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I’m getting jealous of all of the pictures Jason posts of his adorable dog, Bailey, so I thought I’d squeeze in a gratuitous picture of my own.
The little one on the left is Patton (he has one blue eye and one brown eye), the black one is Winston and the red one is Jackson. Yes, they are named after General George Patton, Winston Churchill and Andrew Jackson. Don’t ask.
Jackson was our first. Winston came a couple of years later because we thought Jackson was lonely. We meant to stop at two, but then we found Patton with his wonky eyes and his Gene Simmons tongue and couldn’t help ourselves. We’re in good company, though – dachshunds have been the faithful companions of authors, artists, politicians and actors for centuries. I thought I’d share a few “celebrity” dachshund tales with you. If anything, this will make myself feel better about owning three of them.
Picasso and Lump
A dachshund who has gotten a fair amount of press in the last couple of years is Lump (pronounced “Loomp,” it’s German for rascal).
Our own Andréa, the author of the “Feel Art Again” posts, could tell you more about Picasso’s works than I can, but I do know that Lump was featured in many of his pieces. He acquired Lump from photographer David Douglas Duncan in 1957 when Duncan brought Lump along on a trip to photograph Picasso. It was love at first sight. Lump didn’t get along with Duncan’s other dog and made it pretty clear that he preferred to become an artist’s muse. Lump had his portrait painted for the first time that very day. Their relationship is chronicled in Duncan’s book Picasso and Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey. The friendship is pretty clear from the pictures in the book, which include Picasso holding Lump like an infant and letting the dog eat from his dinner plate.
Andy Warhol, Amos and Archie
Andy Warhol only got a dachshund puppy because his boyfriend wanted one, so they got Archie. Warhol ended up being the one infatuated with the breed, though. Warhol would bring the dog to interviews with him to “answer” questions he didn’t care for. He also took Archie to galleries, on business trips, on photo shoots and to his studio.
Things were going so swimmingly for the two of them that Andy decided a second dachsie was in order, which was when Amos came along. Archie stopped accompanying Andy everywhere so he could stay home and play with Amos. Even though they weren’t seen out and about together as often, the breed’s influence on Andy’s work was still evident: he painted one of his famous colorful portraits of Maurice, an art collector’s dachshund.
David Hockney, Stanley and Boodgie
One of Warhol’s pop art contemporaries, David Hockney, also found inspiration from his dogs. Stanley and Boodgie were the featured attraction in about 45 oil paintings in his 1995 gallery show. Hockney is known for his dry humor, but when it comes to his dachshunds he is downright adoring – he actually refused to sell any of the paintings of them because he felt they were “too intimate.” Stanley and Boodgie are also the subjects of David Hockney’s Dog Days, a book of illustrations and photos released last year.
I particularly enjoyed these sketches because I see our dogs wedge themselves in weird positions and crevices like this all of the time. I thought it was just their individual quirks, but apparently it’s a breed thing.
Waldi
I didn’t mean to turn this into “Wiener Dogs in Art,” but what can I say? They must be popular muses: a dachshund named Waldi just happened to be the first-ever mascot of the Olympics when they were held in Munich in 1972. The dachshund was chosen to represent the summer games because the breed originated in Germany and they has certain personality characteristics similar to those of athletes – namely, agility and tenacity. And, if they are anything like my dachshunds, stubbornness.
The stripes in Waldi’s midsection were the colors of the games that summer. Unfortunately, the cute dachshund mascot isn’t the most memorable thing about the 1972 Olympics – that was the year of the “Munich Massacre,” when 11 Irsaeli competitors were killed by Palestinian terrorists.
William Randolph Hearst and Helen
William Randolph Hearst had many dachshunds, but none that he loved as much as his Helen. He even had a little ramp installed on a fountain at Hearst Castle so she could use it as her own personal swimming pool.
Hearst was so devastated when Helen died in 1942, he wrote an elegy for her that was published in Time magazine:
“A boy and his dog are no more inseparable companions than an old fellow and his dog. An old bozo is a nuisance to almost everybody — except his dog….She always slept on a big chair in my room and her solicitous gaze followed me to bed at night and was the first thing to greet me when I woke in the morning. Then when I arose she begged for the special distinction of being put in my bed. . . .
“Aldous Huxley says: ‘Every dog thinks its master Napoleon, hence the popularity of dogs.’ That is not the strict truth. Every dog adores its master notwithstanding the master’s imperfections of which it is probably acutely aware. . . .
“So as your dog loves you, you come to love your dog. Not because it thinks you are Napoleon, not because YOU think you are Napoleon. Not because you WANT to be Napoleon. But because love creates love, devotion inspires devotion, unselfishness begets unselfishness and self-sacrifice. . . .
“Helen died in my bed and in my arms. . . . I will not need a monument to remember her. But I am placing over her little grave a stone with the inscription:
“Here lies dearest Helen —my devoted friend.”
Kaiser Wilhelm II and Wadl, Hexl and Senta
The last emperor of Germany loved dachshunds so much he buried five of them in the park at Huis Doorn, his residence-in-exile after WWI. The most famous of them, though, are Wadl, Hexl and Senta. Senta accompanied the Kaiser during WWI, which earned him the honor of having a stone dedicated to him at the Huis Doorn park. Wadl and Hexl are famous for a more mischievous reason, though. When the Kaiser was paying a visit to Austria to visit Archduke Franz Ferdinand, they gobbled up one of his golden pheasants.
John Wayne and his dog
While I can’t find any entertaining stories about John Wayne and his dog, I thought this picture was worth sharing:
Other celebrities and their dachshunds include:
• Dorothy Parker and Robinson
• Dita Von Teese and Greta and Eva
• Napoleon Bonaparte and Grenouille and Faussete
• Carole Lombard, Clark Gable and Commissioner
• Mary Tyler Moore and Dash
• Wayne Gretzky and Clyde
Do you have an ornery dachsie? If you’re like me, you love to trade stories about them… so let’s hear it! Good stories about other breeds are welcome too (I suppose…).
Comments (29)
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Awesome! Dachsies are my favourite breed of dog. I haven’t yet owned one, but will be getting my hands on one as soon as I can afford it. They’re so funny and definitely have feisty personalities.
You might be my favourite poster on here- articles about candy, fried foods (I think that was you?) and now dachsies! Do one on The Cure next and I’m sold.
posted by Molly on 11-9-2007 at 1:53 pm
Hey you stole my dogs!
Okay, maybe not, but we do have three (a chocolate, a black and tan, and a red) just like you. Stubborness, sleep in weird places (apart and together), fun-loving, loyal and on and on and on.
posted by Pragmatic Cynic on 11-9-2007 at 2:33 pm
Great info on the hot dogs! I have 2 dogs (other breeds) but my dog, Bucky, also has one blue eye and one brown eye. When he gets excited his pupil dilates so much you can’t see any blue.
posted by JaneM on 11-9-2007 at 2:36 pm
Ahhh…I love doxies. I have two – a black and tan smooth coat named Indy and a blond wire-haired named Paulie Walnuts. This article is great. I can’t imagine NOT having a weenie dog.
posted by Cari on 11-9-2007 at 3:10 pm
I used to have a dachshund, Nikki. When I was a kid she’d sleep with me but when I got married she had to sleep on a bed on the floor. She was fine with that but when my hubby left for school she’d bark to be let up on the bed. On Saturdays and Sundays, at about the time he’d normally leave, she’d bark to be let up and push him out of bed! When I was in 2nd grade we had a standard dachshund that would grab my pony tail and drag me around like a normal dog would drag a sock. Both my dachshunds would have to scratch and turn around several times before they would lay down.
posted by Kani on 11-9-2007 at 3:10 pm
I had a dachsund growing up, Hans, he had to be put to sleep while I was in college. He was a great dog, and terribly funny. Hans definitely had “little man syndrome” he refused to chew on small dog bones and instead wanted the large breed variety. When my sisters and I were small he would steal our hula-hoops and run around the back yard carrying them. He also had an enormous bark and I opened the door to many scared looking people looking around for our large dog, completely missing Hans by their feet.
posted by Tami on 11-9-2007 at 3:48 pm
I’ve had Frank for 12 yrs. … I can’t imagine a more loyal dog than a dachshund. Since my daughter was an infant, he’s slept under her bed and she’s convinced that Frank protects the house from werewolves and witches.
posted by DW on 11-9-2007 at 4:22 pm
Our dog is 1/2 weiner, 1/2 Aussie.
The dad was the weiner dog. What a spunky little thing he must have been.
posted by gretchen on 11-9-2007 at 4:38 pm
I have a red mini, Miss Dixie. She’s a princess for sure. Anytime something is moved in my house, she will bark at it until I move it back. Ahhh…I love this breed.
posted by heather on 11-9-2007 at 7:17 pm
I have a black and tan dachshund, Max. Such a mischievous dog, he often jumps onto the dining table and steals food.
posted by V on 11-9-2007 at 8:17 pm
When we first brought our newborn son home to our two miniature Dachshunds, we were worried they would be jealous an hostile. They adopted him with one sniff.
posted by dave on 11-9-2007 at 8:19 pm
Hey Stacy,
I had a major kid/dog relationship with a dachshund boy which was a Christmas gift puppy to my Moms. I wanted her to name him Rudolph because of the German/Holiday connection, but she went with Schnikel Fritz (Fritz) instead.
He was not only one of the smartest dogs I have encountered, he was repeatedly injured yet survived. He was stomped by a horse he was barking at, run over by a small Toyota truck, hit by a Ford Explorer while chasing a cat, and finally met his maker by picking a fight with a wolf/sheperd breed at the bigger dog’s house.
Your babies make me remember Fritz, and all the awesome Dachy’s out there!
posted by Johnny Cat on 11-10-2007 at 2:04 am
I have a black/tan dapple mini-weiner. His name is Bratwurst, but my boyfriend and I call him Bubbi for short. We are convinced he has an Oedipus complex, because we can’t even hug or snuggle on the couch without Bub trying to weasel his way in the middle. Besides sleeping on my chest, he enjoys sleeping on the top of the couch cushions or wedged between pillows and blankets. I would like to get him one of these “Bun beds,” as he is also quite fond of laying spread-eagled on the floor in the sunshine.
posted by Linds on 11-10-2007 at 7:04 pm
I have 2 dachshunds, and a doxie mix. These 2 doxies are my 5th and 6th doxies of my life – I’ve had them since I was 6!
Jasper and Carrie can be seen in my website link
posted by Lisa R on 11-11-2007 at 8:34 pm
Hey,
I loved you article! These dogs are definitely a unique and wonderful breed. I have had my Dachshund, Cyrano, for 13 years and yes, he is certainly my baby. I am not sure if this is a doxie thing or just him but he is convinced that he is human. He is a spoiled little thing and throws a fit if he is not addressed in a conversation. These are wonderful dogs and I would recommend them to anyone.
Thank you for writing this great article!
posted by Kacey on 11-11-2007 at 11:39 pm
‘Molly’ sent me this and I loved it. We’ve had 2 dachsies: Max 1 and Max 2. Max 2 was a mini-black & tan. The day my mother brought her new husband to our house for dinner, they had just walked through the door when Max jumped up and pulled the steak off the platter, and was running through the living room with it in his mouth. My husband grabbed him by his tail, wrestled the steak out of his mouth, and rushed it to the sink, quickly washed it off, threw it back on the grill for 2 mins. + the new husband never saw a thing! Max was sent to the basement during dinner, though. He also consumed 1/2 a pound of newly picked & shelled crabmeat when I went to answer the phone! He left the unpicked crabmeat in the can! A Dachsie with discerning taste and we loved him dearly.
posted by Donna W. on 11-12-2007 at 8:01 am
Loved the article! Uncfortunately, my dog Chester, a springer spaniel doesn’t like doxies (our neighbor has two) and I’m conivinced he wants to eat one. Dachshunds are cute and all, but how about an article on Springers? I never hear about famous ones other than the ones the Bush family has – they’re allegedly popular but they’re always a dearth of information and merchandise for this sweet breed – what gives?
posted by Mandy Mo on 11-12-2007 at 8:31 am
Awesome feature. I have a longhaired Doxie named Darby.
Also, I linked to you on my blog DogArtToday.com, under Dachshund gifts : )
posted by Moira on 11-12-2007 at 12:14 pm
How strange: the day of this post my sister’s faithful weenie sniffed his way to heaven, no doubt to bark tenaciously at Michael as he opened the Pearly Gates.
Brutus bit me inside my mouth once. Right behind my back molar. It was the cutest thing, really. I bled, he shivered, and from then on we were on the same page, and my bologna had a first name.
A word to all you wonderful wee-wee lovers: Be careful with your pint-sized German loves. Brutus was paralyzed after doing what dachsies do best, believing himself to be as big and capable as his Labrador-sized surroundings. So, use caution with stairs, don’t let them jump too high, and pick them up when you can.
RIP, Bruti Boy.
posted by MoneyPenny on 11-12-2007 at 12:27 pm
Max, a red short-haired, was the coolest dachshund. We had him for 15+ years. You’d call him and he wouldn’t come. You’d throw a ball and he wouldn’t fetch. He bit friends and barked at neighbors. Hahaha, boy how that dog fit into our family! Plenty of good stories about that dog like the he hopped up onto the kitchen table and consumed an entire stick of butter or the time he ran through the house covered in mud and ended on top of my parents’ bed, just rollin’ around, mud and all! RIP Max…
posted by Laura on 11-12-2007 at 1:23 pm
For over 40 years one or more people in my family had a dachshund or two — they are quite addictive! It started with my grandma, then uncle, then my folks and we 3 kids, my brother, myself, you get the picture. Had two consecutive Schultzies as a kid, then Brandy Brown Eyes, followed by Sophia Maria of Neenah after I was married. All were burrowers. All were garbage hounds. All would take off, given the chance. ;D Loved ‘em all. None of my own at present; now I just dogsit a little smooth black rascal called Chilidog whose favorite game is you throw the toy, she sticks it somewhere where she can’t get it back, or throws it down the steps. She cries. You get it for her. It’s perfect — she makes people fetch for HER!
posted by JoAnn on 2-11-2008 at 10:16 pm
I love the the long and low dog. They rock & roll in my house.
posted by sherry zumo on 3-3-2008 at 7:59 am
What a great article and I love the posts! I have a 9 month old mini-dachshund, Pippin, and am about to get another doxie puppy (Muppet) next month. I LOVE these dogs! I’ve had other breeds in the past and loved them all, but this breed is extraordinarily entertaining and lovable. I can’t wait to get home from work to play with Pippin every day–what a character. He attacks the cat shamelessly (the cat is twice his size). He knows he will be put into his crate, but weighs the punishment against how fun it is to plow the cat down and just goes for it. Now, he’s started to put himself into his crate, once the deed is done, rather than us putting him there. I’m going to have to dream up some other punishment! Poor cat. Funny dog! When Muppet comes, I’m expecting total mayhem and frankly, I’m looking forward to it!
posted by Terri on 4-18-2008 at 12:45 pm
Great post! Dachshunds are a wonderful breed. We love them even as they chew up half the house, b/c then they snuggle right up under the covers. My parents have a miniature they got when I was in high school, and I have an insane dachshund/beagle mix. Best of both worlds, I think!
posted by dancing_lemur on 6-5-2009 at 7:58 am
Thanks for this. It looks like I am the only reader who does not have a dachshund (!), but since I like to read about what other people name their dogs this was quite interesting to me. Also, loved the post about Wm. R. Hearst — who knew he could be so sensitive, but what he said about love and devotion sums up how I feel now that I have a dog of my very own for the first time in my life.
posted by Amy on 6-5-2009 at 11:20 am
I agree with Mandy Mo… what about the Springers??? :) My brother and I grew up with the breed and I can’t imagine having any other breed as a pet/partner in crime!
posted by Pam on 6-5-2009 at 11:21 am
Yes, they do have back problems and you must be careful.
I adopted a dachshund from a rescue site. His name is Bazil. Two months later, his back went out and it cost me 3000 dollars for a “veternary neurologist” to perform a laminectomy and save him. That was 2 years ago and I have never regreted it. I love that dog.
posted by Jeff on 6-5-2009 at 3:08 pm
It’s always good to hear from the other dachshund owners out there. I have always had them growing up. Had to get my baby, Mia, put to sleep last month….she loved to snuggle under blankets, and was adept at tucking herself in, would cry to come up in bed with me & my fiance…and steal his warm spot as soon as he got up. She always thought she was a bigger dog and would not hesitate to protect me from any threat – be it as small as a shadow or as big as a water tanker….
RIP Mia xoxoxo
posted by Megan on 6-7-2009 at 8:36 am
Maxie, like a typical dachshund, loves huddling in blankets. Once, when his blanket was in the wash, I threw down an old shirt for him. He nestled into it immediately.
A knock on the door woke him, and he sprang to, barking like crazy at the visitor. All the visitor saw was a white shirt sleeve giving her hell.
She concluded her business and left quickly. :D I love that dog.
posted by JD on 6-9-2009 at 2:27 pm