Dachshund

UPDATE: 2/22/09 Lucky little "Dinucci" was adopted today by an individual who has one other dachshund. She was looking for a loving, loyal little dog and she couldn't have gotten a better companion! His sweet nature won her over and we are thrilled that this little dog now has a "forever home".

Dinucci is a 1 year old black and tan smooth male dachshund who was given as a "gift" to a couple who really weren't set up to have a dachshund. With their unfenced property, Dinucci escaped frequently and got in trouble chasing and hunting chickens at the neighbor's house out in the country. The couple realized that they could not manage this dog and contacted us; thankfully we had space for this little guy. Dinucci is a good reminder that dogs should NEVER be given as a "gift" to anyone, no matter what their age. A great majority of the time, these "gifts" end up abandoned at shelters or surrendered to rescue groups. We're glad that Dinucci's story will have a happy ending. Not every "gift" is so lucky.

Can you give Dinucci a loving, permanent home with lots of attention? If so, read the rest of the information below and then contact us for an adoption application. Please be aware that our adoption applications are sent out by postal mail only, and are not sent by e-mail nor are they available on-line.

Before you contact us for an application, you must go to our group's website at: www.dfwdachshund.com/rescue and read *all* the FAQ's there. You will find information to most questions that you may have. In particular, please pay close attention to the information about the rescue dachshunds and housetraining. Dachshunds take extra time and patience to housetrain and it is important to know this before you apply to adopt.

Be aware that we do not have a public kennel facility for our dogs; our rescue dogs are fostered with individual families throughout the DFW Metroplex area. We do not permit visits to any of the rescue dogs until an interested household has filled out an application, and had a reference, vet and home check. Only screened and approved applicants may visit dogs available for adoption through our program. We will not hold dogs for homes that have not yet been approved by our rescue committee.

We rarely, if ever, have puppies available in our rescue program. If you are interested in a puppy, please contact us for the puppy referral packet to reputable breeders in our area.

In order to be considered for adoption through DFW Dachshund Rescue Foundation, you must:

Be over 21 years of age and have verifiable identification to that effect.

Be able to verify that you may have a pet where you live.

Live within the Dallas/Fort Worth area or no farther than a 50 mile drive from Dallas/Fort Worth to apply to adopt from us. We appreciate your understanding and hope that, if you live outside our service area, you will consider adopting a pet in your local area from a rescue group that services your part of the United States.

Be prepared to make a donation to our rescue efforts of $250.

Be willing to fill out an adoption application, the entire contents of which will be verified upon receipt.

Have a complete, secure, and safely fenced yard.

Be prepared to have a home visit from one of the rescue foundation members as part of the screening process to adopt this dog.

During the home visit, our representative will do a brief temperament evaluation of all current dogs in the household. We are unable to adopt to homes where any current dogs exhibit "people-aggressive" or "dog-aggressive" behaviors during the home visit. In addition, while we do not preclude adopters who currently own large breed dogs, due to size differential and a dachshund's predisposition to spinal injuries, we are also not able to adopt to homes when the board determines there may be potential for injury to the dachshund. This is to ensure a safe match for our rescued dachshunds.

Understand that DFW Dachshund Rescue Foundation has the right to deny *any* application for any reason. Reasons for the denial of any adoption application will *not* be discussed with the applicant.

While we do not preclude adopters who live in apartments or townhouses, be aware that most dachshunds bark a lot and generally do not make good apartment/townhouse dogs. We rarely have apartment/townhouse suitable dachshunds available for adoption. If you live in an apartment or townhouse and wish to apply, be aware that you may wait a year or more for a suitable dachshund from our program. In addition, for safety reasons, your apartment/townhouse must have ground floor access.

While we do not preclude families with children as potential adopters, it is important to be aware that dachshunds and other small and toy breeds, as a rule, do not respond well to the sudden moves, higher activity level and more impulsive behaviors typically shown by children under 7 years of age. Please be aware that we rarely get dachshunds that are a good match for homes with young children; so anyone applying would experience a wait of at least a year or more to find a suitable dog. Instead, you may want to expand your search to breeds that are known to be better with children; such as Labradors, golden retrievers and boxers. Larger dogs may be better able to tolerate the activity, noise and rough play that occur in a home with children. Another choice is to postpone the adoption of a dog until your children are older and more mature and better suited to living with a small dog.

Our adoption application has been designed to evaluate potential adopters to ensure that each person who adopts a dachshund is not only aware of the responsibility that comes with adopting a dog, but also to address the suitability and permanence of each dachshund placed in a new home.

When considering a new home, our goal is to make the best possible match for each of our rescued Dachshunds. These special dogs deserve the stability of a permanent home where they will be loved, secure and safe for their rest of their lives.