DECORATION FOR A HERO

Meet 'Adolph' and his Human, Stephen Sweeney, 1959

Dear Gentle Readers,
     Please pardon our absence as of late, but we've had some family emergencies in the last few weeks and haven't been able to provide any updates.  We haven't even been near a computer for weeks on end.  Things are not good, although thankfully they are improving - Dachtober, so much to answer for.
     But today is Veterans Day 2013, and as we have done on Memorial Day and Veterans Day for all of our years here at The Long and Short of it All, we take time to honor those who served in the armed forces - and the Dachshunds who stood by their side.
     So let's head back to August 19th, 1959, where this handsome little War-Hero Dachshund-mix was honored with a gold collar as Newsday's Pet of the Year.  Here's how it all went down:

Sgt. Adolph Sweeney, a distinguished "war hero," was called front and center again today - perhaps for the last time - to receive the accolade of civilian Long Island.  Voters named him Pet of the Year in Newsday's annual Golden Collar contest.
The 17-year-old Dachshund-Beagle, who suffers from serious heart trouble since an attack last March, apparently won the hearts of voters.  They gave him more than triple the votes of his nearest competitor, the tiger-cat Mr. Peepers.
Adolph, owned by Stephen Sweeney, a chauffeur of 30 Madison Ave, Franklin Square, New York, brought to this year's competition an exciting war record.
He flew 39 World War II missions over Germany with his master, a veteran of the Army Air Corps.  Adolph was presented with the same medals that Sweeney earned:  the Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and other citations.  As mascot of a B-17 Flying Fortress, he logged 800 hours flying time from bases in Italy, England, and North Africa.
"But this award," said his master yesterday, "is the best.  It gives me something awfully nice to remember him by."
In the last few years, Sweeney explained, Adolph's health has slipped badly.  "He lost his hearing completely two years ago," Sweeney said.  "Then that heart attack in March.  He just won't be around much longer, that's all."  Adolph's age is comparable to 84 years of a human life, it was estimated by a spokesman at Farmingdale Animal Hospital.
Largely on the basis of his dramatic story, Adolph was selected by Newsday judges as the sixth Pet of the Week.  Then readers voted him Pet of the Year.  He will receive a solid gold collar to mark this title.

Adolph and Human in Uniform in 1945 Photo

 

 

If you are a new reader at The Long and Short of it All, you will definitely want to visit the archives for some absolutely amazing military-inspired Dachshund tales and images:

Veterans Day 2012: Meet Schnapps and Booby Trap!

 

Memorial Day 2012: Historic Dachshund Fun

Airman Apprentice Able, Red Smooth

 

Dog Is My Co-Pilot

Dachshund Homecoming Video

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

Bombs Away!

Dachshund Vs Golden Retriever

A Golden Wiener?  A Wiener Retriever?

This photo is making a splash on the net - it was originally posted on Reddit a few days ago under the title "This is what you get when you cross a Dachshund and a golden retriever."  Some 1300(!) comments later, it was posted to MSN where they noted:

You've got to wonder how this happened: "You've got a lot of confidence for a dog your size. I like that," a golden retriever said flirtatiously to a dachshund. "Well, today's your lucky day, because I've got a thing for tall blondes," the dachshund replied with a roguish wink. After a few dates in the park, a coy game of tug and war, the love of a lifetime blossomed between the fetching couple, and along came this guy, a gorgeous golden retriever-dachshund mix. You don't see this kind of dog very often, but we sort of want one. He makes us believe all those romantic comedies about how opposites attract.

What do you think this doggie is?  An English Cream?  An odd but pretty red longhair?  A red longhair mix?  Or is he/she really a Dachshund/Golden Retriever mix?

Happy Birthday Gracie!

It's the Birthday Girl!

 

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

Hi Rowdy and Bette!!!

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

Love you guys :)

Dachshund Mix Missing For Six Months Turns Up At Adoption Event

We always love a good doggie reunion story.  It just goes to show that you can never give up hope. Here, an 11-year-old Dachshund Mix named 'Tinkerbell' from Rocky Mount, Virginia, goes astray and ends up missing for 6 months.  She was finally found some 70 miles from her home and reunited with her family by surprise at an adoption event!  Via WCSH.

Is It Or Isn't It A Dachshund On The New Yorker?

Thanks to several of our friends for sending in a scan of the April 30, 2012 cover of The New Yorker magazine.  Some of our friends say it's a Dachshund, some of our friends say no way.  Generally when faced with such a dilemma, we go by the old adage:  If you have to ask yourself if it's a Dachshund, then it's probably not. 

We'll settle for Dachshund mix on this one.  And how hilarious is this cover?

Firefighters Rescue Dachshund Stuck in Tree in Cemetery

We couldn't make this one up if we tried!  We've all heard of firefighters rescuing cats from trees, but have you ever heard of a dog needing rescue from a tree, much less a Dachshund?  Well, meet red longhair 'Cappy,' a pretty rescue-girl who hails from Beaufort, South Carolina.  Cappy went missing about 6 PM Sunday, and her human, Mimi Austin, asked for help finding her on facebook.  So, her friends joined in the search at about 12:30 in the morning.  Excerpt from The Island Packet:

They went straight to the cemetery, which is close to Austin's house.
Flashlights in hand, the women searched until they thought they heard barking in the back of the cemetery.
"We rushed to where we thought we heard it, and we traced it to this big oak tree with major brush around it," she said. "Once we got to the tree, the barking stopped."
Austin was on her porch and came rushing over at the familiar sound of Cappy's bark. Thinking her dog was caught in the brush, she started cutting some of it away with clippers.
The women started getting frustrated with searching in the dark, when two Beaufort police officers stopped by to see what three women, a dog and a car were doing in the rear of the cemetery, Mrs. Austin's friend Kim Bonturi said. One officer shone his light up in the tree and spotted the dog.
The dachshund had climbed up 12 feet in the tree, out of reach of the women and officers even with Bonturi's eight-foot ladder.
The women had to wait about 45 minutes until firefighters Vezin and David Evans, who had been out on a medical call, arrived with a ladder.
"She was just happy to be in her mom's arms," Bonturi said of the dachshund.
Cappy seemed to be fine, Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department spokesman John

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/04/09/2030373/firefighters-rescue-dog-from-tree.html#storylink=cpy

Robinson said.
The dog lapped up an entire bowl of water when she got home, said Bonturi, who works with Chain Free Beaufort, a nonprofit dedicated to helping animals.

A Plea For Help

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/04/09/2030373/firefighters-rescue-dog-from-tree.html#storylink=cpy

Those Special Dachshund Mixes: Meet Giles!

And what a BIG beautiful boy he is!  Wow!  Thanks so much to Dan Marshall for writing in about the big love of his life:  a Dachshund/Great Dane mix - yes, let's repeat that - a Dachshund/Great Dane mix who goes by the name of Giles!  He writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I was bored and doing some google searching, seeing if I could find other dogs like mine. I have a 1.5 year old dachshund (father) / great dane (mother) mix that looks almost identical to Garnet, the dog you posted about here:  When A Dachshund Met A Dane....

I was wondering if you had any information about whether or not Garnet got adopted? I'd be curious to share info with her new parents!

Here are some pics of my guy, just so you can see how adorable he is ;) He's super friendly with people and other dogs!

His name is Rupert Giles (goes by Giles).

Unfortunately we have no idea if Garnet was adopted.  But we tend to think that a beautiful girl like her was snapped up pretty quickly!

Giles!

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Smiles!

Caleb Doughty, 9, cuddles with his Dachshund-mix Sky last Tuesday when she was found after she’d been missing 25 days. Sky’s crate was smashed when the Doughty’s Canebrake, Alabama home was struck by a March 2 tornado and Sky was either carried away by the storm or ran in panic.  Excerpt from The News Courier:

The 6-year-old dachshund-mix with one brown eye and one blue one had been adopted from the shelter Peace, Love & Animals.

“She’s my sister,” Caleb said. The 9-year-old home-schooled student considers the pets his siblings.

The family, as well as volunteers from Canebrake subdivision, immediately began searching the neighborhood and nearby woods.

They posted signs and placed notices on the Facebook page of the Canebrake Club.

Everyone wanted to help reunite the family with its pet. Someone with Animal Control donated humane traps, which capture a pet without harming it, and construction workers who were repairing damaged homes in the area set out dog treats in hopes of luring Sky.

Flo would receive calls of “Sky sightings,” with the farthest about a mile from the home. After a sighting at Hole 5 on the golf course, several men in golf carts met Flo to aid in a search. “They said, ‘We came to help you find your dog,’” Flo said. “The community was so nice.”

Then, she heard Sky was seen on a nearby street and set a trap in the garage of a home on the street behind her home.

The next morning, 25 days after the tornadoes, construction workers found Sky, tail wagging, inside the crate. 

The family drove over from the apartment in Madison where they are living until their home is repaired.

“We were just astonished,” Caleb said.

 Flo said, “We let Sky sleep with us that first night and she snored all night. She was so tired from her adventure.”

“I prayed and prayed, hoping the persistence would pay off,” Flo said, citing the Biblical parable of the persistent widow.

Welcome Home Sky!

Beyonce the Dachshund Mix: World's Smallest Puppy Dog?

Thanks to the many folks who sent us emails and comments this week about little 'Beyonce,' the Dachshund-Chihuahua mix puppy who may be the smallest dog on the planet!  Beyonce was born March 8 to a rescue dog that was found abandoned, wandering the streets of San Bernardino, California. At birth, she weighed just 1 ounce and could fit into a teaspoon. Her caretakers say she's one of the smallest puppies ever born full-term - and she has captured the attention of the world.  She was given the name 'Beyonce' because of the singer's song I'm A Survivor. 
Little Beyonce has been busy this week for such a young gal - traveling to New York to appear with Dachshund Lover George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, and in the above interview for Associated Press.
We hope the little girl stays healthy and lives a long happy life with a wonderful home!

Photo By Bebeto Matthews for the Associated Press

Keeping Up With Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos, Daisy, and Charlie

(UPDATE:  Video deleted from youtube by Home Box Office, Inc.)  We've featured American television journalist and former political advisor George Stephanopoulos a few times here in the past, most notably when he lost his Dachshund 'Gilbert,' and when he adopted his new Dachshund Daisy!  Now George's wife, actress and comedienne Alexandra Wentworth, is making the rounds in magazines and television programs talking about and allowing photos to be taken of...what else....her Dachshunds!
Above, thanks to an Anonymous Dachshund Lover for letting us know that Ali appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on February 17th.  Obviously a lot of politics is discussed, but you don't want to miss the good part that starts at about 5:30 in, where she talks about going to Dachshund Lover Donald Rumsfeld's house, and they talk about their love of Long Dogs. 

Here, thanks to our pal who is also named 'Ali' for letting us know that Ali and her mother were featured in the February 2012 Town & Country magazine:  Cabot and Wentworth adore dogs.  Pictured here are Ali's Dachshund Daisy (in her arms), her terrier mix [Dachshund mix?] Charlie (center), and their spaniel playmate Summer. 

And here's a sneak peek at George and Ali's New York home via the March, 2012 Architectural Digest magazine:  Charlie, left, and Daisy on chairs by David Iatesta in the breakfast area; the hanging lamp is by Vaughan. 

And finally, here is a close-up of a young Daisy via George Stephanopoulos' Twitter Page.

When A Dachshund Met A Dane....

You can see it in her eyes

We can only imagine that Once Upon A Time, a brave and fiesty young Dachshund met the girl of his dreams....

What happened next boggles the mind a bit, but the end result was 'Garnet,' a beautiful Texas gem who, at least as of a few days ago, was in search of her forever home.  Via WOAI4:

Garnet is a 4-year-old, female, Dachshund/Great Dane mix. She was a stray wondering the streets, but luckily she found her way to the shelter and now can have a chance at finding her forever home.

Garnet is a little shy but she still enjoys meeting new people. She will wag her long body to show her appreciation for your visit. She also enjoys running and playing with toys.

If you are looking to add a short-legged friend to your life, adopt Garnet at the San Antonio Humane Society today.

Dachshund Mix Tries To Rescue Kitties

Your dose of Friday Cute - it's a short little story, taken in its entirety from  South Mississippi's Sun Herald:

It wasn’t unusual to see J.J. come through his doggy door. After all, it was there just for the beagle/dachshund’s use.
But Crystal Crawford of St. Martin was surprised to see what was in her dog’s mouth Thursday.
“He was carrying a kitten in, very gently,” she said. After carefully placing the kitten on the floor, J.J. went back outside and returned with another.
Eventually, the dog brought in six tiny kittens, to his owner’s bemusement. Crawford and her son began looking for the kittens’ mother, but a search along the road revealed nothing.
Meanwhile, J.J. began displaying some very nurturing tendencies.
“He would lie next to them and lick them, like their mother would have,” she said.
J.J.’s concern was strong, but not enough to save the kittens.
The veterinarian who checked out the kittens told Crawford they had been alone in the woods for too long, and there were other complications. They died over the weekend.
J.J. is still a hero in the Crawford household.
“He did his best for them,” his owner said. “He’s my hero dog.”

Awwwwww.....J.J. is such a great little guy!

Dachshund Mix Puppy Undergoes Tricky Surgery For Rare Disorder

Meet cute 5-month-old red smooth piebald mix 'Panini' and her human Kim Heffington, who hail from San Dimas, California.   Poor Panini was born with a "peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia," essentially a hole in her diaphragm that allows organs to move loosely in her body.  This condition is fatal if left untreated, as the heart can be suffocated by the shifting of other organs. 
Her team at San Dimas Animal Hospital, Manuhar Singh, left above, Chris Bory, right, and vet technician Arin Hodge, didn't feel comfortable doing the surgery to correct the ailment, and the only other facility who would take the case was UC Davis, but the cost proved prohibitive.  Excerpt from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

That left Bory and Singh to do the procedure themselves.
"For us, we wanted to save the life of the dog," Singh said.
They prepared by doing research on medical treatments, and Singh consulted a veterinarian in Carlsbad who had experience with PPDH.
The surgery took a little over half an hour, during which Singh moved Panini's liver back into its proper place and repaired the diaphragm wall.
After that, Panini spent a day in intensive care at East Valley Emergency Pet Clinic in Diamond Bar and then another week at San Dimas Animal Hospital for recovery.
"Everything went really smoothly," Singh said.
Bory added, "We feel confident now that we could do it again."

We're so glad to hear that Panini got another chance at life and is doing so well.  Read more about this little girl at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Vintage Dachshund Fun

Watch where you're pointing that thing Davy Crockett.

Mid-century photo source unknown.

Lost Star Jorge Garcia Heartbroken After Losing His ChiWeenie

Our hearts go out to Lost star Jorge Garcia, who announced yesterday that his Dachshund-Chihuahua mix 'Nunu' was run over and killed by a motorist on Sunday in Hawaii.  Excerpt from the Daily Mail:

Writing on his blog, Garcia said: "It breaks my heart to tell you that yesterday as we were preparing to all go to the airport Nunu was struck by a car as she crossed the street.

She died in my arms.

We are burying her in the Pet Garden at Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe. Nunu hated the water.

So we couldn't bring ourselves to having her ashes scattered in the ocean.

Three months from now you'll be able to find a bronze plaque inscribed with just her name there. If you'd like to leave a flower or a toy, I'm sure she'd love it.

We love and miss her very much.

See lots of photos of Nunu at Mr. Garcia's blog, Dispatches from the Island.  RIP little girl. 

Thanks to our Kansas City pal 'Dash' for the story tip!

Mixing Things Up A Bit

So we take a week off for a little vacation, and oddly the Dachshund news is a little sparse while we're gone - maybe everyone was busy celebrating Mother's Day with their Dachshund Moms?   Regardless, we're always happy to share some news stories with our Dachshund mix cousins, like this handsome little guy, a Dachshund-Jack Russel mix named 'Paco' who made headlines this week after Delta airlines lost him in Mexico City.  His humans had just found him as a stray in Puerto Vallarta, vetted him, and was in the process of transporting him back with them to their home in Canada.  Delta initially offered the couple a $200 refund in fees paid for Paco -- as a credit toward a future flight on Delta.  Nice.  "I think that this is completely absurd, as there is no chance of me flying with Delta Air Lines again," his human said.  Delta has offered additional compensations and apologies after the story broke on Consumerist.com.  Source.

How safe is your pet while flying?  Don't miss the troubling Airline Animal Incident Reports at Third Ammendment.com.

Meanwhile, in the Hero department, meet 'Riki,' a three-year-old Dachshund-Pomeranian mix who hails from Olympia, Washington.  He and his human came home on Tuesday to find a burglar breaking one of the windows, when little Riki went into action, chasing the burglar out of the house and down the street!  Way to go Riki!   The city's K9 unit was dispatched and led police to the perp.  Mitzi Lisle, Riki's human, was able to recover her belongings.  “Everyone on the block is calling him killer,” Lisle said Wednesday.

Read more at the News Tribune.



And finally, thank Dog it's Friday, and if you're like us, you're jumping for joy.  So is 'Burt,' seen here, a Dachshund-Rottweiler mix who, according to his human, holds the Long-Jump World Title for his weight class. At 6 seconds into the video clip you can see his world-renown 15-Footer!   Might as well jump, as they say.  Have a great Friday.

Vintage Dachshund Tether

Whether it's Dachshund, Dachshund mix, or any dog, we weep for the canines who are forced to the tether - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Find out about what's being done to free dogs from chains at Dogs Deserve Better.

Related:  Dachshunds CHAINED

Related:  Dachshund Owners Chaining Themselves in the News

Vintage photo source unknown.

Putzi and the Fish

Putzi the famous Palm Beach Dachshund got a fish.  See more videos of 'Putzi' at her youtube site:  Putzi Channel.

And speaking of Dachshunds and raw fish, or at least Dachshund mixes and raw fish, meet 'Della,' a cute Dachshund-Boxer mix who hails from Lake Elsinore, California.  Della found herself with a serious illness after eating some remnants of a raw trout her dad had caught while fishing.  The trout was infected with a parasite leading to what is commonly known as 'salmon poisoning' in dogs.  If caught in time it can be treated, but it is often fatal to dogs.  Oddly the parasite is harmless to humans.  Read all about Della's dilemma at The Press-Enterprise. 

After Years on the Streets and Eluding Authorities, Dachsie Mix Finally Gets His Home

Meet 'Ike.'  This pretty longhair black and tan Dachshund mix has been living on the streets of Ruston, Louisiana for several years now; he is believed to be a lost soul from Hurricane Ike, which hit the area in September of 2008.  Since then, he's been a bit of an urban legend, often seen in the grass along I-20, scavenging for food or maybe even a helping hand.  Excerpt from the Ruston Daily Leader:

A Sexton Animal Clinic employee who previously worked for Ruston Animal Control said officials had tried to catch the dog in the past, but he ignored traps set to catch him and ran from anyone who even appeared to be trying to catch him.
But recently, both good and bad luck finally caught up to “Ike,” injuring him but setting him up with a brighter future and more comfortable home in the long run.
The longhaired dachshund mix had finally been hit by a car and picked up injured along I-20.
Ike’s new home will be with City of Ruston employee Pat Doane and her husband.
“I’ve noticed the dog sitting on I-20 for years,” Doane said. “He’d just sit and watch, like he’s a hunting dog waiting for his owner’s truck to come by. I had called Animal Control about him and knew about him, so when an Animal Control employee came by our office last week, he told me what had happened and that the dog was at the Sexton Clinic.”
Doane, who said she went out and bought supplies last night and will bring Ike to his new home today, said she thought about the dog for a couple of days and “couldn’t stand it any longer, so I went and checked on him and fell in love with him.”

Wow.  It's finally Ike's time to be loved again.  Read all about him at the Ruston Daily Leader.

A Doxie Snow Day From North Texas

Thanks so much to David B for sending in some action shots of his crew, 'Polamalu' and 'Harley,' enjoying some unusual snowfall in Dallas-Fort Worth!  He writes:

Hi there Joey and Maggie!

Here is 12-month-old Polamalu and his rescued 11-month-old half doxie/beagle mix sister Harley enjoying a very rare massive snow fall (8 in) in DFW Texas! They are both avid readers of The Long and Short of it All and we wanted to share their day with y'all. Enjoy!

(click any photo to enlarge and admire)