KristyWes

D.S.F. Twenty-Twelve

The Dachshund Spring Fiesta is held each year in Washington Square Park on the last Saturday of April.  Dozens and dozens of dachshunds convene on the square for a friendly meet-and-greet.  Some wear costumes.  Some come dressed just as God made 'em.  It's an overly-adorable good time (even for me - the creeper who shows up without a dog).

The Fiesta-ivities start at noon, but this past Saturday I was caught up in a very important project (i.e. sitting around, drinking coffee) and couldn't get down to the park until after 2pm.  So I missed most of the party, but still got to spy on some cute pups.

(Apologies for the crappy phone pics - my camera batteries died the minute I got to the park.  Let's pretend the water-color-esque quality of these shots was a legitimate artistic choice.)

Dachshunds, as a breed, seem to be deeply distrustful of - and angry about - skateboards.  The dogs erupted into a chorus of yips each time a skateboarder (and there are a lot in Washington Square Park) got too close to their group.

One dachshund owner, explaining to the teen above why he was having a hard time winning over her pet, said, "They don't like skateboards because the boards are like cars, coming right at 'em!"  That may be true; I'm no expert on dachshund neuroses.  But I think it's also possible that, given the striking shape similarity a dachshund bears to a skateboard, the dogs may fear the boards because they believe them to be cyborg competitors.  (Maybe?) (No?)

In any case, I'm glad that the Spring Fiesta (and it's autumnal counterpart, Dachtoberfest) exist.  I think it's important for dachshunds to be able to gather together, to unionize against skateboards, to socialize, and to see that - in spite of their freakish proportions - they are not alone in this world.

That's important for all of us, no?  To find others whose weirdness matches ours.  Amen.

(Click here for DSF photos from a prior year.)