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 IV of a series of stories about Hans. Future installments will be posted here in the coming weeks. [Click Here for Part III] So now for your enjoyment, here is . . .

Hans! Where's Hans? Anyone seen Hans? When no one could remember, we headed out the door and went four separate ways each calling "Here, Hans!" (We did that very well. Remember his first day?) When he couldn't be found, Dad drove around the neighborhood with one child calling out the window, "Here, Hans!"

Finally, he was located ensconced by the back door of a house a block away. Romeo von Low Belly was on the prowl! He was brought home, but returned as soon as he could get away again. This routine occurred regularly over the years. We never saw any little Hans look a-likes, so I suppose the object of his affection was carefully confined.

Of course there were other Lotharios in the neighborhood who were just as determined to win the lady, and a few times Hans limped home somewhat the worse for his encounter with one. At times, though, I wondered if he wouldn't have said "You should have seen the other guy!" Despite the torn ears and punctured lungs, I suppose the badger dog held his own most of the time.

The "Fierce Jungle Beast" appeared every so often. In tall grass or undergrowth in the woods, Hans would search the wilderness for dangerous animals, and overcome them every time. He loved this game which probably invoked some innate memory of past generations of hunters.

This primal urge sometimes arose in the neighborhood as well. The alpha dog always brings back food for the pack, right? So one day during hunting season Hans showed up on our doorstep with a deer skull, antlers and all! (I wonder what he did with the rest of the poor animal!) He was so proud of himself, and couldn't quite understand why we were less than pleased with his trophy.

Then one day he found a huge ham (not the whole animal, but he got what he could) and ate the whole thing! He looked like a watermelon. After that big meal, he felt like a nap, so he went in the house and jumped up on our bed. You guessed it . . . all that ham came up! Luckily (he'd disagree about this) Dad was home to clean up the mess and wash the bed spread.

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.