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A life with Dachshunds
Interview with Mrs Ruth Delbrügger (kennel “Delbrügger’s”, Germany)
by Christiane Lohmann
Way back in the 1950’s, when Mrs Delbrügger
came to the farm of her husband, they already had
dogs. But, as everywhere else in those days, it was
big white German Spitz who was just there to guard
the farm and never was allowed to be indoors.
Soon Mrs Delbrügger convinced her husband to get
a dog, which could live in the house with the family,
and she recommended a Dachshund from the ken-
nel of her former neighbour Mrs Proll in Radevorm-
wald. So in 1952 a small black and tan Dachshund
girl named Heidi vom Drauberg came to Delbrüg-
ger Hof. Her breeder had in mind to trade her
against two piglets from Delbrügger’s, but Mrs
Delbrügger refused and o ered one mating with
Heidi under the kennel name “vom Drauberg”. The
leading kennel in those days, “vom Elfentann” was
run by former military general Mr Matthes, who
lived not far away from Delbrügger’s Hof. He had
only studdogs at home, while all his bitches lived
around at di erent farms. From the first mating
with above mentioned Heidi vom Drauberg four
puppies came; two went to Mrs Proll, one to Mr
Matthes, and the last one named Jutta vom Drau-
berg stayed with Mrs Delbrügger. Although Mr
Matthes would have loved to introduce Delbrügger
Hof to his own kennel and place some bitches there,
Mrs Delbrügger decided to run her own string of Dachshunds and started to breed under the name of her husband, with the a x
“vom Delbrügger Hof”. From then, Delbrügger Hof became famous for Dachshund, as well as pigs, and Mrs Delbrügger says, both breeds have always been known for beautiful heads. Putting all her heart and soul into the breeding program, it was very much “Elfen- tann” blood in the beginning. Then hard times came, and sickness caused a short term stay away from home. Her husband began to feel unhappy with the Dachshund kennel, and when Mrs Delbrügger came back home, she decided to take over all dogs and rights onto her name and to re-name the kennel as “Delbrügger’s”. Since
The leading kennel
in those days, “vom Elfentann” was run by former military general Mr Matthes, who lived not far away from Delbrügger’s Hof. (Photo: “Der Dachs- hund”. 1960. June, 15.)
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