The Blues Brothers

By Dena Delgado
Southern California Dachshund Rescue

On the morning of October 4, 2003, I was sitting at my desk reading my e-mail when the telephone rang. It was Cheryl Bales from H.O.P.E. Rescue in Upland, California. She had received a request from a vet tech in the area to surrender a six-year-old "blue", longhaired dachshund to rescue, so she called me immediately.

My first question might seem a bit unusual to the average person. I asked Cheryl if the dog had any fur. She was surprised that I would ask that question first, but admitted he had only a few tufts of tan fur, but the rest of his blue and tan body was bald*. I could not imagine what a bald "longhaired" dachshund would look like….. maybe a Chinese Crested? I did not hesitate. I told Cheryl I would take him.

When I hung up the phone, I sat and thought about this dog I had just agreed to rescue. What was I going to do with him? Who would adopt a bald dachshund? I called Mary Lou. She immediately suggested I call our friend Kathy Hoover. We have known Kathy for years and she has a "blue", smooth dachshund named Simon. He has almost no fur too. Kathy and Simon come to all our Dachshund Picnics and they are such nice folks. I told Mary Lou I would call her right away.

I called Kathy as soon as I could and told her about the "blue" longhaired dachshund in Upland. She got very, very excited. I asked Kathy if she would foster him temporarily until we could figure out a permanent placement for him. She agreed. As a matter of fact, she was so excited that she got dressed, jumped into her car (Simon in tow) and drove all the way to Upland to pick up her new foster-dog. Then she drove all the back to my house so I could meet the new foster-boy and take some really cool pictures.

Two hours later, my doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, there stood Kathy with Simon and Shadow. I could not get over how adorable Shadow was. Kathy was smiling from ear to ear. Simon was wagging and smiling too. This was really wonderful. We went out to the back yard so the boys could potty, sniff and play while we completed the Foster Agreement. Kathy was almost positive Shadow would end up a permanent member of her family, but she wanted to give her husband, Michael, an opportunity to get to know Shadow before making a final decision.

One week later, Kathy called. Wonderful news! Could I please send her an Adoption Contract so they could make Shadow a permanent member of their family? Simon was truly enjoying having a brother, and Michael was in love with Shadow and did not wish to part with him. She said that he had made up a nickname for Simon and Shadow. He was calling them "The Blues Brothers". I think you will agree that this is a perfect name for them.

Kathy, Mike and "The Blues Brothers" at the 2003 Hallowiener Picnic

*A "blue" dachshund is the result of a recessive gene in a black and tan dachshund. Typically, blue dachshunds lose most of their fur after their first birthday. They need sweaters in cool weather and sun-block if they are going to be outside in the sun for more than a few minutes. They sunburn easily.

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