LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Dachshunds are mighty warriors—in small packages. At least that is what Kelly Kleeman thinks.
“They’re the underdogs of the world,” Kleeman said.
Kelly, along with her husband Ben, own four wiener dogs, Bella, Winston, Violet, and Little Dipper. They all have unique personalities.
“Violet is our huntress,” Kelly said. “She got a squirrel once and I thought it was incredible—she ate it and she promptly threw it up.”
Winston is the alpha. Violet is shy and kind. And the pair describe Little Dipper as the wild card. That is because when he came into their lives in 2016, he was having a pretty hard time.
“If a rescue couldn’t take him in, he was going to be put down the next day,” Kelly said.
Ben said he was worried Dipper might not make it because his health was so bad. He was paralyzed, and had heartworm.
“I didn’t think he was going to survive,” Ben said. “He looked really frail, he was emaciated, and could barely hold himself up with his front legs.”
The two decided to foster him, and later adopt him. Though he still has a few health problems, Dipper is as active as the other dachshunds in the household.
“He can out hike us sometimes,” Ben said, while chasing Dipper, who uses a doggy wheelchair, down a trail near their home in Lafayette.
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That gave the couple an idea when the Bolder Boulder announced they were having a social media contest for the Boldest Training Buddy. The organization solicited photos of pets that train with participants in the popular Memorial Day race in Boulder. The Kleemans made a video of Dipper training for the race, and twelve hours later they were named the grand prize winner.
A post shared by 2 Paws • 2 Wheels • 2 Cute (@littledipperdoxie) on
“They said they wanted him to be the grand prize winner, and do a victory lap around Folsom Stadium at 11:30, after the Bolder Boulder race, before the elite athletes come in,” Kelly said.
Little Dipper will have tens of thousands of fans cheering him on that day. He already has fans though. He has an Instagram account with about 5,000 followers. Kelly and Ben hope his account inspires people to do things they did not think were possible, and also to adopt from shelters.
“He’s shown me that anything is possible, if you have the right frame of mind,” Kelly said.
Dipper is also a model for a few boutique pet companies. Kelly said she and Ben do not make money off the posts, they just ask the business to donate to the Mile High Dachshunds Rescue. www.teamdoxie.com
“This is a real rags to riches story,” Kelly said, laughing. “He was on death row, and I got the phone call the night before he was scheduled to be euthanized, and we got him healthy, we got him happy, and now he models for a couple of different dog boutique companies.”
To check out what Dipper is up to, follow him on Instagram.
