Almost Home rescuers are responsible for paying all the medical bills and costs of training for their foster dogs. Sometimes, a dog requires care that exceeds the rescuer's ability to pay the bill. The AHDRS Medical Fund has been a great help in assisting our rescuers -- and those from other dachshund rescue groups -- with these bills. The Medical Fund is supported by fundraisers and items sold on our web site and eBay. Most of the money, however, is contributed by individual donors -- people like you, who are generous enough to donate whatever they can so that we can continue to rescue dachshunds.

A number of individuals are deserving of very special thanks. These well-known dachshund-lovers believe in rescue and have been kind enough to make sizable donations to AH. We would like to "paws" and give thanks for our special "bonefactors."

This very funny lady is the multitalented Leigh Anne Jasheway. Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. (That hilarious description of the mammogram machine that catches fire that has been circulating via e-mail, often without attribution, is Leigh Anne's winning entry!) Motivational writer and speaker. Author of some of our favorite canine humor books. Completely enslaved to her dachshunds, shown in the photo, one of whom has just taken a carrot and a small morsel of Leigh Anne's finger from her hand. (Leigh Anne forgives all.) The dogs who rule her life 24/7 are Maddy Lou (AKA The Sun Goddess), who may be the only dachshund who ever had a debutante ball to celebrate her fourth birthday, and Justin Time (The Dustbuster of Love), who occasionally allows his mom to stop loving him for a minute so she can get a little work done. She is also ruled from the heavens by Copper (The Center of the Universe) and Slate (Angel Dog). Leigh Anne is also a stress management expert, but we suspect that most of her stress is relieved by Maddy Lou and Justin. Leigh Anne's humor, written variety, appears regularly in Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens special interest publications, and The Comic News, and irregularly in lots of other places, including Dog Fancy. She does stand-up too. But we love her especially for her wonderful dog-related books, including Bedtime Stories for Dogs, The Rules for Dogs, and If I Was a Dog. To read more about Leigh Anne, or to order her books or tapes, or sign her up to be a speaker for your business or organization, visit her web site. She even has a page of jokes there. They are really funny!

Elizabeth George, owned by the mini longhair named Titch shown in the photo, has been called the "queen of the mystery genre" (Entertainment Weekly) and a "master of the British mystery" (The New York Times). Her novels have won major awards in Great Britain, France, and Germany, and more than 7 million copies of her books are in print in the U.S. A number of the novels have been dramatized by the BBC and can be seen on the PBS series Mystery!. They're books that keep you up at night, turning the next page when you should be sleeping! Although she lives in California, Ms. George has set her 11 mystery novels in England and has written them in the classic British mystery tradition. The novels feature Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (who is actually an earl); his tenacious "sidekick," Constable Barbara Havers; and, among other regulars, a dachshund named Peaches, who appears from time to time, usually barking at the door and being lovingly reprimanded by her doting owners. The back jacket photo on the paperback edition of her latest best-selling novel, A Traitor to Memory, features Titch, as well as the author. Titch is Ms. George's second dachshund. Her first, Brandy, lived to age 16 and was the first dog Ms. George had ever had. You can visit Elizabeth George's web site by clicking here.

 

In dachshund circles, the name Iris Love is legendary. Not only is Ms. Love a famous breeder of champion dachshunds -- she is also deservedly famous for the pre-Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show party she gives every year with her friends, Anne Radice and columnist Liz Smith, at Tavern on the Green in New York City. The invitations to this elegant soiree, which sometimes features ice sculptures in the shape of fire hydrants and always includes a few dachshunds, are collectors' items; each features a photograph of Iris Love and some of her dogs portraying famous historic personages in elaborate costumes; Thomas Jefferson, Dolly Madison, Alexander Hamilton (one of Ms. Love's ancestors), and Egyptian deities have graced recent invites. Although frequently referred to in articles as "socialite Iris Love," Ms. Love is also a noted archaeologist; you can recognize her dogs in any show program by their names, which represent figures in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. Her smooth standard dachshunds have won countless awards, including the coveted Westminster Best of Breed, over the years. In this photo, Ms. Love is showing off her beautiful champion bitch Tyche Tyche, who won multiple Best in Show awards, as well as the Dachshund Club of America Breed Winner and Westminster Best of Breed. Ms. Love's dachshund pack includes two rescue dachshunds, who move among their big-time show dog pack-mates with aplomb.