Throngs of dachshunds strut their stubby stuff in Hungary on Thursday as they tried to fetch a record for the country's biggest ever single-breed dog walk.
Hundreds of dogs and their owners gathered at the Budapest City Park and walked in a long, noisy loop in the spring sun. The parade of pups was under the observation of the Hungarian Records Association, which was tasked with determining whether the canine cavalcade could be officially entered into the record books.
István Sebestyén, registrar and president of the association, said his organization would carefully tally the number of participating dogs — a challenge, he said, when so many hounds and humans were gathered in one place.
"We don't usually take dachshunds on walks in droves, so this experiment has to correspond to our system of rules," he said.
Dachshunds and their owners gathered at Budapest City Park on May 1, 2025.
Denes Erdos / AP
Dachshunds, a short, muscular breed with stubby legs, were first bred in Germany, and remain one of Hungary's most popular dog breeds.
Also known as "wiener dogs" or "sausage dogs" for their long, low-slung bodies, they were initially bred for hunting badgers and other burrowing creatures. But their loyal, curious and playful nature has also made them popular as family pets.
In Munich, Germany in 1972, a rainbow-colored dachshund named Waldi became the first official mascot in the history of the Olympic Summer Games.
Last September, the German city of Regensburg set the current world record for the largest dachshund dog walk as hundreds of the breed paraded through the medieval town center.
While some counts from Regensburg put the number of dogs at 1,175, Guinness World Records could only confirm 897. The German town is also home to Dackelmuseum, a museum home to more than 4,500 pieces of wiener dog-related memorabilia, according to Guinness.
Dachshunds gathered in Regensburg, Germany in September of 2024 for a parade.
Armin Weigel/picture alliance via Getty Images
On Thursday, Lili Horváth and her 1-year-old dachshund Zabos participated in the walk in Budapest. She said her furry friend "has very deeply human qualities and is very loyal, he's really a love bomb."
Valeria Fábián, who was walking her dachshund Zsebi, saw it differently.
"Few people are capable of giving this kind of selflessness, because people don't have as much love and self-sacrifice as a dog can give a human," she said.
By the end of the record-seeking walk, the Hungarian Records Association determined that 500 dachshunds had been present — enough to set a Hungarian record, but still short of the Guinness mark set in Regensburg.
Organizers, undeterred, vowed to try again next year — giving them plenty of time to muster more mutts for another shot at the title.
Dogs have earned a number of Guinness records, including longest tongue on a living dog — 5 inches, perfect for giving slobbery kisses. There's also the world's shortest dog, a Chihuahua named Pearl who is just a little over 9 centimeters tall, and world's tallest living dog, a 7-year-old Great Dane named Reginald standing at 3 feet, 3 inches. The pair of pups recently met for a playdate.
There's also a record for the largest gathering of people dressed as dogs, cemented when 439 people gathered to raise money for "Guide Dogs For The Blind".
And in other dachshund news, a miniature dachshund was recently found alive and well after spending 529 days lost in the Australian wilderness, BBC reported. Valerie went missing while on a camping trip to Kangaroo Island with her owners in late 2023. The search for Valerie involved more than 1,000 volunteer hours and more than 3,100 miles traveled, according to Kangala Wildlife Rescue.
"Having had the privilege of spending time with Valerie we can tell you she deserves all the love she is receiving from around the world, she is truly a once in a lifetime dog and we are humbled that we could be a small part of her life," Kangala Wildlife Rescue said on Facebook.