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The Indiana Daily Student

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Bloomington Dachshund Club celebrates 1st birthday

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There was a soft pitter-patter Thursday afternoon headed south along Switchyard Park’s B-Line Trail. A small herd of low-riders — a collective of dachshunds — strutted across the slightly damp pavement, which was drying from a mid-April shower.  

Some may consider Ellie a canine star after her Indiana men’s basketball halftime doxie race” win Feb. 8 in Assembly Hall. But on Thursday, Ellie wasn’t at Switchyard to train for another relay — she was there to celebrate the Bloomington Dachshund Club’s first birthday, with nearly a dozen other dogs that looked like her. 

On April 20, 2024, Kaitlyn Mason created the Facebook group “Bloomington Dachshund Club.” Mason said she saw the need for the group when every time she took her dog Bo, a long-haired dachshund, to the small dog park, there weren’t often any others. When she discovered there was a club for corgis, she had the idea to create one for dachshunds.  

That was before Mason knew there were “apparently, like, a thousand” dachshunds in Bloomington. Almost one year later, the group has collected more than 315 members who share photos of their dogs, dachshund-themed merchandise, share information to help animals in need, seek dog-sitters and coordinate different meetups and events.  

Thursday’s celebration included tiny, glitter party-hats, a “Let’s Pawty” banner, temporary dachshund tattoos for human companions and Reddi-wip for pup-cups. Mason, like many other owners, said she had another dachshund before Bo. She loves the breed’s “spunk.”  

“They just have a lot of attitude, like they are very stubborn,” Mason said. “They’re kind of buttheads, but you know, you would think that wouldn’t make you like them.”  

Dachshunds were bred to hunt ground-burrowing animals like badgers. This gives the dogs their long, low-to-the-ground stature. But it also contributes to their breed’s independence and fearlessness and, consequently, their disobedient reputation. 

“I just love their personalities,” Kelly DeMier said, owner of red long-haired dachshund Lily, and blonde long-haired dachshund Lucy. “They’re just so cute, and they’re just so fun.”  

Many of the owners at the celebration Thursday had been involved in the club since its inception, including DeMier and Lynn Matchett, Ellie’s owner. Matchett brought tie-dye collar bandanas she sewed for party favors.  

“I’m actually from Indianapolis, but I drive down for the Bloomington dachshund club because I love it so much,” Matchett said. “I love the park. All the dogs have gotten along, nobody has any fights, and Kaitlyn, who is the organizer, has done a great job at getting new activities. For instance, we had the Olympics over the summer — we had ‘Doxie-lympics.’” 

The “Doxie-lympics,” hosted in August 2024, included a whipped cream eating contest, the longest “stay,” most tricks competitions and a race. The Bloomington Dachshund Club also connected its pups, including Ellie, to the Assembly Hall halftime doxie-races.  

“She really likes her mama, so she runs straight to me,” Matchett said. “She’s really fast.”  

Matchett had two other dachshunds before Ellie. She authored the children’s book “Soft Brown Ears,” published in 2023 in remembrance of her dachshund Daisy.  

After enough play time, the celebration wrapped up with a group photo in front of the “Let’s Pawty” banner, each dog not-so-sure about the party hats. Then, pitter-patter returned as the dogs made their way back onto the B-Line Trail, headed home.  

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