NEW YORK (NYTimes) - In the 1990s, painter David Hockney was so enamoured with his dachshunds that he immortalised them in paintings and a book.

Starting this month, anyone who loves dachshunds as much as he does can visit what is being called the first museum to honour this favourite breed.

The Dackelmuseum opened in early April in Passau, Germany, a gallery of memorabilia with more than 4,500 paintings, books, statues and porcelain wares.

It is only one of several new museums celebrating man's best friend, including the Museum of Dog, which opened last month in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Early next year, the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog will open in New York City, just in time for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Dogs have long had a place in the art world, from Cairo, where a canine mummy is on display at the Egyptian Museum, to Manhattan, where Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog (Orange) sold for US$58.4 million (S$77 million) at Christie's in 2013.