The world's first museum dedicated to dachshunds opens in Germany

What has short legs, a long body, and its own museum in Germany? The dachshund, of course.

The Dackelmuseum in Passau, Germany, opened earlier this month, the creation of two former florists who spent 25 years collecting all things dachshund — toys, artwork, statues, stuffed animals. They amassed more than 4,500 items, and they say their museum showcases the largest collection of dachshund-related objects on Earth.

"The world needs a sausage dog museum," co-founder Seppi Küblbeck told BBC News. "No other dog in the world enjoys the same kind of recognition or popularity as the symbol of Bavaria, the sausage dog." In the Middle Ages, dachshunds were bred to flush out badgers from their burrows in order to keep them from going after ducks and hens, and the dogs became known as good hunters.

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