By Carolyn Webb
A single dachshund can be so small that you might blink and miss it, but on Sunday, a mass of sausage dogs moved their little feet to achieve an enormous feat.
In Elwood in Melbourne’s inner south-east, more than 1300 dachshunds and their owners set a Guinness world record for the largest dog walk by a single breed.
Dachshunds rule: Owners held dogs aloft before the world record attempt.Credit: Luis Ascui
Some of the proceeds from the event will go towards operations on foster dachshunds, many of which are affected by a spinal disease.
In Point Ormond Reserve before the walk, there was a stunt that would be hard to pull off with heavier breeds. Event volunteer Elizabeth Anile asked owners over the PA system to hold up their dachshunds for a drone photo with the Melbourne CBD in the background.
“Wave your sausages in the air like you just don’t care,” Anile said.
And then they were off, on a one-kilometre stroll along the Elwood foreshore path.
The final figure of 1385 dachshunds smashed, by over 300, the previous record of 1029 — set by beagles in Macclesfield, England, on April 22, 2018.
But in Elwood it wasn’t just the dogs on show. In a nod to the dachshund breed’s German origins, Darren Holley, of Port Melbourne, wore mustard-coloured lederhosen — knee-length breeches — and his friend Kathy Nucara donned a dirndl, or Bavarian folk dress.
Holley, whose mother, Emmy, was born in Germany, brought his dachshund, Fritz von Bismarck, and Nucara brought her dachshunds, Frankie and Hunny.
Guten tag: Darren Holley and friend Kathy Nucara.Credit: Luis Ascui
Eva Williams, 5, wore a fairy dress to help her grandparents Lesley and Paul Calverley, of Mooroolbark, and their five dachshunds take part in the record attempt.
Eva named all of Lesley’s miniature longhaired cream dachshunds after characters in the children’s series Paw Patrol — Rubble, Chase, Skye, Ryder and Marshall.
Lindsay Bryant, from Little River near Werribee, told how his miniature dachshund, Frankie, sometimes tries to herd sheep on his property and is a great mate.
Bryant bought Frankie in December 2022 as a gift for his wife, Anne. In over 50 years together, Anne had always wanted a dachshund, but she died two months later. Now, Bryant said, “Everywhere I go, Frankie comes with me.”
Family day out: Lesley Calverley with husband Paul and granddaughter Eva Williams, 5, and the Calverleys’ five dachshunds.Credit: Luis Ascui
One of the event’s organisers, Adele Gullick, said she was exhilarated at the world record.
The event was held to raise awareness of the charity Devoted 2 Dachshunds Rescue, which has been involved with 160 dachshund rescues nationally in the past 12 months, compared with 35 in a year, four years ago.
Gullick, who fosters dachshunds, said people needed to research the breed before buying.
“People buy them because they are cute and have no idea whatsoever how needy they are, particularly for working people in apartments,” Gullick said.
“Dachshunds can bark a lot and have serious separation anxiety when left alone, and neighbours complain to councils.”
Some owners lack insurance against intervertebral disc disease, which affects many dachshunds. Surgery can cost over $10,000. Some of the money raised on Sunday would go towards operations on foster dogs, Gullick said.
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