Jefferson (T.J.) Dachshund Mix Colleyville, TX

4/24/10 BEST NEWS FLASH OF ALL! Jefferson got a wonderful home with a couple who already have another dachshund. They were looking for a companion for themselves and for their dog. They saw Jefferson's story and applied to adopt him. As soon as we met them, we knew that this was the right home for Jefferson and the right dog for them. Jefferson loves his wonderful new home, and has great fun investigating the beautiful yard where he is committed to keeping it "squirrel free" for his new owners. Our wonderful vet staff had a chance to meet Jefferson and his new owners and they too were thrilled that this sweet dog....who had been through so much....found the perfect home. Hurrah for Jefferson!




A BIG NEWS FLASH! 3/31/10 Jefferson got the pin out of his leg; and his leg is fully mended! He walks very nicely now thanks to the great care of an outstanding veterinary surgeon and all of the wonderful staff at our vet clinic. He is settling in to a foster home, and loves sitting in laps, playing with the other dachshunds and trotting around the garden, investigating things. He just had his pictures made, so you can see a nice update on what he looks like. He is looking forward to finding a permanent home where he will always be loved and safe.



UPDATE: 2/17/10 Jefferson will get his sutures out next week. We will be reviewing with our vet which rehab treatments will be helpful for this dog--most likely a combination of laser and underwater treadmill, and perhaps some acupuncture. This little dog is brave and sweet, and we are heartened by his steady recovery. We hope to get formal pictures taken of him towards at some point; but we have uploaded a couple of snapshots from the vet clinic of Jefferson--taken not long after his surgery.



Jefferson is a young, smooth male dachshund who was hit by a car on a major road. The car who hit him drove on, but a kind Good Samaritan stopped and gently got the injured dog into his care. He took him to the nearest vet office; where he was scanned for a microchip. He had none, and had no identification or collar. At that point, the veterinary clinic called us to see if we could take the injured dog into our program. Thankfully, we had an opening and the clinic arranged Jefferson's transportation to our vet. He will have surgery on his broken leg; and is resting comfortably at our vet. His gentle, affectionate nature quickly won the staff over. Jefferson seemed to understand that the vet personnel were trying to help him and make him comfortable. We have an excellent surgeon who will repair the leg, so we are keeping the good thought for a successful surgery for this dachshund. We will post more details after his surgery is complete. He will have several months before he is completely recovered. Please keep in mind that because of the type of injury he suffered, he can not be placed in a home with children.




Can you give Jefferson 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, please be sure you take some time to read and learn about this breed. Dachshunds are personable and intelligent; however they take extra time and patience to housetrain and it is important to know this before you apply to adopt. There are many good books about Dachshunds currently available. Time spent reading one or two of them is well worth it.



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.

Unlike city animal shelters, we do not use a "first come, first served" philosophy when it comes to placing dogs from our program. Our goal is to thoughtfully and carefully select the correct home for the dog, and the correct dog for a particular home. The rescue foundation board has final approval on any adoptions for dogs from this program. After the home visit has been completed, the board will consult with the foster parent and/or home visit coordinator and make a determination on the proposed adoption. Decisions by the rescue board are final.

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 immediate Dallas/Fort Worth area. We appreciate your understanding and hope that, if you live outside this area, you will consider adopting a pet from a rescue group that services your particular geographic area.

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.

For Cat Owners: If you are planning to apply to adopt a dachshund, and own a cat(s), please take into consideration the fact that dachshunds are a hound breed. They tend to view a cat as “prey” and in many cases, a cat may not be safe living in a home with a dachshund. Occasionally, we have a dachshund with “low prey drive” and a dog of this type can be adopted to a home with a cat. Please understand that if we tell you “this dachshund will not be good with a cat”—we know this to be true, and we will not bring a dog like this for a trial visit with you, for the safety and well-being of your cat.

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.