Many kids are fond of the Dachshund because of its unique appearance and wonderful temperament. However, there is more to this German breed that makes it one-of-a-kind. Here are five fun facts about the Dachshund for kids:
Fact #1: Hotdogs were originally called the Dachshund sausage
One glance at a Dachshund and you will easily see its resemblance to a frankfurter. Because of its long body and short legs, it earned itself some crazy nicknames like “sausage hound” and “wiener dog.” No wonder, hotdogs were originally called the Dachshund sausage.
Yes, everyone’s favourite ballgame snack got its name from this distinct-looking breed. The first hotdogs were created by a butcher named Johann Georghehner in the late 1600s. Two decades later, he travelled to Germany to sell his deli product, then called the “Dachshund sausage,” out of a food cart. Come the early 1900s, a sports cartoonist named T.A. Dorgan popularised the word “hotdog” because he had difficulty spelling “Dachshund.”
Fact #2: The Dachshund was the First Official Mascot of the Olympic Summer Games
Although the first Olympic Summer Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, it was only in 1972 that an official mascot was introduced. It was a Dachshund named Waldi that was created by Elena Winschermann.
The Dachshund was chosen to be the mascot because of its tenacity, agility, and endurance. Waldi had a colourful and striped body comprising three of the six Olympic colours.
Fact #3: Three Dachshunds made it to the Guinness World Records’ “World’s Oldest Dogs” list
Dachshunds have very long lives, typically between 12 and 15 years. It is no surprise that, of the 23 dogs to make it to the Guinness World Records’ list of longest living dogs, three are Dachshunds.
Ranking at 12 is Chanel, a pure Dachshund that lived for 21 years and 114 days. Ranking at 14 is Otto, a Dachshund-Terrier Cross that lived for 20 years and 334 days. At rank 20 is a wire-haired Dachshund named Lady that lived for 20 years and 130 days.
Fact #4: The first dog cloned in the UK was a Dachshund
In 2014, Rebecca Smith won a competition to have her Dachshund cloned by South Korean scientists at Sooam Biotech Research Foundation. The Dachshund, named Winnie, was successfully cloned, resulting in a pup which was named Mini-Winnie.
After being cared for by South Korean experts for five months, Mini-Winnie was flown back to Britain to be with Miss Smith. Three years later, Winnie died after being hit by a car. In November 2018, Mini-Winnie gave birth to two puppies.