Wieners and buns Dachshund playgroup completes a social circle By: Jen Zoratti Posted: 4:27 PM CDT Thursday, Apr. 2, 2026

It’s just before 7 p.m. on a sunny Tuesday evening in March, and dachshunds are descending upon Earl Grey Community Centre from every direction, straining at their leashes to get inside.

These pups know what’s up. It’s time for the wiener dog play group.

You can hear the excited barking before you step foot in the gym. About 20 dogs are here tonight. The majority are dachshunds in a variety of colours and sizes, but the group is not wiener-dog exclusive: a Pomeranian and a couple of Shih Tzus are playing, too.

One of the regular pups, Zeus, is celebrating a birthday tonight. It’s clear he’s ready to “pawty”; he has a Birthday Boy ribbon affixed to his harness.

For human participants, the key to playgroup popularity is to be packing treats: you can tell who has the good stuff by the gaggle of wagging, wiggling sausage bodies they’ve attracted.

The place stays remarkably clean. Pee pads are set up around garbage cans, accidents are dealt with quickly with provided cleaning supplies, and some dogs wear wraps.

There’s a sense of camaraderie, not just among the dogs — there are lots of friendly tussles and chases going on — but also the people.

The hourlong indoor play group, which meets Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Earl Grey from November until the end of April, was born in late 2022 out of necessity. With their short coats and lean, lowrider builds, these wienies are not built for Winnipeg winters. And there are not a lot of places for small dogs to safely play with other small dogs in the city, especially indoors.

The play group started with maybe seven or eight dogs a week; now there are often upwards of 30.

“It’s been really amazing to see how the dachshund community has grown and how owners have embraced us,” says Jon Waldman, who is a co-administrator for Wienie & Friends Facebook group — which now has more than 400 members — and lead organizer of the play group. “We’ve also made the conscious decision to be all small dog breed friendly.”

The pups obviously love it, but the playgroup has emerged as a joyful third space for their humans, too.

“You wouldn’t even think about it at first, because a lot of times people come here and they’re more concerned about their dogs, naturally,” Waldman says. “They’re watching to make sure they’re not getting into anything, or there’s no rough play or anything — and we haven’t had any incidents of dogs getting attacked or anything like that, which has been very fortunate. But the human connection really grows.

“You know, as adults, it’s hard to make friends. We don’t have those places. So this becomes really a social circle.”

Waldman’s own dachshund, Oreo, comes up to investigate. She is about to turn five. Waldman and his wife got their first dachshund, Mercer, when they were struggling with infertility, a journey about which Waldman wrote a book. They now have a daughter.

Dachshunds embodied a lot of the qualities they were looking for.

“They love to cuddle. They love to be lap dogs. But at the same time, they’re adventurous. They love to be outside. They love to run around. They love to play with their friends,” Waldman says.

Drop-in fee for the playgroup is $5, which helps with the costs of the venue rental and supplies. After indoor playgroup season ends, the pups will meet up outdoors for plays and walks at various locations.

There are also a host of events throughout the year, including Halloweenie, Dachshund Through the Snow, and the marquee event of the year, Wienerfest, which this year takes place at Valley Gardens Community Centre on Aug. 22 and will feature a raffle benefitting Penny’s All Breed Animal Rescue.

Community is at the heart of the group.

“You get people from all walks of life, from all socio-economic levels, from all over the city, outside the city,” Waldman says. “It really has built a community, and it happened organically. We’re immensely proud of what we’ve been able to do.”

Monica Gross is here with her 10-year-old dachshund Daisy, who gets around using a pink wheelchair.

“I guess it was just over five years ago, she woke up one morning and couldn’t walk,” Gross says.

The vet said it was a pinched nerve but, after a few days of no improvement, it was recommended that Daisy get a CT scan, which meant Gross would have to travel to Toronto or Saskatoon.

“I left immediately. I drove in a snowstorm and spent five days in Saskatoon,” Gross says. “She never fully regained everything but she’s come such a long way, and she’s always happy.”

Especially after she adapted to her new wheels.

“I remember when we first put her in the wheelchair she just sort of stood there,” Gross says. “So my son said, ‘Let’s take her to the park,’ because her favourite thing to do was chase the groundhogs at Assiniboine Park. We took her there, and she hasn’t stopped since.”

Having an indoor place for Daisy to play with other dogs has been good for her, Gross says.

“At first she was not too onboard. But you know, every time she gets better and better. It’s just good exercise, and when we drive up and she gets to the parking lot, she’s just Looney Tunes.”

Ang Roszmann is here with her dachshund Chaos, who is 14 months old and full of energy.

“Have you been watching her? She is chaos,” she says with a laugh.

The group has made winter more manageable for Roszmann’s little gal, but it’s also been good for her own soul, too.

“I mean, it’s therapy, right? You come, you get puppy kisses; I usually bring treats for them,” she says. (She’s one of the people with the good stuff.)

“You can’t come here with a bad day and leave with a bad day.”

winnipegfreepress.com/jenzoratti