Bath time, like many other daily routines, tends to elicit some mixed reactions from the ones receiving the bath. Your kid either loves taking a bath or thinks it’s the worst thing ever, which tends to get followed by screaming and yelling.
Pets are a different story altogether. I don’t think you need me to tell you what cats think, but dogs seem to think bath time is the second greatest thing in the world after pats and scratches as we’re about to see.
This pair of Dachshunds can give us a little demonstration of that
Dachshunds. Everyone’s favorite weiner dog breed. In their defense, who doesn’t want what’s basically a living hot dog that barks and runs around? It must be the teeny little legs that win a lot of people over.
Like a lot of dogs, Dachshunds love bath time. They scurry and bolt for the water much like every other dog, but their adorably small legs make it all the more amusing to watch.
Once their owner asks “Ready for bath time?”, these two miniature Dachshunds go into overdrive, then bolt up the staircase and into the bathroom in an instant.
The first one manages to leap the (relatively) tall bathtub walls after some difficulty. Although despite giving it a go several times themselves, the second one just can’t seem to clear the same height. Not to worry, their owner picks up Dachshund number 2 and sets them down into the tub with the other one.
Objective Completed: Bath Time
But why are Dachshund legs like…that? Sure, we know it’s selective breeding and all, much the same way Bulldogs and Pugs got their flat snouts. But exactly how did a dog go from normal legs to something like those?
Brother & sister love ❤️Insta: @duggie_and_daphne
Posted by Sausage Dog Central onSunday, June 28, 2020
The answer can be found in a little (no pun intended) phenomenon known as Achondroplasia. A form of dwarfism that also shows up in humans. An ancestral dog was pretty likely born with this form of Dwarfism, and selective breeders probably decided it was useful for the breed’s badger-hunting purpose.
So they bred more of the short-legged doggy and thus, the modern Dachshund came to be.
This crazy bit of selective breeding is but one of many that have drawn lots of ethical concerns. Looking at another example, the flattened muzzles of Bulldogs and Pugs, known as brachycephaly, cause them many breathing problems that never go away.
Some brachycephalic, or 'flat-faced', dogs struggle with their breathing. Because of this, owners need to take extra…
Posted by Battersea onSaturday, July 11, 2020
In fact, as far as selective breeding goes, the Dachshund is not alone in the tiny legs camp. Basset hounds, Shi Tzus, and Corgis are also achondroplastic breeds. There are even cats, deemed “Munchkin cats”, with achondroplasia.
Posted by Little Wonders Munchkin Cats onFriday, July 10, 2020
Although while achondroplasia won’t bring about breathing difficulties like brachycephaly, it does create greater tendencies for the animal to develop arthritis or obesity. Most likely the consequence of short legs making exercise and rigorous physical activity a bit difficult.
So if you have a Dachshund, it’d be great for you to give them a helping hand. Not just by lifting them into the bathtub, but in getting exercise too.
The breed has stayed around, even though badger hunting isn’t exactly something a lot of people still need to do. So if you end up acquiring a Dachshund despite the lack of badger-related jobs you need to do, keep the breeds’ requirements in mind.
For starters, if you need a tutorial on how to get them to run up the stairs and into the bath, the video is down below for you to play.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
