#1 My Dachshund Turned 15 Today, So Here She Is In Her Quinceañera Flower Crown
Breeders created two different sizes of dachshunds: standard, which weighs up to 35 pounds, and miniature - up to 11 pounds, with smooth, wirehaired, or longhaired coats.
Besides the dogs’ distinct physical features such as their long bodies, floppy ears, and expressive eyes, they are also known as courageous, very intelligent and fiercely loyal to their families, making them excellent watchdogs.
Jurgita Klepeckė from Lithuania, who has worked with dog training and dog agility sport for about 15 years and as a dog groomer for more than 3 years, bought her first mini dachshund named Topas 16 years ago. Then, after about two years, she decided that one dog was not enough and another mini dachshund, Kapri, arrived to their family.
"Since then we have had our most active and incredible journey with the dachshunds, including trainings, dog shows and dog agility sport, which finally has become my biggest passion and hobby," the woman shared in an interview with Bored Panda.
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Jurgita shared with us that despite his short legs, Topas even reached the highest level in agility, yet, unfortunately, this year, he crossed the rainbow bridge at almost 16 years of age, leaving lots of nice memories and awards.
Now the woman has only 13-year-old Kapri and is already planning to have another dachshund in the near future.
Jurgita said that she has met lots of dog breeds while working as a groomer, but dachshunds still remain her first and the best choice.
"Even though they are sometimes stubborn and have their own opinion about certain things, they are also really smart and fast learners," she explained.
"I can't really remember why I always wanted a dachshund but it was my best decision to get one, which made a huge influence in my life, including new hobby, new friends, even new profession and my own personality change as you can not be weak or without opinion once you own a dachshund. Otherwise the dachshund will become the boss of the house," she added.
Probably not everyone knows that a dachshund was the first Olympic mascot of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games due to the animal’s popularity in Bavaria.
The dog named Waldi was created by German designer Otl Aicher, who was also responsible for designing the logo for German airline Lufthansa, and represented resistance, tenacity and agility.
Waldi had a real-life alter ego, a long-haired dog called Cherie von Birkenhof. The Munich Games Organising Committee President, Willi Daume, had given the dog to the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) President, Félix Lévitan, in 1970.
The marathon route in the 1972 Olympics was also created to resemble Waldi, making it the shape of a dachshund.
Another interesting fact is that there are dachshund races. They started in Australia back in the 1970s and rapidly spread around the world.
For instance, the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals, a dachshund racing event at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California, has been held annually since 1996. This year the purpose of this fun race was to raise funds for the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, which is dedicated to finding homes for stray animals in the Orange County area.
Even though when we think of dachshunds, speed probably isn’t the first thing that comes to our mind, these dogs are actually quite fast - they can run up to 15–20 mph for short periods of time.
Speaking of running, despite their tiny size, dachshunds need regular exercise to support their backs; therefore, simple walking around the house is not enough for them to stay fit and healthy.
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The loveable and intelligent dachshund has also been popular among many famous people over the centuries, including Queen Elizabeth II, Kaiser Wilhelm II, David Bowie, Clint Eastwood, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, John F. Kennedy, Kirsten Dunst, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, and many others.
And nowadays, one of the most famous of this breed is a fifteen-year-old dachshund called Crusoe from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He gained internet fame for his homemade costumes and viral videos, blog and books.
Since appearing on social media for the first time as a sarcastic moniker in 2011, Crusoe has gained over 4 million followers all over the world.
For those curious about his creative and adventurous personality, you can find him on Instagram.
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Dachshunds have also left an unforgettable mark on my own heart. I always wanted to have a dog, but never had conditions for one, yet once our friends left us to take care of theirs for some time when they went on holidays and those days were probably the happiest in my entire life!
The long-haired dachshund with the adorably cute name Pickle loved to chase us on the beach and watch the waves rolling. He would always sleep in my embrace and I could listen to his little heart beating next to mine.
“Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer,” once said Dean Koontz, and I truly agree with him.
I believe everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong, yet it's truly impressive how much joy, love and intelligence fit in such a tiny one as a dachshund.
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