A little outing

I have sadly fallen out of the habit of taking the dogs places and have realized that I need to get back into that habit.  Usually I have several errands to run that include a dog friendly stop, but I just leave the dog(s) at home because I need to get the errands done in one trip.  They really love to go places and they do need to socialize, plus it is fun for me to take them out and meet other dog people, too.

Yesterday I needed to get the car washed and make a run to Petsmart so I decided that Bentley could go along.  The car wash has a waiting area outside with a covered patio, and it was really a nice day with temps in the 60's so I knew we would be okay. He did great, after we got out of the area with the vacuums! He totally freaked out and I had to pick him up and carry him inside to pay.  I had put a lead on him rather than the harness and leash and the lead had a slip ring so when he freaked and pulled away from me he was choking himself. He sat in my lap for a while and then got down to smell around a little.  He let a mom and her little boy pet him.  I always love for children to pet the dogs.  It is good for the dogs and for the children to learn how to properly approach a dog and not be afraid.

Then we headed for Petsmart.  He strutted around the store and let several people pet him and was generally a very good dog. His time in the ring and the Canine Good Citizen training have paid off.  He walks beautifully, always beside me on my left side.  He sits to have his leash or harness put on and whenever I tell him to do so.  I did carry treats in my purse (like I used to carry goldfish crackers for my children, LOL) and used them frequently.  Good behavior deserves a reward!

(This picture was from a previous shopping trip) Bentley fell in love with this zebra and begged me to buy it for him.  What a sad face, right?

I was just going in for dog food, cat food, and litter but also walked out with a retractable leash (more on that in a future post) and a clipper set.  I had been thinking about both and decided to drop some change and get both.  I was prompted to get the clippers after we wandered over to the grooming area just to see what was going on.  Low and behold, there was a sweet little long haired red dachshund on one of the tables!  I watched the groomer work on her and decided that I needed to invest in some tools.  The set includes a DVD and I'm going to look for a book, too.  I had a retired groomer tell me that she learned by reading a book so she could groom her own dogs, then she went to work in a grooming shop and watched the groomers work on different breeds until she felt comfortable enough to open her own shop.  I don't want to open a shop, but I need to give the dogs a little trimming and want it to look decent.

How could I resist? He was using his Canine Good Citizen leash on this trip.

When we got home he promptly snuggled with his new friend!

Bentley you're a good dog!

Seek and Destroy (once again)

Blossom again demonstrated her ability to seek and destroy this evening.  I'm not sure how she got a spool of embroidery thread off a 35 inch high sewing table, but she did.

This is a fine example of her handy-work!  Fortunately I discovered her quickly and got it away from her.  Of course, this is Christmas green thread and was the next color I would need on the little gingerbread boy I was embroidering on a hand towel.  Never mind that it is also the color used on the wreath design, the Christmas tree design, the holly design...you get the picture.  I'm not sure how, but I managed to unravel enough to finish the gingerbread boy and I think, with some patience, I will be able to salvage most of this spool of thread.

What really irritated me was that when I discovered her at work on this that I had just washed  my hand from cleaning up a puddle in the floor.  Little darling daschunds, just have to love 'em!

Intentness

Today, in the midst of furious preparations for Thanksgiving I noticed Bentley was sitting under the dining room table, perfectly still and staring at something very intently. 

He was so focused on his subject that he didn't notice me or the camera.  He wasn't moving a muscle.

Sometime later I passed through the room again and he was still there, but he had laid down.  Guess he decided to get comfortable!

So, just what was he staring at?  Easy, it was Mitzie! 

She went ahead and proceeded to slip into her afternoon nap on one of the newly shampooed dining room chairs. She was totally ignoring him, too.

We Got 'Em, Mom!

These pictures aren't quite as descriptive as I would like, but they will have to do.  I had bought 2 little dolls for my little twin granddaughters to play with when they come over.  I took the dolls out of the bag and put them in a rocking chair in the entryway while I went to get scissors to de-tag them.

Well, if you know dachshunds then you know what happened.  The dogs "got" the babies!  They thought they had caught intruders or aliens or some critters! 

You would thought they had tree'd a possum or raccoon the way they were barking, yipping and howling!

It was fun to watch, but the best part was when I picked up a baby to show them that it was "okay".  They went into retreat mode, still barking!  I will have to note that I did not leave the babies in the chair because I knew what would happen if the dogs could get them - destruction.

Hanging Out

Puppy Love

Bentley just adores Baylee.  And, the fuzzy thing in the lower right corner is Bentley's beloved Foxie.  What more could a dog want?

 

 



We were waiting for the Cowboy's game to start last Sunday when I caught them all lined up and still.  And, yes, that is Mitzie hanging out on top of the sofa.

Just to note, I made these pictures with the not-so-great camera on my phone because I knew that if in either instance I got up to get the camera they would move.  Sometimes I think I have them figured out!

Time to start writing again

I have to confess that I think I've had a case of mental writer's block.  I have plenty of things to write about, there's always a lot going on with 4 doxies in the house!  But for some reason I haven't been able to write a single word.  I've decided that this is because I backed myself (mentally) into a little square where I had defined the boundaries of the blog.  I wanted to write about the dogs, but also wanted to introduce some more information that would help dog owners and increase awareness about rescue groups and worthwhile dog activities.  I felt that I could only write about certain things and that I had to have pictures for everything.  I blamed work, school, illness and the hot weather for not writing. The result was that I had no posts.  So, it is time to break out of the boundaries I imposed and, for pete's sake, just write.  I think the other information will come, in time.  But for now, it is back to stories of Blossom, Sawyer, Baylee, and Bentley!



I bought this delightful shirt from the All Texas Dachshund Rescue booth at the Reliant Dog Show!



When it gets hot, continued

The girls aren't the only ones who know how to handle the heat....this big boy has it all figured out.  Just take your nap on the cool kitchen floor, spread out flat!

When it gets hot

The girls know what to do when it gets hot....take a nap in the sun!

Recap from the Reliant show

I told myself that before I can do another post I have to do the recap from the Houston show that I meant to do a month ago!  There is so much to see at a big dog show and I have to share the fun.  I do have to give a disclaimer that these pictures are not terribly great; not sure why the point and shoot camera did not focus.

One of the things I enjoy most is getting there early and walking through the grooming area.  There is a lot of activity and it is fun to see the many different breeds getting started on their grooming routine. 



This kennel had a great set-up!  Table, chairs, tent and Old Glory!

 I enjoy the early morning stillness of the empty rings, too.

I have enjoyed learning about the different breeds, and have found that if I ask the judges (on our breaks) questions about the breeds they are judging that they are more than eager to answer me.  After all, they are doing this because they love dogs!  I did spend $5 at the AKC booth for a pocket sized laminated spiral booklet with pictures of each recognized breed; this has already come in handy!

One of the breeds I met this time was the bulldog.  Honestly, my only experience with them was seeing the Georgia Bulldog mascot during football games!   I tried to get a shot of one on the table being judged, but had to settle for this picture of a rescue dog that posed for me.  I had never been around bulldogs in real life and did not know what sweet little dogs they are.  Every one that came up with an owner/handler to get an arm band nuzzled me wanting attention (and you bet they got it, too).  Friendly and sweet, I can see why people want to own one.

These are French Bulldogs, see the difference?  They were just as sweet!

Here they are lined up for the judge!

I also saw this little Papillion, doesn't she look like Blossom? (Hmmm)

 

 

Don't these American Eskimo's look happy?



 

 

There were 80-90 Golden Retrievers in the show, what fun to see so many together!

 

 



Shelties getting their last minute combing.



 

There were many rescue groups at this show, all with dogs needing homes. 

 

 

This was one of several dachshund rescue groups.  They had all gone home when I made this picture.


 

 



 



I've already posted about the vendors, but there was an excellent art show done by local schools.  I spent a few minutes walking through the exhibit and was amazed at the quality of the work.  One of the beagles, done by a high school student, was so life like that I thought the dog was actually looking at me.

Doggie Treadmill

When I work at the dog show at Reliant Center I have to be at my ring at 7:00 a.m., ready to start setting up for ring opening at 8:00 a.m.  Yes, it is an early start, but both years that I've done this I stayed at the hotel next door to the facility and saved myself commute time with just taking a short walk across the rather large parking lot.  As a bonus to getting there early I get to walk through the grooming area and witness the pre-show getting the dogs ready routines.  I learned not to make eye contact with the dogs, since I can't pet them!  But it is fun to see the different breeds getting bathed, dried, trimmed and fluffed up. 

The first morning this year I could see up ahead of me a dog that appeared to be walking in the air.  What is going on, I wondered.  As I got closer I realized that the dog was on a treadmill, a doggie treadmill.  I slowed down to take a look.  The dog was just trotting along, wagging his tail as if he was on a morning walk outside with his owner.  The next two mornings I would pass this same grooming area and there would be a dog on the treadmill, just trotting along. Now, I had seen the dog whisperer guy (Cesar Millan) use a treadmill on one of his shows, but it was a regular human treadmill.  This treadmill was smaller and clearly designed for a dog.

After the first day's work I ventured into the vendors' area, and found two different vendors demonstrating and selling dog treadmills.

This dog walked right up on the ramp and started walking, so I suspect she had done this before.

This big girl was a little timid, but the salesman knew how to reassure her and how to coax her along until she was comfortable walking on the treadmill.  She was a little slippery on her feet in the beginning, but by the time I made this picture she was walking just fine.  Her owner had even taken off her lead, that's how relaxed she was.  Yes, the sign was correct this model was selling for $399. I didn't ask, but I'm pretty sure that each model collapses for easy transportation. 

The background of this picture gives a glimpse into the vendor area of the show.  I managed to resist the Laurel Burch bags hanging just behind the dog.  The next booth was for the Old English Sheepdog rescue group and that is an OES laying in front of the booth!  There is dog stuff and people stuff at a good show, enough to keep you busy looking around for quite a while!

I don't have room in my house for one of these, but since it has been 105 degrees outside everyday this week I wish I did so the dogs could get some exercise!

A Very Relaxed Saturday Morning

Baylee knows how to relax on a Saturday morning!

 

Blossom decided that it looked like a good idea so she joined Baylee on the floor!

Treats and presents

Hello, doggie world!  This post is being written by us, the stars of this blog!  Our human Mama just got back from her second dog show; she'll write about her experiences later.  Right now she is letting us gush over all the presents and treats she came home with for us.  After all, we spent three nights at the doggie resort so we deserve rewards!

Last week at the local show she bought this for us:

 

 

This is an elk antler.  Our Mama has been looking for an alternative to the expensive rawhide chews that we go through so quickly.  Plus they are made in China, so she doesn't really think we should have them.  We liked the antler, but it is slippery so we have a hard time holding it in our paws while we gnaw on it.  Keep looking, Mom.

 

 

 

 

She also bought this ample supply of the shampoo that she likes.  We don't get too excited about baths, really, but we do like this shampoo because it leaves our fur soft and beautiful.  (Note from Bentley:  I have special needs so I get the conditioner on me which means more time in the darn tub).  You can buy this on the internet as well as in shops and at dog shows. 

 

 

She also picked up these colorful, microfiber towels to use to dry us when we have to have a bath.  They work great, but what was she thinking?  There are four of us and she only bought the 3 for $5 special.

 

This week Mom had more treats waiting for us after being at the big show at Reliant Center.  First up, she pulled out two new beds for us.

 

She bought these from the lady that has the Snuggle Sacks (remember those from last year?).  The lady remembered Mom, probably because she bought so many of the Sacks!  The lady thought it was funny that we ripped the cover off one of the sacks and then sleep in the coverless sack.  Mom was only going to buy one bed, but decided it was a good deal, so she got two.  Yippee, two new beds to chew on.  The lady had a sign up that she guarantees her seams, but does not guarantee chewing related damage!

 

 

Pro Plan sponsored the show.  Mom talked to several dachshund people and they told her that they had used the food she is feeding us now and it made their dachshund's coats real dry.  Sound familiar?  So she talked to the Purina folks and they gave her this big bag of salmon food, plus a big bag filled with two different kinds of samples for us to try.  Thanks, Purina!  We'll see what happens.  Mom fed us Pro-Plan briefly once before but it was a different type.

 

 

This stuff is to squirt on our food to make our coats healthy.  Mom had already been giving Bentley a capsule every day, but after talking to the dachshund people she's going to give it to all of us for a while.  She's not sure how to make sure we all get a dose since we tend to share food bowls randomly.

 

She bought these two practical bags, too.  The big black bag (say that fast) is for dog stuff, probably for Bentley to take to shows, but when we go out on adventures we can put our water bottle and other gear in there.  The little brown one is for Mom to put her ring steward stuff in.  They are very sturdy and strong, plus the fabric is very durable. Check out their website Doggy Baggage.  The lady that designed these showed dogs, and got tired of looking for a sturdy, practical bag. 

 

Lots of big pockets!

 

Last, she bought us something dear to our heart:  Treats!  Just look at them!

The strips are pig and the two round things are beef femurs.  Mom's not too good with body parts, they gross her out.  The vendor had duck feet, no way she was touching those.  Plus they had cow vertebrae and these big joint looking things.  She liked the pig strips because they are not greasy.  She gave us each one after we got home and settled down.  It took us about 15-20 minutes to finish them off.  We ate every bite, and didn't leave a stubbie like we do with the rawhides.  We love them!  They are from The Pet Deli and Mom knows a dog place in Austin that carries the line, too.  And, yes, they are made in the US from USDA certified products.

 

So, we are now very tired and need to rest.  Three nights of partying at the resort, plus the relief of getting home is just overwhelming us.  Too many treats, time for a nap.





Blossom's discovery

I've posted before that Blossom is automatically attracted to paper.  She shreds anything she can get her mouth on:  newspaper, notebook paper, books, paper towels, gift wrap, any type of paper suits her just fine.

Tonight she discovered....toilet paper.  I didn't make any pictures, it is easy to visualize what happened!

Taking care of Mama

Hey everyone!  This is the pack writing, doing a team post!

Our human Mama has been really sick, so we've been busy taking care of her.  She went to the doctor and got meds, but we think they make her feel really bad or tired or something.

We've been doing our best to take of her.  She lays on the sofa, coughing a lot, and we snuggle in with her.  Since her sense of smell isn't working she hasn't realized that we are super stinky and need a bath.  She hasn't caught a whiff of our doggie-breath either or she would gag!

We stay snuggled in with her and sleep quietly even if she is coughing a lot.

We've been going to bed a little earlier, but we stay quietly in our nighttime crate and kitchen area until she gets up in the morning.

Of course, the best part of this for us is that she has no voice and can't fuss at us or even call to us.  So, we take that as an excuse to bark a lot while we are outside because she can't do anything about it!  We run around and act like it is a big party, too, in the house when she is awake.  So far, Sawyer has scratched two places on the sofa almost threadbare (you're gonna get your nails trimmed big boy!), someone (?) destroyed a doggie bed full of stuffing (nice mess, way to go), and Blossom ate the sides off a little note that Mama had written about her fall classes (but it tasted so good).

We've missed our walks, but that's okay because it is way too hot to be out walking for us.  And, we don't mind if she feeds us late.  After all, it has been a party and a nap for us!

Dog treats at the food truck

Food trucks are very popular right now.  They appear everywhere they can legally park, serving up just a little bit of everything delicious.  Now the fad is spreading to our canine friends.  Yes, that's right, there are food trucks out there serving dog treats!  Awesome!

Food Trucks Feeding the Needs of Gourmands' Hungry Canines. 

As the article states, if people are willing to pay $5 for a cup of coffee to walk around with then they will pay $5 for their dog to have a treat.  I think this is a smart idea and if I ever come across a doggie treat truck and have one or more dogs with me I'm sure going to give it a try!

Freedom to own a dog

Since we are almost upon the Fourth of July holiday and turning our thoughts to flying Old Glory and celebrating our freedom I thought I would comment on an article in yesterday's local paper that was disturbing to me.  Not only as a dog lover, but as a fierce lover of our American freedom and the laws that are designed to provide justice for all.

The article was titled "Dog owners howling over canine roundup" and was written by Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times.  I tried to pull this up online to link to here, but was unsuccessful.  This story actually is taking place in Bejing.  I saw a similar headline online today, too, so this is beginning to pick up in the news.  I hope it escalates because it is shameful.

During the last 10 days the Bejing authorities have been rounding up dogs, night and day.  "...police have said that they are simply enforcing the long-standing ban on dogs taller than 13.7 inches in the districts that make up the heart of the city."   The ordinance in question states that citizens should not be able to own large dogs because they are "large and vicious".  In several cases they have pulled the dogs from tearful owners arms (not exactly a large vicious dog, is it?) in the middle of the night. Needless to say there are numerous videos circulating around the city as well as cartoons such as the one on a Chinese version of Twitter that shows a terrified dog being chased by three policemen, one of which has a canon.  The caption reads, "how about catching thieves instead of little dogs?"

Here are some excerpts from the article. "Big dogs, the police contend. are incompatible with city living.  'All resistance as well as violence against enforcement will be investigated and dealt with by the police, they said'. Last week they detained a woman who described how the police had kicked to death a golden retriever in front of its owner.  The police later issued a statement saying the woman admitted fabricating the account, a claim that has been met with widespread skepticism."

I can understand the ban, in a way.  It is a big, crowded city with many apartments and few homes like ours with nice, fenced yards for a dog that needs exercise.  But not all large (or small) dogs are vicious.  The ordinance has not been enforced in some time, so people had acquired dogs without realizing that the large dog ban was still a law.  From reading the article I get the feeling that these dogs are prize pets, well cared for and licensed according to the local codes. It is disconcerting to me that the police are cold heartedly seizing dogs from owners and then having such an un-budging attitude about the whole affair.  Any effort to resist will be investigated....scary, right?

We complain about our government, and we do have some ridiculous laws and governmental hang ups, but thank God we have freedom from tyranny.

I think I've posted about this before, but I give the dogs Trifexis for flea and heartworm protection.  It is convenient and very effective on the fleas; however, the dogs do not like the taste of the Trifexis.  I had resorted to using Pill Pockets to get them to take the pill.  That strategy worked on everyone except Blossom. 

I had to open her mouth and shove the pill down, ugh!  I've done this many times before on other dogs, but not on a little dachshund with jaws of iron!  Plus my hands and fingers are much weaker than they were years ago.  Not to mention that Blossom has an intimidating mouth of teeth.  It was like looking at a steel trap comprised of a million dagger-like points, really scary!  Plus, I had to do this maneuver outside since she would produce a nice little puddle during the process (revenge).

So, I moved her back to Heartgard and a topical flea preventative.  I thought it would be a real smart idea and that she would eagerly take the Heartgard.  I broke the first one up into several pieces since it was rather large and I knew that she doesn't like to eat anything other than a lady-like little nibble.  I picked her up and offered her the "treat", but she would have nothing to do with it, no sirrreee, not going to take it.  I talked baby talk to her trying to cajole her to take it, but nothing doing.  I even took a piece and gently stroked the side of her mouth thinking she would realize it was tasty.  I finally gave up and put it into a small zip-lock bag. 

Some time later I tried again and this time she wouldn't even look at me and wanted nothing to do with the Heartgard.  As I re-zipped the bag I remembered how fond she is of plastic bags.  If she gets access to one she will shred it and the contents;  I've lost or almost lost several quilt patterns due to her love of plastic bags.  So I thought, why not give her the pill and the zip lock bag? 

A few minutes later I called her to me and gave her the open bag.  Ta da!  It worked; she stuck her little nose right in and went for the Heartgard chunks!  Of course, I took the bag away before she got any further, after all I don't want to encourage her shredding habit. 



I just don't know how I got to be so cute!