Stoning Dachshunds in the street

[Tony Lund]

Once again I have seen a claim in a book (Home Front 1914 - 1918 by Ian Beckett) that dachshunds were stoned in the streets. Has anyone ever actually seen a newspaper report of a dog being stoned in an English street, or any court cases resulting from such behaviour? I cannot imagine the wartime Holmfirth police letting something like that pass without someone being prosecuted. I have seen reports of people taken before a court for accidentally charging a penny extra for a jar of jam, when a shopboy made a mistake and supplied a cheaper flavour but still charged the higher price for the out of stock strawberry jam that was on the customer’s order list.

I know this dachshund claim is made in other books, but what I am after is a case actually reported in the newspapers of the time.

I also see it is claimed that German Measles were renamed Belgium Flush. So far as that is concerned, I have seen reports of the Medical Officer’s report to the Urban District Councils of Holmfirth, New Mill, and Holme, and in all three cases throughout the war German Measles are always referred to as German Measles; there is never a mention of Belgium Flush or anything similar, although I suppose there may be elsewhere in the country, although somehow I doubt it.

Tony.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

I think the people of Holmfirth would be far too sensible for that. I thought that it was confined to the more excitable cities, where mobs could be whipped into a frenzy, but haven't seen evidence either.

[Sgt_Hazell_Great_Grandson]

Dachshunds have traditionally been viewed as a symbol of Germany, despite their pan-European heritage. During World War I the animals -- a favorite of Kaiser Wilhelm II -- fell so far out of favor in England and the United States that Dachshunds were stoned to death in the streets. Many Americans began referring to Dachshunds as "liberty pups", and political cartoonists commonly used the image of the Dachshund to ridicule Germany. The stigma of the association was revived to a greatly reduced extent during World War II, and it quickly faded away following the war's end. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was also known for keeping Dachshunds. The Dachshund for this association with Germany was chosen to be the first official mascot for the 1972 Summer Olympics with the name "Waldi".

[centurion]

A lot of daft things were done but the daftest appear to have been in the USA where it is documented (in the form of advertisments) that hamburgers became libertyburgers (much like freedom fries) and frankfurters were simarly renamed. Dachsunds and German Shepherds were also apparently re named. - Possibly news of this latter seeped back to Britain and developed into an urban myth here

[Just Barbara]

I've read about this a few times but have never come across any thing that could be described as a solid fact. I always thought it must be an urban myth.

Barbara..

[CGM]

Re German Shepherd dogs - when I was a child in the 1950s (in England) they were always called Alsations. I never heard them called anything else.

When the name of German Shepherd became common I remember asking why their name had changed and was told that they had only been called Alsations during the war to avoid the German name being used.

I had a little google and found this (under history).

http://www.i-love-dogs.com/dog-breeds/Germ...epherd-Dog.html

[David B]

I'll agree with CGM - pre war 30's they were called Alsatians, nothing else. I always thought the name change was to give a

warm touchy feely name to what was then thought a dangerous breed. Tis only the way they are trained I feel

david

[centurion]

This thread has reminded me of the time I saw a stoned dachshund in an Aberdeen* street one New Year. The poor mutt had managed to slurp a number of glasses left in low places during a party (mainly Bailies and Advocat left by some of the ladies), and kept falling over. If you want to see a picture of pure misery a Dachsund with a hangover is a pretty good choice. Still he did recover.

* Cove to be precise

[dycer]

Cent,

Knowing Aberdeen as I did at New Year.

You sure it was a dachsund and not a local.

I agree with the Alsation,also being brought up in the 1950's.

George

[PPCLI]

Searched The Scotsman archive from 1914-1930 but no mention of victimised dachshunds! There were a few references made to the breed, one example is an article entitled 'Patriotic Names For Engines':

The Railway News, in a reference to patriotic locomotive nomenclature, says that in regard to the London and North-Western Railway Company's engines, the former list can now be completed with the addition of the following names:—"General Joffre," "Czar of Russia," "King of the Belgians," "King of Serbia," " King of Italy," " Raymond Poincare," "Sir John French," "Edith Cavell," "Queen of the Belgians," and "Admiral Jellicoe." One of the 4-4-0 engines, the journal adds, which had the name of "dachshund," now bears the inscription of "Bulldog".

Stuart

[Tony Lund]

I agree with the Alsation,also being brought up in the 1950's.

Ditto.

But thinking about it, I don't seem to remember seeing many dachsunds about.

Tony.

[angelab]

...I also see it is claimed that German Measles were renamed Belgium Flush. ...

Well, from my grandfather's "officer's file" at TNA, I saw that he was hospitalised in France with "German measles" for three weeks in April 1916, so that was still the official description of the disease then.

Re the dogs: My mother had an Alsatian in the late 1930s (and later, during my childhood, one of its offspring); I had no idea they were called German Shepherds until 10 or 15 years ago - they have always been Alsatians to me!

I never heard another name for a dachshund though - except "sausage dog"! Not sure if that counts.

Angela

[bob lembke]

I had heard of "dachshund stoning in the UK" incidents, but never anything well enough documented to put great confidence in. I have an interesting book by von Brandis, the officer of the 24. Infanterie=Regiment who was annointed the official captor of Fort Douaumont at Verdun in February 1916. He was in Britain when the war broke out, and he described a variety of incidents in the streets of the UK, but no dog stonings, I think. He was able to escape the UK and get back to Germany to rejoin his unit by bribing some aquatic types to take him across to the continent.

A couple of years ago I was hired by a entry-level US movie producer who was making a movie about dachshunds to research similar incidents in the US to encorporate into his movie. The most dramatic incident, which I tried hard to nail down, was an incident in Columbus, Ohio. I remember reading in the New York Times of a ceremony where a park in Columbus was re-named Schiller Park, after the famous German literary figure. It had been called Schiller Park before WW I, but in 1917 it was renamed "Washington Park", I think. (The park is in a very attractive section of Columbus then and now known as Germantown.) What this producer had heard, and I was able to find several passing references to, was the supposed nature of the ceremony at which the park was renamed in 1917. Supposedly a big ceremony was held, speeches were made, etc., but then at the peak of the ceremony a large number of dogs were pulled into the ceremony, dogs of real or assumed German origin (a good number of the old standard breeds), dachshunds, German shepards, Rottweilers, etc., and the dogs were shot and the carcasses tossed into a large pit that had been previously dug.

I was able to find a few passing references to this alleged event, but really never nailed down the incident to my satisfaction. Talking (long-distance) to people there, I sensed a lack of enthusiasm to discuss the matter, including a couple of representatives of the still currently active German-American community in Germantown, Columbus. There were lots of very weird "patriotic" incidents in that period, including one fully-performed lynching and a number of partial lynchings, some held on stages in theatres, but this supposed park ceremony might be the weirdest.

If anyone has really concrete information on this supposed ceremony please pipe up. The NYT article described the recent re-re-naming, but not the original re-naming.

Bob Lembke

[Desdichado]

I know that German-owned businesses were vandalised but I've always believed the stoning of sausage dogs to be a myth. The British have an innate love of dogs and that surely extends to those short-legged little chaps. Monkeys, on the other hand, were fair game. At least in Hartlepool but that's another tale from another era.

[centurion]

I know that German-owned businesses were vandalised but I've always believed the stoning of sausage dogs to be a myth. The British have an innate love of dogs and that surely extends to those short-legged little chaps. Monkeys, on the other hand, were fair game. At least in Hartlepool but that's another tale from another era.

And probably apocryphal (although with Hartlepool you never know - didn't Nosferatu the vampire come ashore at Hartlepool?)

[Desdichado]

And probably apocryphal (although with Hartlepool you never know - didn't Nosferatu the vampire come ashore at Hartlepool?)

Dunno. Dracula landed close to Whitby though.