Ain't nothing better than a Hound Dog

P.Ramakrishnan meets a group of dachshund devotees whose pet project revolves around their four-legged friends

Hiking up to the house of Esta Overmars, the host of the first and "biggest dachshund party of Hong Kong " in Mui Wo on Lantau at the weekend, the battle cry for every new entrant is, "look out!"

Guests dodge dachshie-doo near the entrance as if manoeuvring on a battleground. Meanwhile, a family of three dachshunds have taken over one of the more comfortable chairs on the lawn and a gang of six races up and down the embankment, while others are busy getting their tails and ears scratched by their owners, oblivious to the fawning fans gathered. A gorgeous golden retriever and a fluffy white terrier have gate-crashed the party but this is a bash that bars no age, gender, race or breed.

Forty dog owners have assembled for a forum on dachshunds, but little goes to plan as their 30 charges take delight in each other's company and the various competitions that have been arranged.

A distant cousin of the basset hound, dachshunds, also called badger dogs, hail from Germany, where they were originally bred as hunting dogs. Their short crooked legs are deformations, conditioned over the years to help them dig and burrow into fox and rabbit holes. They can be short-or-long-haired and come in an assortment of colours as they are mix-bred to suit climates and conditions, as well as fashion.

Ignoring the pooches doing biped impressions on her lawn, Overmars relates the sad tale of her first dachshund, Webster, whose death last year is the reason for the gathering. "He was taught how to swim and he was very happy, but he took in too much seawater one day and got bloated," she says. "He couldn't be helped in time so he died. So I built the Harry and Potter Web site [named after her two eight-month-old dachshunds] dedicated to information on taking care of this particular breed. We've all come together today to help each other with problems, to learn from each other's
experience."

While life-saving firsr-aid for canines is discussed, the short-distance race begins. Shamshuipo resident William Fung introduces me to his injured pet Michael. "He's got a back injury and he was operated on but he needs his doggy-wheel-chair for long -distance walks and runs."

Lady luck hasn't been kind to Michael, who gets into a scrape with an unfriendly neighbour trying to jostle for position before the relay. As the dog whines and hides between Fung's legs, his owner recalls: "Coincidence chose us. Late one night, I was going out to get my dinner and I saw him tied by rope to a lamp post. I asked around and heard that somebody had dumped him. I couldn't leave him and now he's with me. I've had him for almost six years."

As owners try to coax their prized possessions into reaching the finishing line, a few stop at halfway and return. Emma, Mary and Bruce Paterson's long-haired non-starter, cowers back but their other dog, Molly, goes for gold. "She is the alpha. She is fiercely possessive about her soft toys and putting one as the target at the end helped," Bruce says about Molly, while carrying Emma out.

Molly, who later wins the Miss Hong Kong framed certificate and a toy, is a crowd favourite. Posing for the camera, she hides a stuffed monkey under her chin to the adulatory flashes of the photographers.

"She is a 'therapy dog' so very docile," Mary Paterson says. "I've taken her into a school with children with cerebral palsy and they would make sudden jerks and movements but she'd just lie there peacefully."

Priscilla Wong, on the other hand, has a trio of snappy and suspicious dogs: Roby, Abu and Tanny, who refuse to stay still for a photo. "Oh, they have minds of their own," Wong despairs.

Overmars later comments: "Owners affect how the dogs will eventually be. They can be happy, they can be perfectly nice dogs like my Harry and Potter, especially if you've had them since they were puppies."

Wong runs Lazy Bones, a small shop on Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay, which sells dog toys, accessories, clothes, collars and leashes. She is also an event organiser. "We have parties for dogs every two months," Wong explains, adding that the next event takes place on March 2. "We all get together and go out for walks in different places. Usually about 30 people, 20 dogs turn up."

The second competition tests owners, who are blindfolded and asked to feel the pelt of six dogs, one of which is their own. Boris Chan sneaks into the circle carrying his golden retriever Vincy, but the impatient eight-month puppy does a runner.


By the end of the day, exhausted guests sweat it out and carry their dogs, perfectly relaxed in their arms, down the slope. A couple pleading with their pet to come out from under the chair are among the last to leave. Overmars grins: "Dachshunds own the owner, not the other way around."

February 13, 2003