 2008 in Savannah, Ga.(AP Photo/Stephen Morton). Source.

Related: Savannah and Longfellow Coverage

In the "news we don't like to hear about" department, 'Bullet,' a German Shepherd police dog killed a dachshund named 'Gracie' in Nitro, West Virginia. Gracie was in her back yard doing her business, and Bullet was on the hunt for fugitives. Police say that Gracie charged and jumped at Bullet, and that Bullet "did what he's trained to do - protect himself and his master," but Gracie's owner says the attack was unprovoked. Sad all around. City officials have offered to pay Gracie's $700 vet bill and find Burdette another dog. Read more at the Charleston Gazette. Our hearts go out to Gracie's family and friends.

There ARE a couple of stories in the "news we DO like to hear about" department though, including a harrowing tale with a happy ending of 5 dachshunds caught up in the path of Hurricane Ike, and who are now being lovingly tended to by Diamond Dachshund Rescue of Texas, near San Antonio. Excerpt from the Kerrville Daily Times: “The dogs were outside and were washed over the 4-foot fence,” said Christine McEntyre, who has taken in the dogs at her facility, Diamond Dachshund Rescue. “They apparently swam a distance together, and got onto something to get out of the water.”The five dogs — three females and two males — gently were rounded up by an animal search and rescue team and were brought to the safety of the Beaumont Humane Society.
The dachshunds — although their specific ages are not known, range from very young to old — were covered in black sewage and salt brine.
“All are understandably uncertain of what’s happened in their lives, but they are all really sweet dogs that seem to be very personable, like laps, dislike cats and bark at the goats at my house,” she said. Read more at the Kerrville Daily Times.

In other good news, the City of Tonawanda Fire Department in Tonawanda, New York, was called into action Friday morning to rescue a daring dachshund that escaped from its Broad Street home and jumped into the Niagara River. The dog was nearly 300 yards offshore and heading toward Tonawanda Island when firefighters aboard an inflatable boat plucked the pooch from the 62-degree water. Read all about it the Tonawanda News.

ALL GOD'S CREATURES—Brooke Bayles, 14, center, holds the holy water for Rev. Steven J. Dean as he leans down to meet the gaze of Ingrid, a 1-year-old smooth black and tan carried by Michael Look, 13, of Simi Valley, California. Community members brought pets of all shapes and sizes to St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church's annual Blessing of the Animals on Sunday. Source.

If it's beautiful photos of dachshunds and dogs you're searching for, look no further than the photography of Leesia Teh. She recently photographed 'Emah' the English Cream, seen above, and then did a spread on Emah's dachshund family: Josh, Meah, and Braxton. The foursome's human is interior designer Edward Holifield. Don't miss these pics!

Finally, this week the two leading dog organizations in the UK, the welfare charity Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club announced that they will be calling for Government support for an independent review into the registration, breeding and showing of dogs to ensure their long term health and welfare.
This follows the airing of the BBC's program Pedigree Dogs Exposed, and subsequent potential loss of support from various organizations for the prestigious Crufts Dog Show.
The review will be set up and funded by the Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club since the priority of both organisations is to promote and support the care, welfare and breeding of healthy dogs.
Said Clarissa Baldwin, Chief Executive, Dogs Trust: “We believe an independent review is essential in coordinating the large body of research and evidence and to advise on workable, timely recommendations for ensuring the future good health and welfare of all dogs.”
Said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary: “Work is already underway to improve the health of pedigree dogs. An independent review will assist us in meeting our objective, which is to improve the welfare, health and general well being of all dogs, throughout every stage of their lives. We hope the Government can support us”. Source: The Kennel Club.

Related: RSPCA Pulls Out of Crufts Dog Show

Related: The Quest for the Perfect Dog

Related: Dachshund Conformation 101

Related: Dachshund Evolution: 1888 Versus 2008

Related: Dachshund Evolution