How did i become a dachshund rescue?

When I got Bullet, my first Dachshund, my husband’s one comment was “Promise me you’re not going to want to breed, k?”  I assured him that I never saw myself wanting to breed dogs again.  But by the time I got my fourth Dachshund, you can be sure that the idea was in my brain.  After some convincing from the seller of my 3rd and 4th Dachshunds, I decided that I wanted to go that route.  But I NEVER imagined the day where I’d want to bring an adult into my home with who knows what problems until I could find it a new home.  That day I was safe from, right?

The Dachshund breed is such a funny little dog and each dog has such a unique personality.  I have 9 dogs in my home (and 6 puppies) and all are completely different from the others.  Ammo is a mama’s boy and lays at my feet everywhere I go.  Cali is a little neurotic and is so fast she can sneak into any room behind me without me noticing.  Bayonet is totally submissive and will let everybody pick on her.  Maggie is the “Queen Wien” and bosses all the other dogs but greets all visitors like their arrival was what she’s been waiting all day for.  Rosie is an obsessive licker and thief and steals things to go outside.  Ricki is a jealous pants and has to be as close to my face as she can get.  Remi is the barker that barks the most but loves everybody once she’s met them.  Powder is the cheerleader who barks at the other dogs when they’re wrestling and knows a sucker to pet her when she sees one.  And the next dog I get will have her own personality that makes her stand out and special as well.  So was it really any surprise when I got a phone call about a Dachshund rescue that needed me that I chose to go help?

I got a phone call from a fellow breeder and friend of mine who had sold a pup into a home in my area.  She said they wanted to surrender it “because of her high anxiety” and because she was “stressing out their Chihuahuas”.  I told her to give them my number and they called me about their dog.  I told them I would be glad to come and get her, and after a few more days for them to be sure, I went down to pick up Sophie.  Sophie was a beautiful long haired dapple who had injured her back as a pup and completely recovered.  She was super sweet and although it took her a few days to relax in our home, I knew this dog was going to make somebody a fabulous pet.  After getting her spayed and all of her vet needs caught up, I put her on my site as a Dachshund rescue with a rehoming fee.  Strangely though, her forever family met her at PetSmart while we were in there with her!  The very next day she went to live with them and I now receive frequent texts and photos of their sweet girl they love so much.  It makes my heart feel so good to know that Sophie is where she needed to be getting all the special love and care she deserved.  But of course Sophie was only the first Dachshund rescue for me!

Another fellow breeder and dear friend in Boise contacted me regarding an adult they’d placed in a home.  They had rescued her and five other Dachshunds from a puppy mill in northern Idaho and placed her into a home with a lady who lived 90 miles away from me.  Due to a change in this lady’s circumstances, she was looking to surrender Squeaky due to claims of her “aggression”.  I’m not going to lie here and pretend this didn’t make me nervous- it absolutely did!  The thought of bringing a possible aggressive dog who was reported to having bitten grandkids into my home terrified me a little!  But not only did my friend need me, so did Squeaky.  When I arrived to pick her up, I was horrified to see that they had no fenced yard for her and lived on a very busy road.  Squeaky was desperate to get outside but showed no signs of aggression at all.  We brought her home and quickly discovered that Squeaky’s only problem was that she had been beaten by someone and is terrified of people grabbing at her too quickly.  She very quickly proved that she trusted us completely though and we joke all the time about this “terribly aggressive dog” who has joined us temporarily in her home.  Squeaky is awaiting dental work (her teeth look like they’ve never been brushed at all) before going to her new home but I am absolutely confident that she will make someone with a quiet home a wonderful lap dog.  She sleeps curled up in my armpit at night (just like Bullet used to) and is horribly disappointed when her nap in my lap is interrupted by my needing to get up.  She does wonderfully with our cat and dogs and my daughter and I don’t worry about her at all.  I don’t yet know where she’ll end up, but my only concern is that this sweet girl never has to be shuffled around again and gets all the love she deserves.

I don’t claim to pretend that Squeaky will be the last Dachshund rescue I bring in to my home.  I’m quite sure she won’t be.  But with these two “bad dogs” as the founders of my rescue efforts, I don’t worry nearly as much about my ability to help more when the opportunity arises again.  You hear a lot of “Adopt; Don’t Shop” supporters and I couldn’t agree more- to an extent.  Adopting a dog who needs a home is the best thing you can do for them and possibly you.  But let’s not pretend that people who adopt don’t also shop.  They shop for the breed, size, gender, or color that they like and they certainly shop for the personality that fits in best with their home.  And that is as it should be!  Rescues don’t come for free; every shelter I know charges a fee to cover the costs of the care they’ve provided for these dogs- just like breeders charge a fee to cover the resources we spend trying to make our programs the best they can be.  It’s nice when you know a dog’s parent’s history and you know they’re being bred with love and care to help ensure the best possible health for them.  But the ultimate goal for all breeders of quality is the same as that of shelters- we don’t want to see our dogs unloved and uncared for even after they leave our premises.  We want happy, healthy, quality lives for our pups forever and ever.  I am so grateful that the one pup I’ve sold whose owners chose to rehome him went to such a wonderful person and I am so proud and honored to call her a part of the FleuryDachs family!  And I am proud and honored to be able to add FleuryDachs family members through our combined efforts in Dachshund rescue as well!