Hey literature fans, if you missed it the first time around, fear not, E.B. White's Dachshund Bookend is back in stock at LEVENGER, tools for serious readers. This was new to the market last year, and all 1,000 of them sold out in just a few months!
The bookend is sculpted from a drawing E. B. White made of his dachsie Minnie, for the family's 1950 Christmas card. Inscribed on it is White's poem to these petite pooches. One more treat: a freestanding mini booklet containing White's delightful essay on living the good life with his little creature: "[Minnie's] idea of life is a warm bed, preferably with an electric pad, and a friend in bed with her, and plenty of shut-eye, night and day."
Thanks to our friends 'Clancy' and Mim H. for letting us know! TIP: make sure to search the net for Levenger coupon codes.
Thanks to Jerry S. for the reminder about E.B. White's birthday July 11th! From Jerry: Let us honor E. B. White, born on July 11th, 1899. When White died in 1985, William Shawn, editor of The New Yorker, wrote, "He never wrote a mean or careless sentence." And, of course, White had dachshunds. This is a picture of him and Minnie in white's office at the New Yorker. It was White who wrote, "I would rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club on his nose than induce a dachshund to heed my slightest command." Speaking of his boy Fred, he said, "I've never had a dog who understood so much of what I said or held it in such deep contempt." Find out more about E.B. White atwikipedia.
Yesterday would have been E.B. White's 113th birthday. Perhaps most famous for penning "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little," Mr. White was also a regular contributor to The New Yorker, and co-wrote "The Elements of Style."
Dachshund Lovers know him for his poetic descriptions of the beloved Dachshunds that he had in his life. In 1951, he was accused by the ASPCA of not paying his dog tax and, as a result, "harboring" an unlicensed dog. This was his poetic response:
12 April 1951
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals York Avenue and East 92nd Street New York, 28, NY
Dear Sirs:
I have your letter, undated, saying that I am harboring an unlicensed dog in violation of the law. If by "harboring" you mean getting up two or three times every night to pull Minnie's blanket up over her, I am harboring a dog all right. The blanket keeps slipping off. I suppose you are wondering by now why I don't get her a sweater instead. That's a joke on you. She has a knitted sweater, but she doesn't like to wear it for sleeping; her legs are so short they work out of a sweater and her toenails get caught in the mesh, and this disturbs her rest. If Minnie doesn't get her rest, she feels it right away. I do myself, and of course with this night duty of mine, the way the blanket slips and all, I haven't had any real rest in years. Minnie is twelve.
In spite of what your inspector reported, she has a license. She is licensed in the State of Maine as an unspayed bitch, or what is more commonly called an "unspaded" bitch. She wears her metal license tag but I must say I don't particularly care for it, as it is in the shape of a hydrant, which seems to me a feeble gag, besides being pointless in the case of a female. It is hard to believe that any state in the Union would circulate a gag like that and make people pay money for it, but Maine is always thinking of something. Maine puts up roadside crosses along the highways to mark the spots where people have lost their lives in motor accidents, so the highways are beginning to take on the appearance of a cemetery, and motoring in Maine has become a solemn experience, when one thinks mostly about death. I was driving along a road near Kittery the other day thinking about death and all of a sudden I heard the spring peepers. That changed me right away and I suddenly thought about life. It was the nicest feeling.
You asked about Minnie's name, sex, breed, and phone number. She doesn't answer the phone. She is a dachshund and can't reach it, but she wouldn't answer it even if she could, as she has no interest in outside calls. I did have a dachshund once, a male, who was interested in the telephone, and who got a great many calls, but Fred was an exceptional dog (his name was Fred) and I can't think of anything offhand that he wasn't interested in. The telephone was only one of a thousand things. He loved life — that is, he loved life if by "life" you mean "trouble," and of course the phone is almost synonymous with trouble. Minnie loves life, too, but her idea of life is a warm bed, preferably with an electric pad, and a friend in bed with her, and plenty of shut-eye, night and days. She's almost twelve. I guess I've already mentioned that. I got her from Dr. Clarence Little in 1939. He was using dachshunds in his cancer-research experiments (that was before Winchell was running the thing) and he had a couple of extra puppies, so I wheedled Minnie out of him. She later had puppies by her own father, at Dr. Little's request. What do you think about that for a scandal? I know what Fred thought about it. He was some put out.
Thanks so much to Melodie H. for sending this in. We're not so sure that we've ever seen anything so beautiful. If there's a dachshund lover on your holiday shopping list, or if you're looking for something to add to your own wish list, this is probably it.
E.B. White's Dachshund Bookend: The bookend is sculpted from a drawing E. B. White made of his dachsie Minnie, for the family's 1950 Christmas card. Inscribed on it is White's poem to these petite pooches. One more treat: a freestanding mini booklet containing White's delightful essay on living the good life with his little creature: "[Minnie's] idea of life is a warm bed, preferably with an electric pad, and a friend in bed with her, and plenty of shut-eye, night and day."
Imprinted on the bookend is E. B. White's poem about dachshunds: The Dachshund's affectionate, He wants to wed with you: Lie down to sleep, And he's in bed with you. Sit in a chair, He's there. Depart, You break his heart.
Last week we featured the new E.B. White dachshund bookend available from Levenger, and here's the inspiration. This drawing is in fact E.B. White's handiwork, he sketched it for the family Christmas Card in 1950. Read all about how that bookend came to be at Well-Read Life.
Dr. Donald Hare with one of his dachshunds in the early 1960s. Dr. Hare was an engineer and founder of Thomson Grass Valley, a video technology company with 22 Emmy awards under its belt based out of Nevada City, California. The company turned 50 years old yesterday. Read more about the company at The Union.
That photo reminds us of this photo of E.B. White. There's always a dog behind the man.
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.
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.
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.
Proving once again that weekends are for Wiener Dogs, here's a Dachshund News Roundup on a surprisingly cool blustery fall day, September 28, 2009 (your Long and Short of it All host 'Joey' is not happy about the weather shift!). Kicking things off, check out the handsome red smooth piebald above! His name is 'Prince Rusty,' and he's having a great time running around with his human, Taylor Wood, on Saturday at Dog Fest 2009 in Springfield, Missouri. Over 1,000 humans and 500 dogs attended the event. Read all about it the News-Leader.
Heading east to Cape Cod, it was the second annual Doxie Days on Saturday in Dennis, Massachusetts. Meet the organizers of the event, black and tan longhair 'Isabella' and her human Roseanne Smith. There was a Blessing of the Dachshunds, vendors, rescue organizations...lots of Dachshund Love on the beach! Don't miss all the photos at CapeCodPets. And with an intro like this, you know the write-up is good:
What do William Randolph Hearst, E.B. White, Jack Ruby, Andy Warhol, Queen Victoria, Donald Rumsfeld and Pablo Picasso have in common? Surprise! They were all owners of dachshunds. The popularity of this breed, which is ranked seventh in registrations by the American Kennel Club, crosses all cultural stratas.
Heading just ever-so-slightly west of the Cape, it was the Third annual Dachshund Day held in Westport, Massachusetts, on Saturday. Over 40 Dachshunds attended the event, which included a parade, raffle, social time, and agility demonstrations! Read all about it and see lots of pics at the Herald News.
Back in the Midwest, red smooth 'Bendi Sue' ran for the glory of it all on Saturday at the National Dachshund Races in Findlay, Ohio. This huge 2-day event featured a parade and Dachshunds chauffeured in stretch limos! We're sure that more pics will be posted soon on the official site, but this pic is from The Courier.
And back to Missouri, participants in the Dachshund Derby get off to a running start Saturday at the Old Munichberg Association Oktoberfest celebration in Jefferson City. Read more about the event at the News Tribune.
And finally, heading south to sweet warm Florida, Dachshund Rescue of South Florida held A Dog's Day In Venice Yappy Hour in Pembroke Pines. Looks like everyone had a great time! We're guessing that the $2 wine or beer and $5 martinis were a hit!
The holiday season is fast approaching dear dachshund readers, and we've yet to post a single holiday image or gift idea! We'll try and make up for this over the next several weeks. Heaven knows that there's no shortage of dachshund paraphernalia to purchase for both dachshunds and dachshund lovers....and if you've got the cash during a recession like we're having, there are some great deals to be had. Above, dad let the cat out of the bag that we're getting new coats for Christmas, and this Hug-A-Dog COVER-UP™ is just what the doctor ordered to keep our chests and undersides warm during the cold winter months. It works great if you've got a Hug-A-Dog™ Harness because it includes a button hole to allow access to the harness D-ring. Design your own with a wide array of colors at Dachshund Delights, (in business for 17 years now!) from $39.95.
Know a Dachshund Lover? Don't miss E.B. White's Dachshund Bookend. (UPDATE: Levenger is SOLD OUT! This was apparently a limited edition of 1,000)
It's always great to support dachshund rescue, and Dachshund Rescue of North America offers up these nice dachshund holiday boxers for just $15 including shipping. See another pattern too and do lots of shopping at DRNA.
Holiday Dachshund Boxers Detail
This is one of our favorite Christmas cards. The inside reads:
If you walk verrrry softly, in really quiet shoes-- you might just have a shot at getting your paws on those sugar cookies that were left out for Santa! Shhhhh... Merry Christmas!
There's a limited supply, and they are on sale for $8/10 cards at 2 Dogs Long.
This year however, we're sending out these Holiday Cards from All American Dachshund Rescue. The inside reads: On Earth. Just $10/pack with quantity discounts. See another design as well at AADR.
If you're looking for a beautiful dachshund calendar for 2009, don't miss the limited edition 2009 Picture A New Life calendar featuring all rescue dachshunds, now available from Dallas-Fort Worth Dachshund Rescue for just $20 plus shipping. View all the professional photos here.
And finally, Dodgerslist new 2009 calendar is now available. It's just $16.99 with lots of fun photos you can see in detail at cafepress. Your support helps spread education regarding IVDD. This would make a great gift for your vet.
Learn about dachshunds and Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) atDodger's List.What a great resource. There's always a link to Dodger's List in the links column on your right. They have a very active discussion list, and are real pros when it comes to offering advice for IVDD dachshunds and general dachshund health.
For even more shopping tips, click here. Have fun, and happy holidays!
The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for nature to follow. Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase. ~Dachshund Lover E.B. White, "Hot Weather," One Man's Meat, 1944
The Meaning of Life
from Brutal Like All Olympic Games, by Don Burness
The painter Bonnard knew
Picasso and Andy Warhol knew
Henry James knew
Dorothy Parker knew
P.G. Wodehouse knew
E.B. White knew
Queen Victoria surely knew
And I know
and I taught my students
that the meaning of life
is
the dachshund!
Source:Class Bias in Higher Education
Above vintage photo origin unknown, but probably 1940's or earlier based on the nice collar style.
Thanks so much to Kay Taylor for sending in such great shots of her boys - those Sheridan Avenue Boys! Your 'Long and Short of it All' hostess 'Maggie' usually refers to them as Handsome, Handsome, Handsome, Handsome, and Handsome, but today it's Sexy, Sexy, Sexy, Sexy, and Sexy. All you need is love.
To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year. ~Dachshund Lover E.B. White, "The Distant Music of the Hounds," The Second Tree from the Corner, 1954
Hey literature fans, if you missed it the first time around, fear not, E.B. White's Dachshund Bookend is back in stock at LEVENGER, tools for serious readers. This was new to the market last year, and all 1,000 of them sold out in just a few months!
