Item: Vintage Brass Dachshund Bottle Opener (German made)
Starting bid: $22.50
Condition: Used; “lovely patina”
Backstory: There are hundreds of Dachshund doodads rattling around on eBay. The breed’s long, low shape lends itself to all kinds of clever adaptations, like back scratchers, shoehorns, and salt-and-pepper caddies. We chose the bottle opener, though, because it so nicely combines two of Germany’s national obsessions: beer and their beloved wiener dogs. Das ist gut!
“Dachshund” means “badger dog” in German. The breed was created in Renaissance times to hunt badgers by digging into the underground lair of their sharp-toothed quarry. For the most part their badger-hunting days are long behind them. Today, Dachshunds are among the world’s most popular companion dogs; for many, the AKC Earthdog provides an outlet for their digging and burrowing instincts. And at least one Dachsie we know dabbles in police work:
The vast majority of eBay’s Dachsie items depict the standard smooth-coat variety. But the Dachshund comes in more sizes, coats types, and colors than any other breed. Our video team recently visited a litter of five miniature wirehaired puppies and filed this report: