Nearly 900 Dachshunds Break Record for Breed’s Largest Dog Walk

Dachshunds—pronounced dahks-hund and literally meaning “badger dog” in German—are tiny canines beloved worldwide. Their little legs and big personalities have earned them the sixth spot on the American Kennel Club’s list of most popular dog breeds of 2024. Dachshunds are even popular enough to get their own parades. Although different wiener dog parades exist in the U.S., such as in Rochester, New York, the biggest ones are in Germany. In fact, Regensburg broke the record for the largest dachshund dog walk in the world late last year.

As Boing Boing reports, the Guinness World Records committee confirmed there were 897 dachshunds at the recent Dackelparade (dackel as in the short form of dachshund). Some unofficial counts reported 1175 canines. Regardless, 897 beats previous records by a significant margin. According to the BBC, the old world record for largest dachshund dog walk in Twickenham, London, came out to 342.

The parade was hosted by the Dackelmuseum, a dedicated facility that contains over 4500 sausage-dog-themed collectibles. Hundreds of dogs and their owners gathered in a Regensburg parking lot, crossed a historic bridge, passed the Dackelmuseum, and ended up in the town square. People from all over Germany came to Regensburg for the event, and some guests even traveled from out of the country. Many attendees also showed their German pride by wearing traditional dirndls and lederhosen. Additionally, a marching band and spectators cheered for the canine marchers.

It’s not surprising that Germany loves dachshunds, as the dogs were originally bred in the country to help hunt badgers. Because of their bravery, they even became the first Olympic mascot.

Daschshunds aren’t the only breed to get this celebrity treatment. Kansas City, Missouri, hosts its annual Bird Dog Parade dedicated to various sporting breeds, and this year nearly 24,000 people came out to see the show.

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