How sausage dogs were weaponised in the war

Short of leg but big on personality, the eccentrically shaped dachshund is one of Britain’s most beloved pets. Originally known as the ‘dachs kriecher’ (badger crawler) or ‘dachs krieger’ (badger warrior), dachshunds as we know them today can be traced back to 15th-century Germany where they were bred primarily for hunting.

With extended, sausage-shaped body, elongated snout and long whippy tail, the scent hound’s ability to flush out badgers and other smaller mammals became a highly prized trait. Sadly, these feisty creatures haven’t always been held in such high regard.

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During the first world war, ‘wiener dogs’ featured in anti-German propaganda. Although largely humorous, these poster campaigns led to a widespread disdain for the breed. In an effort to distance ‘dackels’ or ‘teckels’ from their Teutonic heritage the Kennel Club renamed them ‘liberty pups’ but the nomenclature never caught on.

The breed’s reputation took a further hit during the second world war when Nazi scientists, working at the Hundesprechschule Asra institution for performing dogs in Leutenberg, claimed they had trained dachshunds to speak, read, spell and even communicate telepathically. Some of the more outlandish claims included a hound that could say ‘Mein Führer’ and another that could write poetry.

Now firmly back in the nation’s affections, the ‘doxie’ comes in two sizes, standard and miniature, as well as three distinct fur types. The smooth-coated variety has a gruff, surprisingly ferocious bark. Those blessed with wire coats are more playful. The silky, long-haired doxie has a doe-eyed countenance that speaks of a sensitive soul.

You never really ‘own’ a dachshund but their unwillingness to compromise is more than compensated for by lifelong devotion. The sausage dog is also one of the longest living breeds. Chanel, the oldest on record, died in 2009 aged 21 years and 114 days.