We jumped off the bus in Greenwich half an hour before the walk started, and walked towards the meeting point at the park gate near the National Maritime Museum.  We could see dachshunds converging on the area from every side street.  Traffic islands were congested with dachshunds of all sizes and types, and small groups of people and their dogs were forming to chat wherever we looked. That familiar dachshund bark filled the air.

The #sausagewalkslondon events in Greenwich Park were started by Grace Ang-Lygate, Catherine Hennigan and Katherine Sofolukeare, all three dedicated dachshund parents.  The March 2018 walk was their third (our second), and this time there were up to 1000 dachshunds and their humans in attendance.  Amazed park users and Greenwich visitors and tourists were clearly wondering just what the invasion of our little dogs was all about.  Professional dog photographers, The LonDog, and news media folk like Reuters were also there to capture the event (check out news reports in the Australian and US media). 

Who was there?

This time we were pleased to see that there was a good proportion of standard dachshunds, mostly smooth black and tans.  On our first #sausagewalklondon last year it felt like standards like our Sunny were very much in the minority, but not this time.  Standards everywhere came out of the woodwork for the event.  Truly there was the full range of dachshund sizes and coats on show - short-haired, long-haired and wire-haired sausages. A couple of tiny puppies were being carried.  It was great to chat to so many other dachshund people both during the walk and in the Kings Arms pub afterwards.  I lost track of the number of times I heard people say “so glad it’s not just mine who does that”!  

Dachshund fashion show

Here at Barkmatic we obviously take a keen interest in what sausage dogs are wearing.  It was bitingly cold on the day of the sausage walk, so almost every dachshund was wearing a dog coat of some kind or another. The event was something of a live advert for Equafleece, but other dog coats are available, including ours (fleeces coming soon)!  Our Sunny was modelling one of our wraparound waterproof, insulated dachshund coats, and it was that cold that I wish we could have given him doggie shoes too. Our big favourite was a pair of dachshunds in delightful matching cable knit coats. In the dressing-up group, one little mini was dressed up in suit, tie, and deerstalker hat, and was getting a lot of attention.  Another smooth haired mini was sporting a perfectly proportionate - though somewhat unseasonal -  sombrero and woolly coat, but he looked very cool. Our own entirely unscientific poll determined that red was the most popular colour for sausages of all sizes.  

Go ahead and give to StreetVet

The organisers had arranged for donations to StreetVet after the event in the Kings Arms pub.  It was so busy that we didn’t notice, and many walkers couldn’t get into the pub. The organisers are encouraging walkers and others to make donations to StreetVet to support their incredible work on the streets of London, Brighton, Bristol and Cambridge. StreetVet are a not-for-profit RCVS registered veterinary practice who provide support to homeless pet owners who can’t afford veterinary treatment for the dogs who are their close companions.  The vets provide vaccinations and microchips, flea and other treatments, and carry out surgeries. 

Some other dachshund walks in the UK (and a dachshund pool party in Australia)

It’s not all about London of course.  Here’s a quick list of some other events and event organisers.  Most walk organisers have thoughtfully made sure that their events are raising money to support dachshund or dog charities, so you can have fun and do good at the same time. Mad About Dachshunds has a comprehensive list of UK dachshund walks on their website. 

A group in Southwold #SouthwoldSausageWalk holds a mass dachshund walk every few months or so. For sausages in Bath, the Dachshund Social Club holds monthly sausage walks on the first Saturday of every month at locations in and around Bath.  Wow, every month! South Wales dachshunds can check with the Sausage Dog Walks. South Wales, UK  group on Facebook for details of their mass walks on Porthcawl beach and other locations. They report that these walks are also attracting large numbers nowadays.

Dachshunds In The Park in Sydney, Australia (@ditp.sydney),  organise dachshund walks in various New South Wales locations.  Coming up soon in April 2018 a pool party in aid of Dachshund Rescue Australia.  Here in London we can only dream.