Adopting a Dachshund in Birmingham: rescues, rules and health

The number under the short answer is a live count of the Dachshunds and Dachshund crosses listed with us within about 25 miles of Birmingham, and each one on our Birmingham Dachshund page links to the rescue that has it. Expect a small number, sometimes zero, which is why it pays to register with the breed charity too. For other small breeds near the city, see our Birmingham small dogs page.

Check these first, because the charity says it will reject an application that doesn't meet its basic criteria:

• A secure garden. Non-negotiable, it says, because Dachshunds are notoriously hard to toilet train.
• Children 10 or older. Older children can be fine if the dog is used to family life.
• Someone around most of the day. It won't place a dog where every adult works or studies full time, or where it would go to daycare regularly, since separation anxiety is common among the dogs it takes in.
• An adopter of 21 or over.
• A cat only if the dog already knows cats. It can't cat test, so it only places a Dachshund with a cat if the dog has lived with one before.

Dachshund Rescue UK lists divorce, bereavement, illness, a change in family circumstances and behavioural issues. It warns that many of the dogs that come to it can be traumatised, anxious and insecure, and that adopters need to be ready to work on that with the charity's support.

Dachshund Rescue UK says its dogs are microchipped and vaccinated and that females are spayed when the time is right, but it doesn't routinely neuter males, so budget for that with a male. The Animal House Rescue says its animals are treated for fleas and worms, vaccinated, and neutered if over 6 months before they go to new homes, and at Birmingham Dogs Home neutering and a microchip are part of the fee.

Buying moves those costs onto you. The breeder has to microchip a puppy by 8 weeks under UK law, so the chip is not an extra, but neutering and the rest of the vaccinations may well be, on top of the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross quotes for the puppy. An adult rescue Dachshund also comes with its adult size, coat and back history known.

The long back is the breed's weak point. Dogs Trust says Dachshunds are predisposed to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which it likens to a slipped disc in people and which can cause weakness, loss of balance and even paralysis. Royal Veterinary College researchers asked owners about 2,031 Dachshunds in the DachsLife 2015 survey: 15.7% had been diagnosed with IVDD by a vet, ranging from 24.4% of standard smooth-haired dogs to 7.1% of standard wire-haired ones.

• Back history. Ask about any past back pain, weakness or wobbly walking. For breeders, The Royal Kennel Club lists spine screening under its IVDD scheme as a minimum.
• Age and neutering. DachsLife found higher odds of IVDD in older and in neutered dogs, so for an older dog the back history matters most.
• Dapple to dapple. The Royal Kennel Club has refused since 1 January 2010 to register puppies whose parents are both dapple, because of the linked risk to sight and hearing.

Space is not the issue: The Royal Kennel Club says a small house is big enough and up to an hour of exercise a day will do, for miniatures and standards alike. Stairs are the thing to plan for: for a new dog, Dachshund Rescue UK suggests stair gates if needed, ramps for furniture and fewer steps outside, and a quiet space the dog can retreat to. The garden matters as much as the house: the breed charity insists on a secure one, and so does Small Dog Rescue.

No rescue sells its Dachshunds. Each dog is matched to the home that suits it, for an adoption fee, and that is how every Dachshund on our Birmingham Dachshund page is rehomed. Young dogs reach rescue now and then, but a puppy is never guaranteed, so an adult is the realistic hope.

Buying instead? Ask the breeder for the parents' IVDD screening results, avoid any litter from two dapple parents, and talk to your vet first: Dogs Trust says some practices offer pre-purchase consultations covering likely health problems and rough costs. The Royal Kennel Club lists litters through its "Find a puppy" service, and a suspicious advert can be reported to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).