Salt of the Earth Dachshunds

09/23/2026

🚨⚠️ 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗨𝗦𝗗𝗔 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

I'm not really seeing this being discussed in the breeding forums yet, so thought I would share!

USDA announced new actions on September 21, 2026 to strengthen oversight and enforcement under the Animal Welfare Act, including actions involving dog breeding.

A newly deployed Animal Protection Bureau will support nationwide oversight by conducting targeted compliance reviews, coordinating investigations, strengthening enforcement strategies, and helping identify unlicensed or unauthorized operations.

USDA also plans to send more than 2,000 regulatory refresher mailings to dog breeding facilities to help clarify federal humane care requirements.

Within six months, USDA says it will review dog breeders who surrendered a USDA license, or an equivalent state license, during the previous two years. USDA states that it will pursue action against anyone found to be operating in circumvention of the Animal Welfare Act.

This announcement does not mean that every hobby breeder is now required to hold a USDA license; To my understanding the current licensing requirements will remain the same. It also does not mean new federal care standards are effective today.

USDA says it plans to put forward a proposed rule in 2027 after reviewing 7,522 public comments about strengthening Animal Welfare Act standards for dogs. According to USDA, that future proposal will address humane care, medical care, exercise and socialization, recordkeeping, and research use of dogs regulated under the Act.

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘜𝘚𝘋𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.

USDA APHIS offers a free Licensing and Registration Assistant. The tool takes approximately 5 to 15 minutes and is designed to help users determine whether they may need an Animal Welfare Act license or registration. I will link this in the comments.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰:

1. Use the USDA assistant. Answer based on how your program actually operates, including how animals are sold, transferred, transported, or otherwise used.

2. Review your records. Make sure animal identification, acquisition, disposition, breeding, medical-care, and other applicable records are complete and current.

3. Review your welfare practices. Confirm that housing, sanitation, daily care, veterinary oversight, exercise, socialization, and emergency preparedness are appropriate for your dogs and comply with any requirements that apply to your operation.

4. Check state and local laws. A federal exemption does not necessarily mean that no other rules apply. State and local requirements may address breeder licensing, kennels, business operations, zoning, animal housing, sales, or transport.

5. Watch for the 2027 proposal. Read the actual USDA proposal when it is published. Breeders and dog owners should submit informed feedback during the public comment period.

𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘥, 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘜𝘚𝘋𝘈 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The best preparation is to know whether USDA licensing applies to your activities, get and keep your records organized, maintain excellent standards of care, and use official USDA resources rather than relying on rumors that are bound to begin circulating.

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09/22/2026

Just a beautiful little menace, sitting in an unconventional seat, and looking entirely too proud of herself 😂

"Ember" Salt of the Earth's Equipped to Ignite, 9 months old.

09/19/2026

Peeking in on the Golden Chapter litter at 43 days.

We were able to capture 3 pups in one view just wiggling about 🐾💛

09/16/2026

𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿...𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 🪙📖

I'm incredibly excited about this pairing as it officially marks an intentional pivot in our program and the start of a new journey, not just for me but my youngest daughter as well.

I'm so grateful to the wonderful breeders placing trust in us and taking us under their wings as we step into this next chapter here at Salt of the Earth Dachshunds.

Charlie, 𝐂𝐇 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐂𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐆𝐂 𝐓𝐊𝐍, is an accomplished fella bred by Amy Sanders (Foothills Precious Paws) and is co-owned by Julie Barrack (Polly's Farm Pembroke Welsh Corgis & Miniature Dachshunds) and Sarah Donovan. Beyond his accomplishments, Charlie's lovely temperament, type, and structure make him a beautiful complement to Pheobe. We're excited to see what these two produce together 💛

I will be keeping back from this litter and holding puppies for breeder evaluations for 10-12 weeks to make our pick(s). As we will be working from our general interest list for any available placements, there likely may not be any availability from this pairing...we will have a better idea on this as they arrive and we begin these discussions once thriving earthside.

Stay tuned!

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Thank you to Creativebald Eagle for the litter announcement! They're incredibly easy to work with and brought my vision to life with ease.

09/11/2026

The life of a Dachshund owner...

In case anyone was wondering what an obstinate wiener looks like…well, this is it 👇

Mom called everybody into her bedroom for crate time before leaving to get the kids from school. He came running with everyone else, but whe he realized Mom was not handing out treats for this request and that this was, in fact, purely an obedience-related task he immediately turned around, ran out, and parked himself underneath the dining room bench. Staring at her as if to say 'make me' 😂

Apparently, this little man has very strong opinions about being asked to go to his bedroom without a reward for doing so 🐾

If you're wondering if mom gave in...yes, yes she did. He hauled butt down the hall and hopped right in when he saw the bag! Naturally everyone got a treat in the name of fairness 😒

09/08/2026

NC State College of Veterinary Medicine & Veterinary Hospital clinical trial opportunity for study into how to medically manage non-ambulatory dogs with disc herniation.

Animal lovers, help us spread the word about our study into how to medically manage non-ambulatory dogs with disc herniation.

Researchers are trying to identify the most appropriate dogs for medical management and to optimize assessment and care through establishing partnerships with local primary care veterinarians. The ultimate goal is to provide clinically relevant evidence allowing for a full spectrum of care recommendations for the management of acute, severe TL-IVDE.

Don't have a dog? Please share!

More info: go.ncsu.edu/dogs-discherniation

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from our little workers 🦺🐾

Today we celebrate the people who show up and give their time, skill, care, and dedication to the jobs, families, and communities that depend on them.

May we continue to wake up each day with purpose, pour ourselves a cup of ambition, work hard, and lead with kindness and grace along the way.

In the Dachshund community, those things really do matter. When we choose to listen, learn, support one another, and put the dogs first, we can make a truly positive difference for this breed we all love.

Here’s to everyone building, caring, creating, serving, learning, and doing the work that matters 🤍

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A little imaginative editing turned my real crew into job-site supervisors for the day.

09/05/2026

Passenger princess 👑🐾

09/03/2026

Is a caption even necessary?!

Past pup Bindi, 6 months old 😍

(Pheobe x Fuji February 2026)