"Chekhov's dachshunds" festival
One of the most unusual festivals in the Moscow region. According to good tradition, every autumn since 2005 the owners of long, short-legged dogs with their pets come to A.P.Chekhov's museum-reserve "Melikhovo". This place was not chosen by chance: Chekhov was a great admirer of this breed of dogs.
After buying the Melikhovo estate Anton Pavlovich asked his St. Petersburg acquaintance, the editor of the magazine "Oskolki" N.A. Leikin, to give him puppies of his dachshunds, Dinka and Pip. "I was sent from Peter two pedigree puppies, unusually intelligent. I gave them the garden at their complete disposal, and they chase chickens, geese and other garden visitors all day long, who have no entrance to the garden...", - wrote A.P. Chekhov. Thanks to the writer's sister M.P. Chekhova, the dachshunds were given the medical nicknames Hina and Brom, and Anton Pavlovich added the patronymics Markovna and Isaevich. These were the only dogs allowed in the house. To the owner of Hina and Brom s parents, Leikin - Chekhov tells about the character and predilections of the dachshunds: "The dachshunds Brom and Hina are alive. The first is agile and flexible, polite and sensitive, the second is clumsy, fat, lazy and sly. The former loves birds, the latter pokes his nose into the ground. Both like to cry from excess of feelings. They understand why they are being punished. Brom often vomits. He is in love with a mongrel. Hina on the other hand is still an innocent girl. They love to walk in field and forest, but not otherwise than with us. We have to fight with them almost every day: they grab the sick by trousers, quarrel when they eat, and etc. They sleep in my room".
Anton Pavlovich's favourite dachshunds were immortalised in bronze by sculptor A. Rozhnikov in 2012. Now touching and funny Chekhov's dachshunds meet the guests of Melikhov's house. Looking at them, one can't help recalling Chekhov's words: "Their paws are crooked, their bodies are long, but their mind is extraordinary".
The Chekhov Dachshunds Festival unites all the fans of this hunting breed. Behind funny appearance of dachshunds there is a great physical strength, intelligence, optimism and loyal heart. The guests and participants will enjoy exciting sports activities, master classes, raffles, photo shoots, meetings with cynologists and advice from the best training centres. The competition of fashionable defile - originality of a costume and ability to hold "on podium" will help to choose the winner!
Interesting theatre performances based on Chekhov's stories: "Anna on s neck" - which of dachshunds will sit on s owner's neck the longest, "Fat and thin" - the fattest and the most graceful dachshund will be chosen, "What s better?". - tasting sausages.
The visitors of the museum will have an opportunity to get acquainted with the "Needy Dachshunds" fund, which is looking for a home for lost and ownerless animals. So that everyone who wishes and has fallen in love with this breed will have an opportunity to buy a four-legged friend.
Guests go home reluctantly, and involuntarily recall the words of A. I. Ivanen.I.I. Ivanenko to A.P. Chekhov:
"It is good at you, and you even do not imagine how good it is at you!"