Victoria “Tori” Lee, the owner of Endachs, grew up with dogs, ranging in age and breed. When she was 15 years old, she was determined to have a dog of her own. “I had decided I wanted a larger dog, so I saved up money,” she says. Even though her parents were longtime dog owners, they weren’t keen on adding another dog to the family.
Lee had her heart set on a Doberman or Great Pyrenees but changed her mind the moment she saw a newspaper ad for Dachshund puppies. “I wasn’t a stranger to the breed,” she says. Her mom had grown up with Dachshunds and her grandpa still had a senior Dachshund named Heidi. Lee named her puppy “Finnegan” and brought him to show her mom. “I have never seen my mom’s face light up more than when she saw that puppy in my arms,” she recalls.
Finnegan wasn’t well-bred and had serious health issues, including seizures. But Lee learned a lot from him, and this experience ignited her passion for the Dachshund breed. “I fell in love with the underdog nature of the Dachshund,” she says. “Here in the US, they’re a pet and a couch potato and nobody expects them to do very much, but they’re a wonderful companion and capable of so many things.”
Introduction to Conformation
Growing up, Lee had always wanted to participate in 4-H events but her family wasn’t able to take her and the dogs for training sessions. In 2015, when she moved to Missouri, she heard about a Russell Terrier club called Missouri Earth Dogs, whose events were open to all breeds. Aside from Barn Hunt, Finnegan wasn’t all that interested in sports, and Lee was still new to the world of conformation.
When she got “Ender,” who Endachs is named after, Lee’s boss suggested she start showing her dogs at events hosted by the American Canine Association and America’s Pet Registry, Inc. With a few ribbons under her belt, Lee was hooked. She continued building her way up to United Kennel Club events, eventually making it to shows sponsored by AKC.
“My first AKC show dog was a Ukrainian import, Sky Spirit Arch Rival (CGCA CGCU TKN VHMA),” she says. She got Rival in 2017 and he was just over a year old at his first AKC event. “The judge told me Rival needed weight and maturity,” she says. Not one to be discouraged, she continued working with Rival at UKC events.
Building Her Breeding Program
The first female Lee bred was “Okami” (Daks Honor Amaterasu), a Ukrainian import who, because of a leg injury, couldn’t participate in conformation. After that, Lee set her sights on breeding show puppies. In 2019, she had her first litter and kept a puppy named “Alchemy” (Endachs Magick Obscura AKC CH CGCA CGCU TKN). “It was a litter of seven and everybody was really good and healthy,” she says.
Alchemy was Lee’s first bred-by champion and the first to receive the title, Register of Merit. Four of Alchemy’s puppies went to show homes and three are now Grand Champions. Her most decorated dog is “Rival” who is an AKC Grand Champion, Dual Champion, and Senior Earthdog. “He’s my first and only Dual Champion because I don’t make it to as many field trials as I would like,” she says. He needs one more leg for his Master Earthdog title.
“Rival is forever the best boy,” she says. “I couldn’t have asked for a better dog to be the foundation of my program. He’s everything I want out of my program, a nicely balanced dog that has the drive and hunting ability but also a rock-solid temperament.” Rival never reacts when other dogs bark or growl at him.
Another one of her foundation dogs is “Ripple” (Cedarmist’s Raspberry Ripple at Endachs SE CGCA CGCU TKN VHMA STK). In 2017, a few weeks after Rival became an AKC Grand Champion, Ripple became an AKC Champion along with Best of Variety. It was Ripple’s first show without Rival tagging along. “Ripple has always been what I call a show pony because she gets in the ring and prances instead of properly gaiting,” she says.
An Untimely Loss for Endachs
“The most meaningful dog to me is ‘Druid’ who I just lost,” she says. Druid (Endachs Power to Wield, AKC Grand Champion, CGCA CGCU) was a second-generation puppy from Alchemy. He became an AKC Champion at a year old and an AKC Grand Champion not long after. Owner-handled reserve Best in Show was the last title he received before he passed away this April at two years old.
Lee had been working out of town when her dogs escaped from the yard. They managed to secure the dogs except for Druid and his two five-month-old puppies. Lee posted a message on Facebook which received 1200 shares within an hour. “It was a very nice outpouring of support from the entire community,” she says. Friends and neighbors traveled for hours to help look for her dogs. The puppies made it home safely but, sadly Druid was found deceased.
“There were a lot of things I wanted to accomplish with him,” Lee says. “It’s my first year entering nationals feeling like I had a dog worthy of competing in that arena.” She still has Druid’s puppies and is hopeful that his son, Conan, will go on to become a champion. She calls Druid a “once in a lifetime dog. I’m just trying to keep my head up and remember that there’s plenty more to do even without him.”
Plans for Future Litters
Lee had hoped that Druid would be her next Dual Champion and her first official bred-by Dual Champion. With Druid’s passing, she doesn’t have any dogs who are active in showing. “Druid’s son is going to be six months the day of our national classes,” she says. “I decided to enter him to give me something to go there for.”
Typically, she has two litters per year and spends the rest of her time photographing dog shows. “I don’t breed unless I expect to keep something out of it,” she says. “That doesn’t mean they always turn out.” Sometimes the puppies have an issue like an off-bite, kinked tail, or umbilical hernia which she doesn’t want to carry forward in future litters.
Although Lee enjoys dog sports, she tends to prioritize conformation because she can pick up work taking photos ringside. She doesn’t get to attend many field trials since the closest location is seven and a half hours away. However, she does attend all the conformation events in her state and is planning to attend the Oklahoma Summer Classic this year with Conan.
She thinks Conan is a good candidate for barn hunt. “I don’t want to waste time anymore,” she says. “I want to do more with them. I love watching them work their nose and chase scents.” In addition to caring for a toddler, Lee has seven dogs and co-owns Dachshunds. Her dogs love to run and swim. “They’re not afraid of weather or the water,” she says.
Prospective Dachshund Owners
Lee doesn’t think Dachshunds are right for everyone. “They’re a hound, so they’re going to want to chase things and eat all the food,” she says. “Even though they’re small, they’ll try to take advantage of you. You have to manage them, and you can’t coddle them.”
Her advice for anyone interested in owning a Dachshund is to start with your breed club. “If a good breeder doesn’t have an option for you, they can suggest someone,” she says. As for conformation, “as long as you come out open-minded and willing to learn and do right by your dogs, people are going to see that,” she says.
Sometimes people get discouraged and give up. “If you’re coming to show your dog, you just have to be open to criticism and realize that people aren’t trying to be malicious,” she says. “They want what’s best for the breed, which is what we should all want.”