Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 25th 2008, 11:52am By Chao Li

This past Saturday was the first get together for the Buffalo Dachshund Meet-up Group. I stopped by Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park and joined in for some fun with the puppies. The group was founded by Emily Burns, who after spending 10 years in New York City, recently moved back to Buffalo. “My heart’s always been here,” Burns said with a smile.

“I wanted to start something about something I love, and I love my two dogs,” Burns said. She hugged her little puppies Sparky and Lola. “When I moved back it just seems like a good way of getting reacquainted with the area.”

With this group, Burns hopes to unite local Dachshund owners for monthly meetings. Even with 15 little dachshunds playing around her, Burns insisted on talking to me about the importance of local Dachshund rescues. Working with rescues is an important point on the agenda for this group. Whether it is helping out with fundraisers or just raising awareness, this Emily Burns is determined to help out the local rescues and shelters.

Dachshund owners traded training tips, talked about the different breeds, fun things to do with their puppies, and shared stories about how they got together with their own little Dachshunds. “These dogs come in all different shapes and sizes and different fur lengths,” Burns said. She looked at all the dogs, some of which had long silky fur, others with short brown hair. While some were big, others were mini but all of them were just adorable.

“Where are the other wieners?” Shawn asked. Salen looked up at his master, Shawn, in total understanding. We were the first to arrive and while we were waiting, Shawn, the owner of Salen, a mini Dachshund, got his dog to show me a few tricks. “I promised him 20 other wieners,” he explained. Soon enough, more Dachshunds and their owners showed up on Shakespeare Hill. These Dachshunds were very playful, but like one of the owners said, “They’re not yappy like other little dogs.”

Emily Burns handed out nametags, doggie treats, coupons and pamphlets to all the owners. “Today is just a basic get together, but I want to bring in trainers and organize more things in the future.” I asked her about other future plans. “I want to meet at a different place every month. I hope to open up people’s eyes about different parks in the area.” All the owners varied in age and backgrounds, but they all had one thing in common: their love for their Dachshunds.

To join in on the Dachshund fun check out: http://dachshund.meetup.com/482/

Dachshund Rescue of North America: www.drna.org