Wild for Wieners
(the Canine Version)
Big-hearted dog lovers save countless dachshunds from euthanasia and maltreatment in the Nebraska Dachshund Rescue.
The value of play cannot be underrated. This assertion is certainly true for neglected and abused dachshunds in Nebraska. What started out as an informal play group for dachshunds and their owners has developed into a full-fledged rescue organization, with a seven person executive board and over 100 volunteers, for the breed.
Cheryl Wilson founded Nebraska Dachshund Rescue, which began as the Dachshund Anonymous Playgroup in 2007. As is most often the case, the organization started small, rescuing at-risk dachshunds and soliciting volunteer homes for dogs in need. Though the group has participated at area home shows and expositions, word of mouth advertising is primarily responsible for its impressive growth. “We were up to over 100 volunteers in a very short period of time,” attests Julie Siebler, NDR President and Treasurer.
“We do not have a facility, so we depend on the generosity of foster homes to help us care for the dachshunds that come into our care,” she continues. The group hopes this will change, however; one of its goals is to raise enough money to open a facility to better achieve its primary purpose: to find forever families for its rescued dachshunds. Since its inception, Nebraska Dachshund Rescue has found forever families for over 800 dachshunds and dachshund-mixes.
A Surprisingly Diverse Breed
Dachshunds come in all sizes, ranging from miniatures weighing in at a mere five pounds, to “standards” that can top the scales at 30 pounds. Their coats vary from smooths, which tend to be more serious; wirehairs, which are the clowns of the breed; and longhairs, which are the lovers, say Noelle Buscher, Creative Director of NDR.
Requests for rescues pour in every day. Area shelters refer rescues. Strays, abandoned or abused dachshunds, and owner surrenders are other sources. But perhaps the most prevalent as well as dramatic source of rescues is puppy mills. Working from a “glass is half-full” point-of-view, Bucsher says this is actually a good thing because it indicates that puppy millers are gradually going out of business, “which is a rescuer’s ultimate goal.”
Rescued Dogs vs. Puppy Mills
“Puppy mill dogs are so abused and so mistreated that they require a lot of rehab and socialization once they get into rescue and out of the mill,” explains Siebler. The list of grievances against puppy mills is extensive. Dogs seldom, if ever, receive veterinary care. They live in cages -sometimes up to ten years- never relishing the feeling of grass on their paws. There is no socialization or human to animal bond development. Dogs are often stuffed four to five to a cage and thus forced to fight it out for basic necessities like food and water. Forced mating, in order to increase profitability, is the norm.
Says Siebler: “This is an absolute travesty, and no dog, or any living being for that matter, should ever have to live like that.” NDR works with other animal advocacy organizations to ensure just this.
Like other rescue groups, NDR advocates “adopt, don’t shop.”
“If there is a particular breed of dog you are looking for, a rescue group most likely exists that saves and re-homes that particular breed,” assures Buscher.
For more information about NDR, visit www.nebraskadachsundrescue.org.
