Winston, Finley and Theodore are Long Haired Miniature Dachshund boys living in Austin, Texas. They are 3 handsome, loving and fun pups who enjoy causing mischief, snacking and napping! They live with their mom Aimee, their dad Wade and their cat Buddy.Winston is a Shaded Cream and he is the oldest. He is 1 year and 5 months old. Finley is a Dappled Cream and is 1 year and 2 months old. Theodore (Teddy) is the baby. He is Chocolate and Tan and is 1 year and 1 month old.
1. If one is great, three are better. What is the story behind owning three of these beautiful creatures?
A. I am originally from the U.K. and my husband and I met online almost 6 years ago. We spent 5 years in long distance before I moved to the U.S. and in that time we would always tag each other in puppy pictures on Instagram. I had seen a picture of a Long Haired Dachshund and fell in love! I knew that I wanted us to save up and get a Dachshund as soon as I moved to the U.S. as I’d been around dogs all of my life, and could not imagine being without one. My husband is also a firefighter and spends time away from home, so I wanted to have a companion that would not only keep me company whilst he was away, but also something we finally had together.
I did lots and lots of research whilst I was in the U.K. and came across my lovely breeder at Dachshund Dude Ranch. I contacted her and she helped me out with all of my questions, worries and concerns as I’d never owned small dogs or Dachshunds before. Before I knew it, I had moved to the U.S. and a week later we had gone to pick up our first pup, Winston. We had owned Winston for a couple months when my husband Wade had seen that our breeder had a Chocolate and Tan puppy that had just been born. Wade had always wanted a Dachshund that color so after lots of discussion, we decided to get Theodore! When we arrived to pick him up, there was a tiny blonde puppy with black spots wagging his tail in the kitchen. I looked up and saw him and absolutely fell in love. I remember telling Wade that I could not leave without him, and so 2 became 3 and Finley also came home with us.
2. Their personalities must be so different. Can you tell us about the different personality for each pup?
A. They are! We consider Winston to be the hyper one, he loves to lick people and sit on your lap and just be in your face 24/7. He really enjoys burrowing under the blanket and barking at other dogs so that they chase him. He is definitely a feisty pup! Finley is very lazy, he naps ALL day. But, if you were to mention food, he would definitely come running. He is also a little socially awkward and gives a lot of side eye, but we all get that way sometimes, right? Now Teddy, he is the mischievous one. If something is broken, missing or chewed on… it was Teddy. He is so cheeky and playful and will always have you laughing. He also has the most luscious chest hair you have ever seen. We all love a bad boy!
3. What is the one thing that they do that will make you laugh every time they do it?
A. Winston is very vocal, if he wants under the blanket and you are stopping him from doing that, he will let you know that he is not happy about it. Firstly he starts nudging you to get you to lift the covers. If that does not work, he will start to dig at the blanket to try and get under himself. If this still does not work then he will sit and stare at you and quietly growl (not a vicious growl, a frustrated growl) to get your attention. Needless to say, he always gets his way! He also barks at dogs at the park so that they chase him. It’s almost like he tries to antagonize them to where they get annoyed and chase him away, like i say…he is feisty!
Finley is always so food motivated, if there is food around… Finley wants it. Sometimes just before dinner time he will come and sit next to you on the couch and sigh really loudly, letting you know that he is hungry and it’s time for food. If you ask him ‘are you hungry?’, he will start hopping from one foot to the other and run around in circles. Food is no laughing matter to Finley! He also has the amazing ability to nap anywhere and everywhere and in the weirdest/most uncomfortable positions ever. He has pure talent.
Teddy is always keeping us laughing because of the mischief he causes and the situations he will get himself into whilst causing mischief. So many times I have gone into the yard and noticed a huge hole in the dirt. When I approached Teddy, he looked so innocent, but was completely covered in dirt!. I once thought I had lost him in the house somewhere and started panicking, but noticed that their stairs to the couch were moving. Somehow he had gotten underneath them and was stuck. I have also found that Dachshunds LOVE to play fight and wrestle, they make the strangest gremlin noises whilst doing it too. There is never a dull moment with these 3!
4. You have an amazing amount of followers on Instagram. How did this happen and what is some of your favorite feedback you get from your instagram followers?
A. Thank you so much! It all started out of boredom really. Before i had my green card I was unable to work until it was all finalized, this meant I had a LOT of time on my hands. I wanted to create a page for my family to see my dogs and our life so that i could still feel connected to them, even though i was so far away. I also wanted to show people how cute my pups were..ha! We got Winston and had reserved Teddy and I thought why not make an account? After years of following other people and Instagram being the reason I even found out about Long Haired Dachshunds, I wanted to try it! So we started out as @the_2_weenies, but then we ended up getting Finley too, so @the_3_weenies was born! Our first feature was on Dachshund Appreciation which helped boost our followers. After that, Sausage Dog Central picked up one of our pics. It all went from there! I had never, ever imagined that it would have been this successful! I remember getting a lot of heat from friends saying how ridiculous it was that I would waste my time on making a social media for my dogs, but I am so glad i did! I truly believe that being consistent, working hard and connecting with other people is what has made us get this far. We have made tons of life long friendships and had so many amazing opportunities come our way because of this. I am very grateful that people love seeing our wacky daily updates and do not mind my annoying puppy talk in videos! I would say that some of our favorite feedback is when people say that we have helped brighten their day, even if it is just the smallest thing. We are so grateful for the love and support that it is so heart warming to know that we also help out our followers sometimes too.
5. What advice do you have for current Dachshund owners or those who are thinking about adding the breed to their household?
A. My advice would be to always stick to your guns! Dachshunds are stubborn and sneaky when they want to be, they are also loyal and loving and amazing pups! As long as you are more stubborn than they are, you will have no problems with training or discipline. I would also recommend doing your research (like with any breed) as they can be prone to back problems, just so that you are fully aware of what to do and what not to do. I honestly do not think I will ever own anything but Dachshunds. They are such an amazing breed full of life, love and just the right amount of mischief!
Ellen wrote this blog for Dachshunds United. Follow Ellen and Trixie on Instagram at @trixiethedaschund. If you would like to participate in Five Questions email your contact information to info@dachshundsunited.com.
