Since 1981 my family have owned Dachshunds as companions, for showing, and for breeding the occasional litter, it didn't take me long to become totally besotted with the breed, below is story of how it all began and a photo of my Cousin Dave who passed away from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 1993 when he was just 19. He was, and will always be my hero.

In 1984, just seventeen I took a bus and then a train to purchase my first Miniature Longhaired Dachshund, a few years later she produced some lovely puppies.

Mum kept the little bitch pup, Leisl, and I gave the little dog pup Ralph, to my Cousin David who was in a wheelchair, and needed a little buddy and companion of his very own.

Back in the 1980's with it's wondrous hairstyles, leg warmers and fantastic music (slightly biased here!) the little Dachshund did not have the huge following that it does today. So how did we end up purchasing one?

Mum was the local Avon Lady and knocked on a customers door one day to be greeted by the owner holding 'Charm' the sweetest little pup Mum had ever seen. We had been looking for a family dog so Mum started doing a little bit of research into the breed.

As a stroppy teenager, I would have preferred a dog with a bit more street credibility, like Zar the German Shepherd, a rescue dog at the kennels where I worked, but the fact that we did not own a car and you can fit a Dachshund in a bike carrier, clenched the deal, and Copper Dachshund was purchased.

It was not long before Copper Dachshund had worked his magic and we had all fallen in love with the breed. My Cousin Dave particularly bonded with him and choose his name 'Copper' as the Disney movie 'The Fox and the Hound' was his favourite, Copper being the Hound. Dave had a restricted life in a wheelchair, being terminally ill with a muscle wasting disease called Muscular Dystrophy. A few years after Mum purchased Copper I bought my own little girl Dachsund called Sophie with the hope that she would have a puppy for David to love... the plan worked.

Dachshunds have given my family such great pleasure that I am now in the process of sourcing the best little dogs that I can, so that Crystalwood Puppies can offer families a Dartmoor Dachshund in the near future.

You can rest assure that, as with our Cockapoo's, puppies will be raised in the home, with the same love and attention, and all their Mummy's and Daddy's will be DNA health checked.

Crystalwood Puppies are home bred and 5 Star rated by their local Council.