Mom in tears of joy when family surprises her with dachshund puppy

By Jake Meeus-Jones via SWNS

A dog-obsessed mom who "never buys anything for herself" broke down in tears when her family gifted her a dachshund puppy.

Mom-of-nine Nina Oppel, 44, loves looking after her daughter Denise's dachshund Max.

Denise, 26, banded together with her siblings and bought her Mr. Pickles the dog. This heartwarming video shows them surprising Nina with the pooch.

They found Mr. Pickles just two days earlier and drove one and a half hours to pick him up, before sneaking the quiet pup into the house to surprise Nina.

Denise, a home care nurse originally from Austria but now living in Alberta, Canada, said: “She’s been so selfless and I think she really needed a little companion.

“That’s why we decided we were going to pull it off for her for Christmas.

“She’s always had an interest, always wanted one and then she saw my little guy and she would ask to have him round for a sleepover.

“So, we decided we had to get her one.

“Every time I watch the video I almost cry.

"You can see in her reaction it meant a lot to her.

“We get about five pictures of her with Mr. Pickles every day. She's very happy.

“That's her little companion now, I think she really needed it.”

After collecting the 3.5-pound dachshund, Denise and her siblings realized they’d driven off with the wrong one.

Denise said: “There were two little dachshund brothers and they were both being adopted by different families.

“We realized we’d accidentally taken the other one, but it didn’t matter, thankfully!”

The family surprised Nina with Mr. Pickles on 25 December 2022.

She said: “The puppy is the perfect fit for her - quiet when it’s calm in the house and crazy when it’s crazy in the house.

“She takes him everywhere and she’s got a little purse for him."

“She just loves that no matter what time of day, if she sits on the couch he is right there waiting and he doesn’t move until she moves.

“He'll follow her right to the bathroom, it’s like having another little toddler.

“The kids are so in love with that little dog and even the cats love him.

“My own daughter is always asking if we can go round and see grandma and Mr. Pickles.

“My dog, Max, was a little jealous and unsure at first but now they just play together and it’s funny because they look like father and son."