- Title: GERMANY: "Sausage dogs" are losing favour in German homeland
- Date: 20th August 2007
- Summary: CLOSE UP OF DACHSHUND PUPPIES LAYING IN THE SUN (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIETER HONSALEK, PRESIDENT OF THE GERMAN DACEL CLUB SAYING: "The Japanese, in the last year, are active in breeding dachshunds. The Chihuahua, also a small dog, is most popular. Within the dachshund breeds, the smaller ones like the 'Kaninchenteckel' are preferred because of their tight living spaces. The Japanese love to carry their dogs under their arms, which is, by no means, the correct way to treat these hunting dogs."
- Embargoed: 4th September 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Environment / Natural World,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA62F5W6RAKYKDD629H3VFWJKVG
- Story Text: Germans are turning their backs on dachshunds, the short-legged, long-bodied "sausage dogs" which are as much a national emblem as beer and lederhosen.
The dachshund, or "sausage dog" is one of of Germany's oldest breeds of dog, but is becoming less popular in its German homeland.
The German Dog Association (VDH) says only 7,158 dachshund, or "dackel" in German, puppies were born in the country last year and the birth rate has dropped by about 35 percent in the last decade. This is because other breeds, such as golden retrievers, labradors, and Jack Russell terriers, are finding favour with German owners, according to Birgit Buttner of the VDH.
But Dieter Honsalek, President of the German Dackel Club 1888 eV says, "Dachshunds are good pets because they are small, family-friendly, good with children, robust, self-confident and healthy. Really they are everything you'd want in a pet."
The dachshund, which weighs between three and ten kilograms (6.6 and and 22 pounds) cost about 500 euros (675 USD), is still Germany's second most popular dog after the Alsatian.
"The popularity has hardly gone back in my opinion. The Dachshund was the mascot in 1972 in the Olympic Games in Munich and there the breeders, especially mass breeders, rushed in as they did with ever race that got popular in film, radio, and television. And at that present time 25,000 dachshund puppies were bred. In the meantime, I think that we have normalized.
Today we have a healthy number of 7,300 dachshund puppies. Know we can really bring these puppies to those people who have a real love for the dachshund, which originated in Germany," said Honsalek who lives in Delbrueck-Boke and at the moment has 30 dachshunds.
However, even if dachshunds are in decline in Germany, they are booming in Japan where last year 20,000 puppies were bred.
"The Japanese, in the last year, are active in breeding dachshunds. The Chihuahua, also a small dog, is most popular. Within the dachshund breeds, the smaller ones like the 'Kaninchenteckel' are preferred because of their tight living spaces. The Japanese love to carry their dogs under their arms, which is, by no means, the correct way to treat these hunting dogs," says Honsalek. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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