I am Harriet, a 29-year-old who plays, loves and shares her life with two Miniature Dachshunds and together we form The Dachshund Gang!
In August 2014, I was in a serious RTC when I was hit of my motorbike by a car. Having had numerous amounts of surgery, I have been left with a chronic pain condition and reduced capability in my right leg. Prior to the accident I used to be very mobile, playing football for Portsmouth and always out walking.
I believe that anxiety and depression are always overlooked in these instances, which is why I am not ashamed to say that I suffered from both, badly in fact. Therefore, in January of 2019 I made the life changing decision to buy a puppy in order to give me some focus and love!
I brought Lord Dachsington home on the 9th January and fell instantly in love with him. He is a smooth haired, black and tan miniature Dachshund, with stunning markings and a very feisty little personality. Dachs didn’t have any siblings, as his sister passed away in the early hours of her birth, so he was quite clingy as a puppy. When he was able to go out for his first walk in February, we started meeting up with our local group, East Hants Dachshunds, where I have since made some friends for life. I cannot express how important it is for your puppy (and you) to try and join groups like ours. They are such a good part of the socialisation process and you can meet like minded people who are also sausage dog mad!
Around April time 2019, Dachs started to have some issues with separation anxiety, therefore I made the decision to get him a play mate. On 18th April 2019, I brought Lieutenant Maveryck home, who is also a smooth haired miniature Dachshund, but a gorgeous red colour. Within a few days they had both become the best of friends and I knew I had made the right decision for Dachs. Maveryck is a very different little chap in comparison, he is quite a nervous dog, but one of the most affectionate I have ever met.
When I was first researching getting a dachshund, I kept stumbling across websites that were quite dull and not very interesting to read. So, I turned to YouTube, thinking there must be a channel with videos dedicated to the amazing breed somewhere! However, I simply could not find anything that I liked and that had everything in one place.
That was when I thought about making my own!! I certainly had the material, as my phone memory is constantly full of all the videos and pictures I take of the boys. So, I started to set about some ideas for content and the approach I was going to take. I decided that I didn’t want to teach or preach, as there is enough of that out there. I wanted to share the experiences I have been through and what worked and didn’t work for me, hoping that somebody out there can relate to it. I also wanted to provide information, in the right context, and direct people where to go if they do need to do some reading up.
My first video is an introduction into us as a family and talking about the boys, whilst the second one starts talking about some advice on how to go about getting a Daxie in the first place!
As well as informative videos, I also post ‘Monthly Round Ups’ where I put together all of the footage of the previous month and talk about what we have been up to. This is a great platform for me to show people how we are progressing with different things such as training, food and behavioural issues.
‘Let’s talk Wiener’ is also another feature of the channel, where I interview other Dachshund owners and ask them to talk to YouTube about their passion for their dogs. This is a great opportunity for viewers to see all the different types of Daxies out there and the different shapes, sizes and temperaments that they all have!
Lastly, we have ‘The Dachshund Diaries’ which are usually short clips of things that the boys have got up to, through the ears of Lord Dachsington himself wearing our GoPro. Due to my condition, most of our activities are limited, but I try and keep them entertained in other ways as much as I can.
The Channel, ‘The Dachshund Gang’ was started in July 2019 and I intend to regularly update the content on there. We have had an influx of subscribers recently, which has been fantastic and hope we can spread the word a bit more about what we are doing.
In early September 2019, I took the boys to Cornwall for their first holiday, where we traveled around different parts for about two weeks. This trip was to work on their training of being away from home and also to prepare for our dream…you can catch these videos on our Channel!
We are in the early stages of planning to go to the USA for three months, renting an RV and travelling down the west coast seeing lots of different places and people. It will be a trip of a lifetime, but the boys have got some work to do before we go! I also intend on vlogging the trip for the YouTube Channel.
Owning a dog is a privilege, but owning a Dachshund is a special one. I am a strong advocate for them being an aid for depression and anxiety, they can provide you with structure, routine and most importantly being a loving companion. When I first bought Dachs, he became a motive for me to keep going through some very difficult times, he will never know how grateful I am to him for that. As cliché as it may sound, owning a Dachshund has literally changed my life and enriched it full of hope and love again.
So, if you are thinking about getting a dachshund, love watching funny videos of them, or simply think you would enjoy some of our content then please head to our YouTube Channel or some of our social media platforms. The boys are on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where I post daily updates of what they are up to or funny content. Thankyou for reading about us!
