and then there are our non-cat-flatmates
our Dachshund: Crispin vom Allachbach
black/tan male
* 04.01.2012
Sire: Midas von den Dombergspatzen
Dam: Resi vom Lachsenbach
A "dachshund" is the most "munichlike" of all possible animal flatmates.
Not for nothing was he, with the name "Waldi", the mascot - created by the famous
german designer Otl Aicher- for the 1972 Munich
Summer Olympic Games and thus became the first official Olympic mascot.
"Waldi" was marketed extensively at that time - as stickers, posters, statuette, badges and stuffed animal.
I myself, as a very young visitors to the Games had him as a stuffed animal and a key ring:
colorful, demountable plastik. Great.
The mascot made clear the athletes attributes - toughness, tenacity and mobility - in
the form of the dachshund, for whom just these properties apply.
The color scheme was inspired by the colors of the Corporate Design of the Munich Games
and should highlight the joy and light heartedness of the competition itself :
dark and pale blue, yellow, dark and pale green to orange - and "very 70es".
Especially in Munich the breed is called "Münchner Bierdackel" (munich beer-dachshund)
and when we walk him quite often elder ladies pass us and cry out: "oh, a real munich Bierdackel" or something like this,
followed by some explanations that ih their childhood this was a very common dog
herabaout, and that it seemingly has nearly vanished since then.
This picture by an a painter called Adolf Eberle "Dachshound-family" was painted before 1914
and the following "fun"-postcard ("stupid dog!") originates from the early 1930's
..in the late 50es Gabriele Münter, an expressionist artist living near Munich for most of her life
(she maybe ist known to you as the longtime partner of the painter Wassily Kandinski)
painted this watercolor of an Dachshund called: "Dachshund for Carola"
...and even in their warning-signs in the parks the city ouf Munich gives strong indications, which dog is the "correct" one:
but here is our own Munich Bierdackel: Crispin.
Crispin, derived from a gallo-roman 3rd century martyr-saint, is an old traditional bavarian, nowadays mostly forgotten, first name,
even if englishspeaking people do know this saints name more from Shakespeares Drama "Henry V". St. Crispins day is the day of the battle of Azincourt and Shakespeare puts the following speech into his hero's mouth before the battle:
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
02.09.2012 - mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Andrea Ihringer, pfotenbild.de
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