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It seems everywhere I turn, there are sausage dogs needing a new, forever home. Just yesterday, I was made aware of three different pairs, all under two years of age. It certainly doesn’t help that they’re all over the internet, thousands of photographs and videos with their celebrity and influencer owners. Plus, there’s no denying they are cute; their long ears, soft muzzles, deep, brown, soulful eyes and tiny little legs all of which stimulate the endorphin and dopamine centres of our brains.
Puppy prices of doxies have risen from an average of £300 10 years ago, to up to £3,500 today, and yet still people are buying and abandoning them in droves.
When I rescued Willow and Bear, one of the few things that came with them were their KC registration documents and purchase receipts. Willow had cost them £3,400, whereas little Bear was only £400.00. One of the things that baffled me in the first instance was, why would you pay those prices then, not only abandon them by the time they were two, but treat Bear, in particular, with cruelty?
Of course, the original story that was told to us has proved to be total nonsense. Willow, they said, was spayed, but when I quizzed them, they admitted she wasn’t. When I took her to be spayed myself, the vet believed she had only recently been separated from her puppies. I suppose when you think that a dachshund can have up to six puppies in one litter, that’s a pretty lucrative payout! I can only assume that little Bear’s purchase price and physical deformities meant, to them, he was ‘just’ the sire, reflected in the way he was treated.
Willow certainly fears people and new situations the most, but she isn’t the one to roll into submission, scream and cover her little face with her paws as Bear would. Witnessing his abuse could equally account for her fears, her persistent ‘Willowing’ and constant desire to please.
Although that same ‘cuteness’ is also a problem. It belies the fact that these little dogs were bred to hunt badgers. Yes, they’re loyal, affectionate, cute, and funny, but they’re also incredibly noisy and stubborn. They can suffer from separation anxiety and be incredibly nervous and snappy if not well socialised with people, places and other dogs when puppies. Worst of all, overbreeding has resulted in many health and back issues, all adding up to eye-wateringly expensive vet bills.
Your dachshund will ask to be let outside, even if you’ve just let him in; choose to sleep inside your clothing, pinning you to the sofa or anywhere else, where you can trip over him; must sample whatever you’re eating off the plate; will complain loudly if you come home smelling of another dog; follow you everywhere, even to the loo and if you should ‘shhhh’ him from barking because you’re on the phone, he will always bark even louder.
He will stick to you like glue until you need him to, whereupon he will wander off and become selectively deaf. All playing must be enacted on demand, approximately twice a day and punctuated with a high-pitched, ear-splitting yapping as his tail whips around like a propeller. All dogs need training, but dachshunds need a lot of it, and I mean a lot! On the plus side, you’ll never be cold in bed again. And for tiny dogs, they are brilliant burglar alarms and have huge hearts that – once you’ve proven yourself – are given unreservedly yours.
Of course, we’ve seen this before. It was Dalmatians after the remake of a certain well-known film, and both pugs and French bulldogs have suffered the same fate with the celebrity factor, so it’s not surprising if it’s now the dachshund’s turn.
Truth be told, I’d love another 10 of them, but I’m both practical and a realist, so two is enough for me. However, it pulls at my heartstrings every time I hear another pair needing a home, which is almost daily.
When I was a child, you only ever saw red and black and tan standard dachshund. They were the prerogative of wealthy old ladies who shopped in Harrods, with a bad reputation for hanging on to – and ripping – gentlemen’s trouser turn-ups, so they have come a long way. I admit that on the plus side, they’re much more social, friendly little companions than they were. Yet, perhaps for that very reason, they’re victims of their own cuteness, bought and then discarded like a commodity, not a living, breathing little dog with feelings.
So if you’re thinking of getting your own sausage, supply your neighbours with ear defenders and be prepared to share your bed. For me, they’re worth any sacrifices you might make, like ever doing anything on your own again. But there are negatives, and perhaps if people researched the breed, instead of just looking at those little wrinkly knees, there might not be so many homeless doxies looking for forever homes.
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