From about the time of Independence Day through the days of mid-August, old timers will still talk about the “dog days of summer.” This phrase dates to ancient times when the bright shining Sirius, called the “dog star” because it forms the nose of the constellation Canis Major, appears to “align” with the Sun as it rises and sets. Ancients thought that the combined energy from Sirius and the Sun led to the hottest days of the year.
On one family farm on Long Mountain, however, the Wagoner family proves that those days can go all year long. Keith and Corrie Wagoner over the years transformed the search for a pet to adopt into not only a thriving business, but an entire family life built around the compassionate breeding and boarding of canines.
“We love dogs,” said Corrie Wagoner. “This is his family’s farm. We have a beautiful great place.” She added that they decided, “We should do something with it.”
“We were looking to adopt a small dog about a couple years ago in Virginia,” Corrie Wagoner remembered. “We did an online search,” she shared.
That search led to their first adopted rescue animal. “We stumbled upon this dachshund,” she said. Her husband shared that “it was love at first sight.”
The American Kennel Club describes this breed as “spunky, curious, friendly.” Typical breeds grow to only eight or nine inches in height with miniatures only a half-foot tall. Although adorable as pets for humans, the AKC notes that the breed is “a clever hunter whose size belies its ferocity.”
The breed did not “take form” until the 1600s. Its purpose lay in following badger burrows underground and savagely tracking them through tunnels and battling them to the death, sometimes for as long as hours. Dachshunds, according to the AKC, “needed to be independent, bold, and not a little bit combative,” being “courageous to the point of rashness.”
Many pet owners love the “cheeky” personalities of these diminutive dogs as well. Both the last Habsburg and Hohenzollern emperors had dachshunds as their favorite pets. Corrie Wagoner explained that after the first adoption “the dachshund addiction began.” After a second adoption, “we went down the tubes for them.”
The Wagoners lived in a small cabin on one of the summits of Keith Wagoner’s father’s family farm. From the home, the view southeast takes in ridges superimposed on ridges leading off to the horizon. In one direction, a person could see almost to Monterey, Virginia. Look toward the northeast in just the right spot and a person can just make out the wind farm and power plant plume in distant Mount Storm, Grant County.
Surrounded by the forests and mountains, the family started to divine a new purpose around their beloved dogs. At first, the family started adopting senior dogs and others whose owners could no longer care for them. “We had 11 at one point,” noted Corrie Wagoner. Two of the old-timers, now 14 and 15 years old, live out their days lounging in climate-controlled comfort.
“At a certain point,” she said, “we wanted to be immersed.”
That love of immersion into a world of loving dogs, ethically cared for, led to building a business when the family obtained a dachshund with documented bloodlines. They decided to dip their toes into the pool of dog breeding and had their first litter for sale in 2024.
She shared that the family has one litter per year and said progress has been “a little slower than it should have been” but also along “ethical and thorough” lines.
That means conducting research, attending informational conferences, and learning details about genetics, especially what genes should and should not be combined. Also, “We do all of the testing that the Dachshund Club of America recommends,” she said.
That includes testing for patella luxation, a common problem in smaller dogs where the kneecap can slip out of its normal area. The organization also recommends special eye and heart testing as well.
Additionally, the Wagoners work with the Canine Health Information Center to ensure that their dogs have the best chance, health-wise. For 60 years, this organization has collected, tabulated, and researched canine genetic data to reduce the incidence of congenital diseases and conditions in dogs. “You don’t want to match genetic markers,” she stated, with dogs that have markers for conditions such as progressive retinal atrophy.
Another important genetic match to avoid lies in combining “dapples.” The Dachshund Breed Council describes “dapple” as like “a slashing or swirling of paint over all normal dachshund colors. Some dappling is very bright and very noticeable.”
While dapple dachshunds prove popular in sales, combining the genes can bring tragic results. Dogs at birth may have microsized or missing eyes, blindness, deafness, or a number of other potentially fatal conditions. Unethical breeders will take the risk to produce brilliant colored coats or give the dog blue eyes and the council urges all to not buy dachshunds advertised as “double dapple.”
Conversely, the Wagoners conduct full genetic panels before combining dogs. Dapple gene markers can be found even in dachshunds that have no outward sign of it.
“We don’t have employees per se,” but the Wagoners do have a faithful volunteer, Lacey Mullens, who is a family friend. “I like working with them,” Mullens smiled and shared, adding, “it’s like a mini therapy session.”
As she talked about her experience, three dachshunds, tails wagging so fast as to almost be invisible, angled for her attention. Mullens said, “They’ve all grown on me. They really love me. I love it all!”
Dachshunds, with their small but mighty origins, excel at competitive sporting events. The Wagoners’ dogs do not perform in the pageantry of dog shows, but they “needed to do something in the AKC world to stay involved.” A mentor in the field invited them to a Kennel Club meet, but told Corrie Wagoner, “It’s a gateway drug, you’re going to get addicted.”
Events for competition include “coursing” where individual dogs chase an inanimate object on a course. They only run one dog at a time for safety and the best times win. Dachshunds will also spring off of diving boards and leap into water, the win going to the dog who leaps farthest out.
Keith Wagoner then hiked the short distance to a small pond used for training. He explained that he had to make sure no deer were enjoying the pond or the mighty hunters would try to chase them down. Once there, the dogs happily showed their skills, launching themselves off a diving board into the cool mountain pond, then swimming to shore for a toy.
This year’s litter came with some added drama, arriving during the week of the supercell tornado-bearing storms. A water sack came out of the mother, but the puppies did not immediately follow. A mentor suggested that the Wagoners take the mother to a special reproduction veterinarian in case complications had set in.
As the car made it to Fort Seybert, Mrs. Wagoner recalled that her husband said “I see a foot!” and the litter came out right then and there on the side of Sweedlin Valley Road. In memory of the tornado that plowed a path of destruction within view of their house, they gave each dog a storm related name, such as “Windy” or “Gust.”
Just another day in the life of a family of dog-lovers immersed in their passion.
Cutline 1:
Lacey Mullens helps to train one of the dachshunds for competition.
Cutline 2:
Lacey Mullens helps the Wagoner family as a volunteer, learning the ins and outs of breeding and competition.
