Sarge

Last September, Sarge, a 13-year-old Dachshund was in need of a home.  Sarge’s previous owner suddenly went to a nursing home, which leaving him alone in his home for three months. Neighbors occasionally would come and go,  giving Sarge food and water. One day, a neighbor brought Sarge into the vet because they realized that he needed to be examined. Because he was left alone without attentive care, he needed to have a teeth removal surgery leaving him with no teeth left. Sarge has the best smile that leaves his tongue hanging out of his mouth!

Professor Boylan and her husband are no strangers to rescuing Dachshunds. They like to rescue older Dachshunds, and had lost one a few months prior to rescuing Sarge. When Sarge was brought into the animal hospital, they called Professor Boylan asking if her husband and she would be interested in rescuing an older Dachshund that had just been brought in. The Boylan’s said yes, and a few days later Sarge was brought home.

Despite the ups and down, Sarge is a fighter. The now 14-year-old, 14-pound, pure bred Dachshund, is going strong. He goes on long 1 mile walks every day and doesn’t miss a beat.  Sarge is specifically bonded to and protective over Professor Boylan. When he arrived in their home, Professor Boylan’s husband was away for two weeks, so Sarge became especially close to her. Before COVID-19, Professor Boylan would take Sarge to visit his previous owner at her nursing home. Now, they are not allowed to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions, but they still keep in touch through letters.

Professor Boylan says that Sarge’s hearing is still in great shape, although sometimes he doesn’t listen :). He has cataracts that have developed, but that is normal for a dog of Sarge’s age. Typically, Dachshunds have a more reddish coat, but Sarge’s is darker. Sarge has big floppy ears and short legs. The dachshund (dac) gene was initially described as a mutant phenotype in flies featuring extremely short legs relative to their body length₁. Professor Boylan says that for the most part, Sarge fits all the descriptions for the typical purebred Dachshund. It is evident through conversation with Professor Boylan that Sarge is loved and an important member of their family!!!

1. Popov, V. M., Wu, K., Zhou, J., Powell, M. J., Mardon, G., Wang, C., & Pestell, R. G. (2010). The Dachshund gene in development and hormone-responsive tumorigenesis. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM, 21(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tem.2009.08.002