The first dachshund in our family was Hans who came to live with us in 1964. In a very real sense, Hans is responsible for the existence of Distinctively Dachshund. He is the one who taught us the joys and challenges of living with a stubborn, creative, smart-ass dog. We've been dachshund people ever since. The following is Part III of a series of stories about Hans. Future installments will be posted here in the coming weeks. [Click Here for Part II] So now for your enjoyment, here is . . .

A-a-a-h for the life of a puppy! "Come on boy, let's go for a walk." "Oh, boy, a walk! Oh, boy!" "OK, time for supper." "Oh, boy, oh, boy! I love to eat supper! Oh, boy!" "Let's go for a ride. Get in the car." "Oh, boy, a ride! Oh, boy!" A puppy's life is full of fun, exploration and adventure. So many new things, new activities and new people.

Hans was a bundle of energy. His little legs took him everywhere and his nose sniffed out all kinds of things. Some wonderful and some...well... Into his yard one day came a visitor, about his size and with a long tail like his, but with tiny ears (not long and beautiful like his) and a little short nose. Being a good host he approached to say "hello" (as dogs do). Suddenly the guest hissed and swiped him across the nose with its paw. Startled, Hans barked and chased the villain from his home. How humiliating to have big welts on his face! But this introduction to cats taught him one lesson he never forgot and he was a confirmed Cat Hater from then on. Never again would that animal get its sharp claws into his nose and a cat never got within striking distance again as long as he lived.

Another day, a two-legged, very tall visitor arrived. All two-legged folks had been friendly and told him how cute he was, and here came another one. Hans ran out to meet this visitor when all of a sudden his face was covered with something that made it hard to breathe. He coughed and coughed and his eyes ran with tears! He yelped in shock and pain. What happened? Without knowing it, Hans had run afoul of a mailman and his mace. From that day on, every unknown person was met with loud barking...no biting... but enough to let people know he was protecting himself and his territory. Once inside the house, everyone was his friend.

We lived outside the city limits and during his time with us there were no leash laws in the neighborhood. Hans had freedom to wander the neighborhood and there he found some great friends.

Lassie lived next door. She was a sweet Collie who could have been a stand-in for the TV star. Those two played endlessly, chasing each other around, wrestling and Hans would play captive while Lassie dragged him around by his collar. It was an odd scene, but they loved the game.

Another friend was Leo. Has anyone else witnessed a game played by a dachshund and a very large Great Dane? We could have sold tickets. Leo lived a block away, but was lonely with no one to keep him company, so he came to our house. He loved to be petted and would lean contentedly against us with such force that we had to brace ourselves to keep from falling over. The dogs had a routine where Leo would try to catch Hans who bedeviled him by dashing between his legs where Leo couldn't get at him. Hans darted in and out around Leo's feet so the big guy was almost dancing. They seemed to have a great time and Leo would always go home happy.

Check back soon for the next installment of "The Story of Hans". As part of the new look of Distinctively Dachshund, we will be posting stories about dachshunds on a more-or-less regular basis. We have many stories about our own dachshunds that we plan on sharing, but we also want to hear from you! We all know dachshunds have a special knack for arranging and interacting with the world around them.

If you have a dachshund story you would like to share with the world, please send it to us and we'll try to post it on our site. Of course pictures are welcome, too.