There’s something about a Dachshund that makes many people passionate about the breed. It could be their personality, the wiggle of their tail or their long slender body. According to an organization that rescues these cute bundles of fur, it’s best to do you homework and really learn about Dachshund’s before you add this breed or any dog to your home.
“Rescues are a really great place to start to learn more about any breed of dog,” says Lori Biesboer of the Midwest Dachshund Rescue. “They love all the wonderful things about their breed but also have a great understanding of the downside of any particular dog breed because they deal with the reasons why dogs from that breed are often given up. It’s a great resource to learn the pros and cons about a dog breed. Check out events and meet-ups to spend time with dogs and the families living with them every day.”
Here are a few things to consider before adding a Dachshund to your home.
- Toddlers - Many Dachshunds are not good with toddlers because children move too fast for them and they tend to get nippy with toddlers and young children. It’s one of the main reasons why owners with small children surrender this breed.
- Size Matters - Around 50-percent of the dogs do not like big dogs. They try to be a 90-pound dog instead of a 9-pound dog. If you already have a larger dog or socialize frequently with larger dogs, it’s best to have a Dachshund tested with larger dogs before finalizing an adoption.
- Protective Pets - Dachshund’s are very protective of their people and are prone to barking a lot. That is less of a problem in a house but it’s not a good thing if you live in an apartment, condo or town home.
- Prey Drive - They have a high prey drive for squirrels and rabbits and will scour the yard to catch and kill them.
- Burrowing - The breed isn’t as prone to digging up yards as they were in the past. But, the burrow drive does kick in when they get ready to nod off to sleep. Dachshunds really love to burrow under blankets and are great snugglers. They also love to sleep in bed with their family members. Once you start permitting your dachshund to sleep in your bed, there’s no going back.
- Wet Feet - They don’t like to get their feet wet and may need to be forced outside when it’s wet.
- Personality Plus - Finally, Dachshunds are one of the most loving, comical, feisty dog breeds. They bond very strongly to their people and want to spend time with them – from sitting in the same room to doing some lap time. They also have a stubborn streak.
“This breed is also prone to back problems and some eye issues,” says Biesboer. “Because of that, we want to make sure adopters realize that this could be a significant financial commitment in the future. We do check to see if potential adopters are able to live up to the financial obligations and to adopt from us people must be older than 23.”
Her organization rescues dogs from a variety of situations. Around one-third of the dogs they rescue are owner relinquishments. Another one-third of the dogs are pulled from animal shelters and the rest are rescues from puppy mills. The Midwest Dachshund Rescue does their due diligence prior to adoption and also will do home checks before releasing a dog to a new family.
Biesboer adds that when her group rescues dogs, they make sure that they have the funding to get each and every rescue healthy and on track prior to adoption. Because of that focus on health and wellness, some dogs may be with the organization awhile before their profiles hit Petfinder and they are ready for adoption.
“We’ve built up this wonderful network of adopters since we’ve been rescuing. There are a lot of couples in their 40’s to 60’s that just love the breed and become repeat adopters. We’ve also found a many people that just love to adopt the older dogs that we take in,” she adds. “Everyone who adopts from us gets a two week trial period and if the adoption doesn’t work out, they get their fee back. We just don’t adopt out and walk away.”
MWDR rescued over 220 dogs this past year with their littlest save arriving right before the end of the year – a six week old puppy mill puppy survivor. If you’d like to learn more about how this organization works with puppy mill rescues, read this article. To continue to rescue, the organization needs volunteers, foster homes and donations. Learn more about the MidWest Dachshund Rescue online or follow them on Facebook.
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