117. Dachshund in Wizard of Oz

The part of Toto in The Wizard of Oz was originally meant to be played by a dachshund named Otto. He was owned by Margaret Hamilton who played the part of the Wicked Witch of the West in the film.

The above photo of Dorothy and Otto was shot from unreleased footage of the film, where Dorothy sang ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’. They re-shot this scene after the studio fired Otto, and the original footage was never shown.

He was replaced because dachshunds were believed to have come from Germany, who were the enemy at the time.

At this website they say that dachshunds originated from Africa. I really don’t know, as nearly source I have found says they come from Germany. The site also gives more information about other dachshunds in the movies.
http://home.pacbell.net/jcreitz/Andouille_Dachshund_Page4.html