They’re short of leg but long on fans — and next Sunday at noon, dachshunds will be the focus of a celebration at the annual Spring Fiesta in Washington Square Park.
According to Dachshund Friendship Club founder Adrian Milton, the highlight of this Sunday’s event will be the 1 p.m. singing of “The Dachs Song,” which goes: “There’s no other dog like a dachshund/ Walking so close to the ground/ They’re stubborn and sly as a fox/ And the happiest pet to be found.”
And that’s no exaggeration, according to owners.
“I love everything about my Roxy,” says Leslie Stevens of the Manhattan marketing firm LaForce & Stevens, “especially the way she burrows under the covers at night.”
That snuggling impulse is genetic — Milton says that the long-bodied dachshund — also known as the wiener dog — was bred to go down badger holes and stay for hours at a time.
But these champion cocooners have a fierce side, too.
“They’re considered the bravest of all dogs,” says Milton. “They will fight badgers to the death if necessary.”
The breed comes in several variations: miniature (under 11 pounds), standard (18 to 35 pounds) and “tweeny” (somewhere in between), with coats ranging from short to long, and from silky and wiry.
Interior designer Robin Bell Schaefer has owned dachshunds her whole life.
“For people who like big dogs but have small apartments,” she says, “dachshunds are a big dog in a compact body. They’re perfect for city living.”