A Dachshund Christmas Poem

We can't think of a better way to usher in the holidays than with some Christmas Dachshund poetry.  Via youtuber Yetanotherstringband:  Featuring pictures of dachshund puppies, this original lighthearted poem set to music tells the story of the havoc one wiener dog puppy wreaks on a family's home the day after Christmas.

You may remember that 'Yetanotherstringband' created the lovable Wiener Dog Song.

Those Special Dachshunds: Black Friday Score For Harley!

Carolyn H. writes:

Hey Maggie and Joey,


Mom loves your blog and I think its pretty kewl too. I know how much Maggie likes shopping so I wanted to show her my new dog bed for the holidays! Mom found it at the World Market store on Black Friday. Here is a picture of me and my BDFF Molly in it after an exhausting day of playing and shopping. Molly is a 5 month old Cavalier and I can't wait till I get to see her again at Christmas.


Keep on blogging,
Harley
 
Hey thanks for sending in the great pic Harley!  Maggie is still tired today as well from all her black Friday shopping, but didn't find anything quite so festive.  Way to score! 

The Dachshund Underground Railroad: A Thanksgiving Homecoming for Lanie

photo:  MWDR

Meet blind 5-month-old red smooth 'Lanie,' who now hails from Bloomington, Minnesota.  We had the honor and privilege of transporting this sweet little MidWest Dachshund Rescue girl some 300 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, so that she could find her forever home.  We were traveling in that direction for the Thanksgiving holiday, and her new humans were in the area for Thanksgiving as well, so it was a great opportunity to get this girl to her forever humans on Thanksgiving day. 
We can't help with fostering, and we transport when we can, but what made this trip special for us is that we got to be with her for a whole day, and she spent the night with us at our grandma and grandpa's house!  Usually when we transport, we never get to spend much time with the dogs, so this was really nice.  You would never know that Lanie was blind.  She immediately scoped out the house, and put all the objects that she could run into in her memory bank....she's SMART!  She was just a little pistol running around the house, and had very little issue running into things once she quickly became acclimated to her surroundings.  We even let her chew on our ears for extended periods of time without becoming upset about it. And boy, does she love to snuggle.
We got up early on Thanksgiving day to meet her new humans (and to be back home in time for Turkey!) and it was just a match made in heaven.  Lanie will be living with other dogs (including a Dachshund!) in her new home, and these dogs will be her eyes for her. 
We know that Lanie has found the love she deserves in her new forever home.  Thanks to MWDR for finding such a perfect home for her, and to her new humans for adopting a special needs dog (although Lanie would argue the point that she has any special needs at all).  Welcome home Lanie.

Happy Thanksgiving: Turkey Theft!

(click any photo to enlarge)

Those Sheridan Avenue Boys strike again!  Thanks so much to their mom for sending in these delicious Thanksgiving photos.  Above is 'Lincoln' with Gobbles the Beanie Baby, but watch out!......



'Jetson' tries to steal Gobbles while Lincoln is sleeping!  Turkey Thief!

We're sure that won't be the only turkey stolen by a Dachshund this Thanksgiving. 

Have a great one.

Dachshunds in Film: The Pink Panther Strikes Again

Does your dog bite?

Thanks as always to our good pal 'Polly' (the rat and goldfish hunter!) for sending this in.  Polly would also like to let it be known that a mouse or rat a day keeps the cat away.  She is determined to keep her human from getting a cat, so she is mouser supreme.  As of today, her count is 12!

A Dachshund Thanksgiving Homecoming

 

This Cleveland, Ohio, family lost their home to a housefire last Saturday, but Thanksgiving will still be special because they found their beloved black and tan smooth 'Laela.'

Aren't you thankful for your Dachshund?

Welcome home Laela.

Read more at Fox 8 News.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Gypsy Rose Lee

(click image to enlarge)

Woof, WOOF!  We've got a very special Dachshunds in Pop Culture series to share today.  Certainly you remember the video we featured a few weeks ago called Play?, where a Dachshund and his tennis ball take a trip around Richmond VA?  As it turns out, Elizabeth Kost, the videographer, informed us that her mother, author Noralee Frankel, had recently penned a new book titled Stripping Gypsy, a biography on the glamorous American burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee, and that yes, Gypsy was a Dachshund Lover! 
We asked the author if she would write a short synopsis of Gypsy Rose Lee, including any information she had about her Dachshund, and she graciously agreed.  We are indebted to Noralee's contribution. So without any further ado:

Born in Seattle in 1911 Louise Hovick toured vaudeville with her driven stage mother and her younger sister. When her sister ran off to marry and with vaudeville dying, Louise performed in burlesque theaters. In 1931, Louise, now Gypsy Rose Lee, worked Minksy’s theaters, where she became one of the very few women to talk as she undressed on stage. After a brief stint at the Follies, Gypsy traveled to Hollywood for a disastrous career in movies produced by Twentieth Century Fox. The censors watched Gypsy constantly and made the studio very cautious about Gypsy’s parts, dress, and conduct.

Upon her return to New York, Gypsy joined a writer’s colony in Brooklyn Heights with poet W. D. Auden and writer Carson McCullers where she received help with her first mystery, G-Sting Murders. Contacted by impresario Michael (Mike) Todd, Gypsy performed a strip tease at the New York World’s Fair. She provided financial backing for her and Todd’s triumphant Broadway show, Star and Garter.

In 1950, the American Legion declared that Gypsy was a Communist sympathizer and demanded that Gypsy be removed from television and radio for her radical political beliefs and Gypsy was black listed from TV and radio. She only redeemed herself when she wrote her memoirs, which became the basis of the hit musical, Gypsy. In the mid 1960’s, a television station in San Francisco offered her a syndicated talk show. She was a perfect talk show hostess and the show was successful for three years. Her fans loved her. Soon after Gypsy was diagnosed with lung cancer and she died five months later in 1970.

About her Dachshund:

In 1937, Gypsy married Robert Missy. Hitching Gypsy's trailer to the back of their car, they traveled across the country with her dachshund, 'Wilemina,' and her six pups. Here’s the story:

“We had a honeymoon quarrel and called each other all the names we could think of," Gypsy recounted, "and we were both resourceful, especially me, with a diploma as a master cusser from all the burlesque wheels I've toured." She predicted the demise of the marriage "but in the midst of the confusion my dachshund bitch started to have pups. We couldn't get a vet, and Bob proved to be the kind of man you can lean on in an emergency. He did an excellent job of midwifery." Gypsy "figured any girl like me who always travels in a cloud of animals needed that kind of man around, so we were married again."[i]

[i] Minsky, Morton, and Machlin, Milt, Minsky’s Burlesque, New York: Arbor House, 1986, 239.

In this video, Gypsy Rose Lee does an abbreviated version of her burlesque routine from the 1943 movie Stage Door Canteen.


Thanks again Noralee.  Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee, the acclaimed new biography by author Noralee Frankel, is available at Amazon for just $18.45.

Dachshunds in Film: Bunny and the Bull

What's that phrase?  Don't shoot the messenger? 

A Dachshund makes an odd appearance in the upcoming film Bunny and the Bull, released this Friday in the UK, where a young shut-in takes an imaginary road trip inside his apartment, based on mementos and memories of a European trek from years before. 

via youtuber MetzgerNovicoff.

Dachshunds in Nativity Sets

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Holy Dachshund!  We're pleased to present these fantastic images of some Dachshund Christmas inspiration from Ed Speare, his wife Suzy, and their sweet black and tan smooth 'Phoebe,' who hail from Woodbridge, Virginia.  We can only imagine the "Legend of the Christmas Dachshund" - great stuff!


Dear Maggie and Joey,



Your recent entry on the Dachshund Nativity set inspired me to share the tradition my wife Suzy and I have of putting a Dachshund into the nativity sets we set up at Christmas. Suzy has a large collection of Dachshund figures from life size to minuscule and also collects Nativity scenes, some from various countries we had lived while on assignments with the U.S. Army. About 10 years ago we started adding the Dachshund figures to the Nativity scenes--we do our best to match the size and the material of the Dachshund figure with that of the Nativity set. As the collection grew, we even came up with a story about them--the little known "Legend of the Christmas Dachshund" (a tale for another time). Here are some pictures of them for you to enjoy. By the way, we have always had a live "Weiner Dog" as part of the family as well--our current one is an 8-year old smooth miniature black and tan named Phoebe.

Blessings and a Big Woof!


Ed Speare
Woodbridge, VA

(click any photo to enlarge)

Sweet, sweet Phoebe, donning her holiday best

A Note From Joey and Maggie: Maggie is in The Dog House

This little angel wouldn't do anything wrong, would she?

It was a beautiful autumn Sunday morning.  The birds were chirping, the weather was nice, the sun was shining.  Your 'Long and Short of it All' hosts 'Joey' and 'Maggie' enjoyed a long morning walk, meeting lots of their neighborhood friends, and then devoured a nice Sunday breakfast - raw salmon and bone with a slightly cooked egg on top - sunny side up, just the way they like it.
After breakfast, Maggie was listening to some relaxing Joni Mitchell, and then resigned herself to catching some rays - taking advantage of the south-facing windows and especially enjoying Dad's brand new 2-day-old super thick and comfy Australian hand-tufted wool rug.  If there is a doggie heaven, then surely it must be something like this.  Dad even took these photos.  Maggie had been at the grooomer's just the day before, and the bows on her ears still hadn't fallen out - how cute could she possibly be?
The lazy day progressed.  We helped Dad do some garden cleanup on the veranda, and then played in some leaves - crashing into the big piles before Dad could place them in the trash bin, what fun!
Soon it was time for bed.  Dad went to turn the light out near the couch, walking on his cushy new wool rug, enjoying the feel of every warm firm fiber through his socks, with a cocky grin on his face that he often gets when he's generally pleased.
SQUISH.  What was that?   SQUISH.  Huh?  WHY IS THIS WET?  MAGGIE!  We were just resting on our little bed, and suddenly he glances over at us, darts flying out of his eyes in our general direction.  "We didn't do anything," our expressions explained.
See, Maggie is a marker.  She loves to mark outside when she goes for walks, lifting her hind leg as high as it will go on everything she can - it's very un-ladylike.  At nearly nine years old, there was never any problem with her marking in the house - excecpt last winter for the first time ever, and those episodes ceased after a few weeks and some re-direction.
BUT THE BRAND NEW RUG?  TWO DAYS OLD?  Dad was hot and called his trainer friend, Kim, of Kim's Dog Coaching, who said "Well, what do you expect?  You know she's a marker, and you bring a new rug in the house - made of animal hair?  Well, it's not a new rug anymore.  Now it's Maggie's."  Then she gave Dad some tips on preventing it from happening again.
Maggie almost didn't get to sleep in the big bed last night, but the trainer said that there was no such cause and effect relationship in the dog world - she peed on the rug, wasn't caught in the act, and it's over. 
Maggie is still laying low this morning however.   

Who, me?  Get a load of the whirring tail.

Swartz, the Bear-Brawling Dachshund Passes

Our hearts go out to the friends and family of 'Swartz,' the heroic red smooth Dachshund who made local news about 5 years ago when he charged a mama bear that was in his territory near Alcoa, Tennessee.  He suffered a bite and broken ribs from the incident, but recovered to live to the age of 12, finally succombing to seizures, prostate cancer, and Cushing's disease.  His family is rightly devastated.  RIP little man. 
Read more about him at The Daily Times.

Dachshund Cute Overload

Thanks so much to our pal 'Polly' for sending the link to this photo in - it was recently featured on Cute Overload:

Ooh this looks nice:  “Multi-color blanket, perfect for snuggling during those winter nights. 100 percent hand-crocheted with acrylic yarns. Includes genuine dog noses. Fits queen bed. Allow 2 weeks delivery; no shipping to PO boxes.”

Well, that seems like a very nice deal, and … DOG NOSES?!

We'll be darned if we can't find a link to the blanket as it appeared on Etsy.  We're guessing it sold - sans Dachshund snouts.

Waiting To Be Rescued

We're waiting to be rescued in Alexandria, Louisiana. Won't somebody save us?
Via youtuber cloversweed.

Obedient Dachshund: George Richards & Hummel at Dachshund Specialty 2009

Thanks so much to our good pals 'Peaches' and 'Piper' for sending in the link to this video which is quickly going viral on vimeo.  The video, by John Richards notes:  Winners of the Utility B class of the Dachshund Speciality at Point of Rocks, Maryland October 24, 2009.
Peaches and Piper also provided a little more background:  The level of competition is "Utility B," which is the most advanced level in obedience trials. While 'Hummel' the Dachshund does well, the remarkable feature is that the handler is 97 years old.



Chew on that for a while.

Congratulations to Mr. Richards and Hummel!

Dachshund Hot Mess

Via Paste Magazine via Amazon:

So the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk may have been one of the most idiotic inventions ever, but we can all still rejoice in its creation if only for the comments section on its Amazon page:

“This product is the perfect size to allow my miniature Dachshund to not only look out the window, but also give me those sweet weiner dog kisses while I’m driving! I did a minor retrofit to fix the problem of my dachsie falling off the desk when I make a turn—-I glued Velcro strips to the upper surface and put little Velcro booties on Schatzie, so she sticks nicely through the tilts. She loves it!”

Makes driving with your Dachshund a breeze.

AN APOLOGY to a Great Lover

AN APOLOGY

to a Great Lover
by Frances Meusel for the American Dachshund, April, 1967

Before she reached that state of being Utterly and Universally Irresistible, we took Schatzie to stay at Ernie Carlson's. She is to be bred to a handsomer man than our Peterfritz, who has too many imperfections to father what we hope will be show-quality pups.

Peterfritz watched her go into the kennel with his nose pressed against the car window; they had never been separated before by more than the width of a door, and he was worried about her.

He shouldn't have been; she didn't give so much as a glance back. She said a cheerful Hullo to Ernie, started an investigation of her run, and an aloof but interested appraisal of her next-door neighbors. She forgot Peterfritz as soon as he was out of sight.

When I returned to the car a couple of hours later, Peterfritz had made nose prints on every one of the car windows, but he hadn't disturbed a banana cake left forgotten and unprotected on the seat - except to stand on the box for elevation, so he might better watch for Schatzie. This disinterest in food was unprecedented.

During the ride home, instead of falling into deep slumber the instant the car was put into gear, as he - and Schatzie - always do, he prowled. He scaled seats; he trod on gas pedals; he sat on brakes; he excavated raincoats behind the back seat (was she hiding?); he tried to sit in my lap, or on the wheel, so he could look deep into my eyes and there read an explanation for the Absence; he stayed dangerously awake and terribly distressed, and he almost had me in the ditch a dozen times before he decided that Schatzie must have been magically transported home before him, and that a fixed stare through the windshield would get him there fastest. He flew out of the car long before I had extricated myself, and he was earnestly trying to open the house door before I had my key in the lock.

On the first trip upstairs he fell down the whole uncarpeted flight of steps in his careless impatience to get there. He searched the house thrice over, inside and out, at a run that became more frantic with every fruitless passage. When he finally realized that she was not to be found anywhere, he began to weep.

I've heard dogs cry before, but never have I heard such bewilderment, such despair, such absolute heartbreak in a dog's voice. Schatzie is gone! She is LOST and gone! he cried; he cried it over and over, in every tone and pitch of which a Dachshund's vocal cords are capable. He cried it without pause, and he is still crying it almost 24 hours later!

I hear it from every nook and cranny of the house, even those dark corners where Schatzie never went because she thought Things lived in them. He looks up into my face with wide terrified eyes (oh, she's not REALLY gone, is she?) and begs me in a trembling whimper to do something, anything! only give her back to him.

I try to comfort him with forbidden delights; he eats them obediently, and moans while he chews. He creeps into my arms - not leaping up gaily, but as if he'd been punished - and puts his head on my shoulder and sobs directly into my ear, which he kisses in lieu of Schatzie. He falls asleep from pure exhaustion, and weeps while he sleeps - which is only for a moment because, perhaps she has come home and he must not waste any time finding her.

He did this all night long; I know, since it was upon my bed and person that he snatched his quick restless naps, and my pillow into which he wept.

And, periodically, when he cannot bear it another second, he turns his back on me, on the terrible desolate Schatzie-less world, on everything, and faces the bare wall, and lifts up his long Dachshund muzzle, and howls.

Have you ever heard a Dachshund really howl? Until now, I hadn't - for I'd never had a heartbroken Dachshund in the house before. It's not like a dog's howling! It's not wild, or savage! It's music!

Sometimes it's a little like a bird's singing. There's a bubbling note in it that's like a nightingale's, rather. It is sweet, and tenor, and - sad! It's so sad that one's own heart bends in the sympathy, and one cannot do one's work or concentrate on a book; listening, one hears the first song sung about all the grievous things that can happen in this world; one hears the tears of every lover who ever lost his darling girl; and there are autumn leaves falling, and the bed is empty and cold, and loving is for always....

And then there's nothing for it but to take this little woebegone songster - no, not a Dachshund, that funny low-slung, hound, nor a dog at all, but the very personification of Longing and Loving - into one's arms, and feel humble and inadequate, and even a little ashamed of being a human being whose most sincere emotion cannot help but bear the stains of thought and reason and can never again be this straight, this whole, this unashamed.

Well, it won't be long before Schatzie is back home again, and all will be fun and games once more. In the past I may have mocked at Peterfritz as a Lover. But, never again! I've seen him for what he is, and a lot of human people have pretty thin and sleazy emotions when compared to his! Peterfritz is all that rare rich stuff from which Great Lovers, and legends, and Dachshunds are made.

Image:  unrelated early 1900's postcard

Can't Handle the Flavor

Oh, we can't?  This black and tan longhair Dachshund thinks otherwise.  We're not sure if this is an official Doritos commercial or not.  It's good though!  From youtuber phokus88:  A dog asks for some Doritos. The man says no.

Our Dachshunds, Our Heroes

Whether they are keeping the yard safe from pesky squirrels and scary intruders, barking to let us know that someone is at the door (as if we didn't hear the doorbell!), or just keeping our feet warm at night, every Dachshund is our hero.  Sometimes though, our Dachshunds really rise to the occasion, as we have seen over the last several years with stories such as these:

Dachshund Heroine Recovers After Wolf Attack

Dachshund Hero Saves Her Human From Dog Attack!

Dachshund HERO Saves The Day!

Dachshund Hero Saves Cat!

Roxy, The Doxy Who Took On A Coral Snake In Her Home

Or Dachshunds so loyal that they obtain hero status:  Loyal Dachshund Dog Finds Way to Owners Funeral

Get ready to meet the newest members of this elite pack of dogs.  In the photo above, Judy Lee, of Ottumwa, Iowa, sits with her little hero, "Zoe," a 3-year-old black and tan smooth girl she rescued from a local animal shelter.   Zoe may have recognized that Lee was having a medical emergency when she was slipping into insulin shock.  Excerpt from the Ottumwa Courier:

Recently, right around Zoe and Judy’s one-year anniversary of becoming best buds, Judy slowly became aware of her dog jumping on her. It was 3 a.m. Judy tried to wake up all the way, but couldn’t.
“So she kept jumping on me, and rooting at me with her nose, licking me. She just wouldn’t stop,” said Lee.
When Lee came to, she realized she had been slipping into insulin shock. She could help herself by getting her blood sugar up; even a cup of orange juice could save her from serious health problems.
She tried, but couldn’t get to the kitchen.
“I was too weak. I couldn’t stand up.”
She could call for her mother, however, who was staying there to help after Lee had a surgical procedure.
“Zoe knew what was going on,” said Griffin. “She definitely did save Judy.”
So did Griffin, with a simple glass of juice.

Read all about the little heroine at the Ottumwa Courier.

Now meet Delene Crist who hails from Poulsbo, Washington, and her little heroine, a Dachshund-Chihuahua mix named 'Millie.'  On sleeping medications and recovering from surgery, Mrs. Crist got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.  She fell and broke her hip and sprained her wrist and could not get up.  Millie ran up the stairs to wake up Mr. Crist, jumping on his chest and knocking the sleep apnea mask off his face.  Excerpt from the Kitsap Sun:

Shaking off sleep, John Crist realized he was face to face with Millie, the family dog, and she was acting strangely. Millie had never jumped on John before and, in fact, rarely came upstairs. What's more, she seemed anxious. John tried to soothe the little dog by placing her under the bed covers. But Millie quickly tunneled to the end of the bed and popped back up on top of the covers, where she began staring at him again.
"She looked at me and then at the door," recalls John, who decided to get up out of bed and see what was troubling the 5-year-old dachshund/Chihuahua mix.

Thankfully Mrs. Crist is recovering and undergoing physical therapy after Mr. Crist was able to call 9-1-1 for help.  Read all about this little heroine at the Kitsap Sun.

Brave Dachshund at The Battle of Quebec

Give your hero dogs a big hug.

Wolfie The Dachshund Tidies Up

We need Wolfie's skills over at our house!  From youtuber ajwdragon:  Wolfie the miniature wirehaired Dachshund tidies up his blanket and toy...

Those Special Dachshunds: Meet Sparky, Who's Almost 18 Years Old!

Words can't describe the beauty of this special red longhair named 'Sparky.'  Love that frosty face!  What a blessing she must be.  Alex Levin writes:

Dear Joey and Maggie,

I've been reading your site for some time now, and I wanted to tell you about my dachshund of 17 3/4 years, Sparky. She's the sweetest little long hair who's been with us for nearly two decades! We have another dachshund (Cocoa) but she's only 4. She'll have her chance to shine...

P.S. I really hope you appreciate the top picture... it just kind of happened!

Sparky waits patiently for her dinner.

Sweetie-pie Sparky

Must Have Dachshund Christmas Ornaments

Support Dachshund rescue and have the best-looking Christmas tree in town!   Dachshund Rescue of North America offers up about 10 different styles of Dachshund Christmas tree ornaments.  Prices start at just $12.

Dachshund Christmas Cards Make Your Holidays Merry

With the holiday season fast approaching, there's not much time left to plan those Christmas and holiday cards!  Here are some new fresh designs for 2009.  Above, this holiday card could be used for any denomination, as you can custumize the inside text to your liking.  Urban and modern, each card will set you back $2.79 at cardstore.com.

Slightly vintage with bold colors describes this new Dachshund postcard which is available at All American Dachshund Rescue for just $10 for a stack of 10.  Support Dachshund Rescue and save on postage at the same time.  The back reads:  Wishing you every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming year. 

Honestly, there are so many nice Dachshund holiday cards over at Etsy, it was hard to decide which one to feature.  This one is a bit modern with its simplistic design though, something which is always welcome.  The default greeting is Wishing you Peace, Love & Joy this Holiday Season, but cards can be personalized with any message and signature.  Just $16 for ten cards at Bella Blu designs.

Check out all the Etsy Dachshund Cards by clicking here.

The Tallest Dog in the World

And it's not 'Titan,' that lovable monster from San Diego, California; it's The Really Tall Dachshund, as seen on Friday's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. 

Have a great Monday.

Dachshund News Roundup!

Proving once again that Dachtober may be over, but it's never too late to dress your Dachshund in costume, here's a Dachshund News Roundup on a seasonably cool, yet thankfully dry autumn day, Monday, November 16, 2009.  Can we get a woof?!  Above, 'Marcello,' a 5-year-old black and tan smooth who hails from warm Miami Beach, Florida, won best costume at the second annual Paws in the Park fundraiser on November 8 in Miami.  Over $15,000 was raised to benefit Friends Forever Rescue.  Way to go!  Read more and see lots of pics at The Miami Herald.

Kisses!  In Dachshund show dog news, 81 Dachshunds competed yesterday for Best of Breed at the 28th Annual Dachshund Fanciers Association of Berks County in Bern Township, Pennsylvania.  Above, Carol Johnson of Flourtown, gets a kiss from handsome red longhair 'Rory' during the show. Congrats goes out to 'Briardach's Rock Star,' also known as 'Jagger' for taking Best of Breed.  Read all about it at The Reading Eagle.

In Dachshund healthcare news, smooth brindle 'Dezi Howell' receives therapeutic laser treatment after her spay at at Caring Hands Veterinary Hospital in Billings, Montana.  Although the procedure is still considered alternative, research is showing that rarely do animal patients have inflammation or infection in the incision after the treatment.  Read all about it and some other new veterinary technologies at The Independent Record.

In Dachshund rescue news, this handsome senior black and tan smooth was found tied to a bench in a park with his Red Heeler-mix sister last Monday.  A nearby Fred Meyer store employee found a note in an elevator which asked the finder to rescue her two dogs.  He has been given the name 'Guy' at a nearby shelter.  Read more at The Curry Pilot.

And finally, in Dachshund sporting news, meet 'Bruce,' a red smooth on a mission at Saturday's master earthdog trials in Woodland, California.  The event, sponsored by The Border Terrier Club of the Redwoods, featured dogs from all over the state showing off their tunneling skills. 

Mike Delikowski of Modesto spent much of his time calling after his dachshund, Bruce, who went off exploring.
"Bruce, I've got the rat," he shouted, to no avail.

Read all about it at The Sacramento Bee.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Gloria Swanson

All right, Mr. DeMille, we're ready for our close-up.

Sometimes we're shocked and amazed to find that one of our favorite stars was also a Dachshund Lover - as is the case with the glamorous actress and icon Gloria Swanson.  Born Gloria Josephine May Swanson on March, 27, 1899, in our own hometown of Chicago, Illinois, she was most prominent during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. In 1929 Swanson successfully transitioned to talkies with The Trespasser. However, personal problems and changing tastes saw her popularity wane during the 1930s. Today she is best known for her role as Norma Desmond in the film Sunset Boulevard (1950). 

She collected husbands (six!), lovers (including Joseph P. Kennedy, and possibly Cecil B. DeMille and Rudolph Valentino), stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (two), and Academy Award Nominations (three - for Sadie Thompson, The Trespasser, and Sunset Boulevard).

Oh yeah - she was a Dachshund Lover.  While she had several dogs and cats throughout her lifetime, we've got a feeling that she was especially fond of her Dachshund, of course.  According to her archives of films, photos, and private papers which she sold to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin, her red smooth Dachshund was named 'Max.'  She even penned an article written from the viewpoint of Max titled "My Name is Max Swanson...."  We hope to be able to read that some day.

In later years she was rarely seen without a beautiful carnation, a tool she used to help her quit smoking.  Gloria Swanson had a heart ailment and passed in her sleep on April 4, 1983 at the age of 84.

 I am big. It's the pictures that got small.

As 'Norma Desmond' in Sunset Boulevard

Theatrical trailer from one of the greatest films of all time, Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard.

Play?

Untitled from Sean Van Damme on Vimeo.

Thanks so much to Elizabeth Kost for uploading this video to Vimeo so we could share it.  There were problems with the youtube video, and then problems at another site, but third time's a charm, as they say!  Without any further ado, enjoy the ever-so-handsome 'Gaius' in Play? - A Dachshund and his tennis ball take a trip around Richmond VA.
We know this will make your Friday.  Turn up the volume and have a great one!

The Dachshunds of President Grover Cleveland

In a follow-up to last November's Dachshunds in the White House story, where some university research uncovered that the only Dachshunds to have lived in the White House were that of President Grover Cleveland, more research has uncovered how President Cleveland came to be a Dachshund Lover: the Dachshunds were a gift for Mrs. Cleveland.  
From the New York Times, September 26, 1893:

WASHINGTON, Sept 26 - Three young Dachshunds arrived at the White House this morning, after a journey over land and sea of 4,000 miles.  They were sent to Mrs. Cleveland by Mr. Merritt, the United States Consul at Bremen, Germany.

Read all about the pets of the Grover Cleveland White House at  Dachshunds in the White House.
Grover Cleveland was our favorite President. 

Meet "Super Lance," Therapy Dachshund!

Ashton Prieto, 4, takes Lance the therapy dog for a walk during a visit at Miami Children's Hospital in Miami, Florida. / PHOTO BY CHRIS CUTRO

Need some Dachshund inspiration on your Friday?  Look no further than handsome red smooth 'Lance,' a disabled Dachshund who hails from Coconut Grove, Florida.  While most Dachshunds spend their time sleeping away the day, Lance spends every Tuesday at Miami Children's Hospital, putting big smiles on childrens' faces.   

Ashton Prieto, 4, (above) had been a patient at the hospital for two weeks when Stinchi, Lance's human, saw him on his yellow car stroller calling for Lance.
``The dog is mine. He's pretty,'' said Ashton, taking the leash from Stinchi and toddling away with Lance.

Read all about Lance and see lots of great pics at the Miami Herald. Lance was even included in a new mural painted in the lobby of the hospital!  Go Lance Go. 

Weenie Dog Nativity

Thanks to our good pal 'Polly' for sending in the link to The Weenie Dog Nativity Set! This Dachshund nativity set would brighten any Christian home for the holidays, and includes Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. It's a hand-made one-of-a-kind creation that can be yours for $75 from The Pink Koala at Etsy. 

As a funny side note, we've got a Dachshund friend in Chicagoland who puts out her larger Dachshund figures next to the sheep in her nativity scene on her lawn for the holidays. We're sure the neighbors love it!

Moxie, The Dachshund of Fallingwater

Moxie, The Dachshund of Fallingwater is a brand new children's book written and illustrated by Fallingwater's Curator of Education, Cara Armstrong. "Fallingwater," also known as the Edgar J. Kaufmann Sr. Residence, is a house designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1934 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.  Original Fallingwater owner Mrs. Kaufmann raised Dachshunds as show dogs!
This children's book romps through Fallingwater through the character of one of the Kaufmann Dachshunds, a longhair named 'Moxie.' With humor and intelligence, Armstrong not only provides a wonderfully imaginative child's tale, but also teaches the child many basics of architecture in general and of Fallingwater. While the book won't be distributed nationally and internationally until April 2010, signed copies are available now, only at the Fallingwater Museum Store.
Find out even more about Moxie and the Kaufmann Dachshunds, and see some illustrations from the book at Inside Laurel Highlands.

According to Pittsburgh Live, the author recently had a book signing at Fallingwater, and actor Val Kilmer, seen here as Jim Morrison in the movie The Doors, picked up a few copies for his children.

Dachshunds in History: Meet L.B., who is a Very Important Pup

In honor of Veterans Day, 2009, we bring you this patriotic Dachshund tale.

Meet L.B., who is a Very Important Pup
via the American Dachshund magazine, September, 1967

L.B., a Dachshund under a year old, disembarked in June at Long Beach, California.  She had been aboard the USS Maddox, a destroyer that ploughed the waters off Vietnam with the 7th Fleet.  LB was part of the effort to keep shipments of weapons and supplies going to the Viet Cong.
Disembarking with LB was Marshall Lichterman of Alhambra, California, yeoman 3rd class and ship's postal clerk.
When the Maddox called at Wellington, New Zealand in May, a newspaper there, The Dominion, reported that she was named LB for Long Beach, the Maddox's home port, that LB had 15 assorted sweaters for different kinds of weather, two naval uniforms tailor-made for her at Hong Kong, and two polo-neck jerseys for really cold weather.
Also, LB had her own miniature lifebelt.  She slept in her own bunk.  She had her own identification card with pawprints and details of height, length, and weight, her own liberty card, and a service record.
Though frightened at first of the Maddox's 10 guns, she became accustomed to them, but she went to the bow if the aft guns were operating, and aft if the forward guns were firing.
"Many of the ship's visitors aren't at all interested in the guns or the torpedo tubes," said the New Zealand newspaper.  "All they want to see is LB."
The crew said that LB, like a good sailor, had sturdy sea legs.
Virginia Glass, Long Beach, California, who supplied this information wonders whether there ever before was "a lady war Dachshund."   About 1950 The American Dachshund told a similar story about a gentleman Dachshund who sailed Navy style.
Mrs. Glass talked to the commanding officer of the Maddox, and reported the crew thrilled to think their mascot's picture would be in The American Dachshund.  A copy of this issue is being mailed to Lt. Joshua Johnston.
(Editor's note to LB:  Please con the Navy into trimming those nails.)

Woof, WOOF!  Don't miss some amazing stories of Dachshunds and the military from the archives:

Happy Memorial Day

Veterans Day and Dachshunds

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Fritz and the "Jane" Cartoon Series

Dachshunds in History: The Saga of Sgt. Wally D. Hund

Dachshunds Reunited with their Dads in the News

Dachshunds and Veterans Day

Dachshunds Teleconferencing with their Dads in Iraq in the News

Dachshunds in History: Mimi, A Most Unpopular Dog During WW2

Memorial Day Dachshund: Meet Gus

Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Vietnam War Veteran Jim Quick and his dachshund

Dachshund News Roundup! - story on Iraq War Veteran Scott MacKenzie and his new rescue boy

Dachshunds in History: Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark!

Dachshunds in History: Dogs of War

Dachshunds and Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day!

Dachshund Homecoming

Continuing on with honoring those who served in the military on this Veterans Day, there's no homecoming quite like a Dachshund homecoming, right? From youtuber becksdh: After nearly eight months away from home on deployment with the U.S. Navy to Kuwait, my two dachshunds were very happy to see me again. Franklin is the black and tan male and Sally is the red/brown female. Both are two years old and both were rescue dogs. For more information contact Southern States Dachshund Rescue at ssdr.org and Dachshund Rescue of North America at drna.org for more dachshunds in need of a good home. They are the best dogs ever.

Rescue Dachshund Nurses Rescue Kitties

Uh Oh.  Cute Alert.  What happens when 4 abandoned kitties need a momma and the only momma at the shelter is a Dachshund who just had 2 puppies?  That's right, she took in the kitties as her own.  Meet 'Jackie-O,' her 2 puppies, and 2 of her 4 adopted kitties, who are calling the Young County Humane Society Shelter in Graham, Texas, their home for now.  Excerpt from The Graham Leader:

Kim Baxter put one cat in the cage with the mother dog and her two 4-day-old puppies and was surprised to see the dog immediately take to the kitten. She slowly put in the other three.
“She took them right away and started cleaning them,” Baxter said.
Over the last few weeks, the kittens have become part of the litter, eating with the puppies, playing with the puppies and sleeping with the puppies. As a result, the mother dog and her litter believe they are all puppies.

Love it?  Read all about it at The Graham Leader.

Related:  Dachshunds Nursing Kitties in the News

Related:  Dachshunds in the News:  Kitty Induces False Pregnancy and Nursing Response

Related:  Red Piebald Dachshund Mom and Pups Adopt Kitty (video)

Dachshund Lovers

Photo:  Emily Robson/The Morning Call

Meet Jim and Pat Schin and their four Dachshund girls, 'Gretel,' 'Lili,' 'Magda,' and 'Zuzu,' who hail from Coplay, Pennsylvania.  The dogs' tricks include nap-taking and manipulating their humans, who note:  If we could, we'd get 97 more and make a movie!  Dachshunds rule!

Read all about them at The Morning Call.

Dachshunds in Pop Culture: Roddy McDowall

Who?  We think you know!  Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was an English-born actor and photographer who will always be best known for his roles in "How Green Was My Valley," "Lassie Come Home," and "Planet of the Apes."
Via the internet movie database, Roderick McDowall was born in London, the son of a Merchant Mariner father and a mother who had always wanted to be in movies. He was enrolled in elocution courses at age five and by ten had appeared in his first film, "Murder in the Family" (1938).   His mother brought Roddy and his sister to the US at the beginning of World War II, and he soon got the part of Huw, youngest child in a family of Welsh coal miners, in John Ford's "How Green Was My Valley" (1941), acting alongside Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara and Donald Crisp in the film that won that year's best film Oscar. He went on to many other child roles, in films like "My Friend Flicka" (1943) and "Lassie Come Home" (1943) until, at age 18, he moved to New York, where he played a long series of successful stage roles.  In addition to making many more movies (over 150), McDowell acted in television, developed an extensive collection of movies and Hollywood memorabilia, and published five acclaimed books of his own photography. He died at his Los Angeles home, aged 70, of cancer.
The above image was taken from an old Friskies ad.  Unfortunately we don't know the name of his handsome red smooth Dachshund, but if anyone has any more information, by all means send it in!

These two photos are via A Tribute To Roddy McDowall.  The second photo shows Mr. McDowall with his father.

Roddy once shared a hot dog with actor, singer, and former teen idol Tab Hunter. 

"Planet of the Apes"