Getting one dachshund to sit still for a photo can be hard enough. In July 2019, 19-year-old Liam Beach managed it with sixteen at once. His friend Catherine Jeremiah bet him he could not get the family's whole pack sitting on the stairs together for a picture, and promised a box of chocolates if he did. Liam accepted, set the dogs out in pairs on the staircase, told them to stay and, by his own count, had the shot in about eight minutes.
The result is a neat ladder of eight pairs of dachshunds, smooth-coated in red and in black and tan, all looking up at the camera. Liam's family raises pedigree dachshunds and finds homes for the puppies, which explains both the size of the pack and how well the dogs respond to him. Here is how the picture came together, a closer look at the family's dogs, and some practical notes for anyone living with this long-backed breed.
The challenge and the eight-minute photo
The 16 dogs on the stairs are Daisy, Dudley, Wallie, Diamond, Duke, Ruby, Benjie, Buster, Bonnie, Ziggy, Saffie, Sammy, Kizzy, Kiki, Zac and Lottie. According to the reports from the time, Sammy, then eight, was the family's first dachshund; Kizzy came next as company for him, followed by Bonnie and Ziggy. The household also included a black Labrador called Jess.
Liam said he used a small ball to hold the dogs' attention while he positioned each pair and took the picture. Dogs that already know a reliable "stay" command and are used to being handled together make a shot like this possible; without that groundwork, sixteen excited dogs on a narrow staircase would be chaos.
The winning picture: eight pairs of dachshunds lie on carpeted stairs, from the bottom step to the top. The narrow staircase works like a natural frame, and placing the dogs two by two keeps every face visible. Most of them look straight at the camera, which shows how focused they were on Liam.
Life with sixteen dachshunds
Liam stands on a wooden deck holding out a tennis ball while one dachshund waits on a grooming table and others stare up at the ball. This is the trick in action: a toy held near the camera gives every dog the same point to look at.
Three black-and-tan dachshunds sit in a row on a sofa, heads tilted and ears forward. Dogs from the same line often look strikingly alike, which is part of the charm of a breeder's household.
A tangle of red and black dachshunds shares one big round dog bed. Dachshunds were bred as pack hunters and many love to burrow and snuggle, so a pile like this is a common sight in multi-dog homes.
Five dachshunds lounge on outdoor wooden steps, each claiming its own spot. It is a smaller version of the famous staircase shot, and a reminder that steps seem to be a favourite place for this family to pose.
In the kitchen, a crowd of dachshunds gathers around someone's feet, all faces turned upward. The scene suggests feeding time, when a pack's attention is easiest to capture.
Puppies and the show ring
A black-and-tan mother lies stretched out on a cushion while her small black puppies feed. Litters like this are how the family's pack grew and how other homes received their dogs, and Liam has said that every goodbye to a puppy still hurts.
The same kind of moment from close up: a mother dachshund curls around her puppies on a soft fleece. Newborn puppies cannot keep themselves warm, so this closeness is vital in the first weeks.
On the left, a dachshund peers out from a dog bed; on the right, Liam kneels in a suit with an exhibitor's number, setting up a red dachshund on green carpet in what appears to be a dog show ring. Showing pedigree dogs is common among breeders, as it is a way to have their dogs judged against the breed standard.
Dachshunds at a glance
The dachshund is a German breed, and its name means "badger dog". It was developed to follow badgers and other burrowing animals underground, which explains its long body, short legs, deep chest, loud bark and determined personality. There are three coat types, smooth, long-haired and wire-haired, and two main sizes: standard dogs usually weigh about 7 to 14.5 kg, and miniatures generally under about 5 kg.
Owners describe them as clever, lively, brave and affectionate, but also stubborn, which makes a well-behaved group of sixteen all the more impressive. They can be wary of strangers and quick to bark.
Caring for a dachshund's back
The breed's biggest health issue is intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), in which a disc in the spine bulges or ruptures. It affects an estimated 20 to 25 percent of dachshunds. Risk can be raised by excess weight, jumping, rough handling and very intense exercise, and it is partly inherited.
Some practical habits that owners often follow:
- keep the dog slim, since extra weight strains the long spine;
- discourage jumping on and off high furniture, and consider ramps for sofas and beds;
- lift a dachshund with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the back end, never by the front legs alone;
- ask a vet about stairs and exercise for your individual dog, and seek help quickly if your dog shows back pain, wobbliness or reluctance to move.
The staircase photo was a quick pose, not daily exercise, but it is a fair reminder that this breed's long back deserves some care.
Tips for photographing a group of pets
- Train first. A solid "sit" and "stay" matters more than any camera.
- Use levels. Stairs, benches or a sofa let you stack animals so that no face is hidden.
- Give them one focal point. A ball, squeaky toy or treat held just above the lens draws every pair of eyes the same way.
- Shoot in bursts. Take many frames quickly and choose the one where everyone is looking.
- Keep it short and fun. Liam needed eight minutes; most pets lose patience long before people do.
Sources: Photos by Liam Beach, via Kennedy News and Media; Liam Beach on Facebook; Demotivateur, 9 July 2019; Wikipedia: Dachshund.
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