Hamilton

Hamilton was a Wirehair dachshund who, at about a year old, was found wandering the streets of Mary Esther, Florida. He was pinched by local animal control and placed into the adoption pipeline.

My wife discovered and rescued him and when I met her, he came as part of the package. Hamilton (aka Ham, Hamdog, Hamburger, Hamster, Hambone, Hammy Boy, Hammurabi, Ham’opotomus) was our introduction to the breed. We both fell in love with dachshunds, and more specifically, with Wirehair dachshunds. Ham is no longer with us but he’s been followed by two more - boy and girl cousins from the same breeder who works with an Eurpoean “teckel” bloodline.

The Wirehair differs from the shorthair and longhair dachshunds by way of having terrier bloodlines bred in to it. This produces a fiercer “hunter”. Wirehairs tend to be more confident and playful than the smooth and longhair types. They’re sometimes described as “fearless clowns”.