About Us
Who is Wiener in a Box?
My name is Nicole, and I was never a dog person. There's a lyric in a Sia song that goes "someone must have sent you here to save my life / someone must have sent you to save me tonight / I know that in darkness I have found my light," which sounds like some grandiose cliched proclamation of love and salvation, but really sums up how I feel about those "this was supposed to happen" moments we all experience sometimes in our lives. When my mini dachshund Snoodle arrived to become my foster puppy in 2014, I didn't yet know that in 2 months my mother would be suddenly and tragically gone at age 57, or that everything I thought I knew in life would be turned upside down. For four months, I could barely function. As an only child, my mother was the most important person in my world. She taught me to embrace life; to have compassion for all humans and animals; to cherish the simplest of moments; to love deeply, and to fight for what I believe in.
In the wake of grief and anger and pain, Snoodle was a life raft who keeping me from drowning, a solace in the storm, and a distraction from the ache. In the blackness that consumed me at that time in my life, my only outlet was training Snoodle and spending time bonding with her. She seemed to know I needed this, and she seemed uplifted and happy with each new behavior she learned, like she relished both in her boundless intelligence and in the opportunity to provide her mom with a distraction while her heart healed. Snoodle's living room training sessions later evolved into therapy dog classes, and my mini dachshund literal underdog made it through training right next to the much bigger whip-smart Australian Shepherds and gentle Golden Retrievers and went on to visit the elderly in nursing homes, bringing the same light to the resident's life as she brought to mine in my darkest time. Snoodle has been with me for 8 years; through loss, love, and moves; through a master's degree program and career changes; through the countless dark nights of tears and soul-searching.
I was never a dog person, but she is my love, she is my constant, and in the time since Snoodle came into my life, I've been lucky enough to meet so many others whose dogs have had the same impact on their own lives. From this, Wiener in a Box was born, offering curated monthly collections for dachshunds and the humans who love them.
Wiener in a Box is dedicated to bringing happiness to dachshunds and their special humans everywhere, and doing a little good at the same time through support of small businesses and giving back to organizations that help make the world a better place for people and their cherished pets. We thank you for your support!