How to relax

Had to get this with the not so great iphone camera, but the message is still there.  This boy knows how to be a sofa sleeper! (and, yes, that is the nasty oak pollen stuck in his fur!)

There's something wrong here...or is there?

Why am I standing here, under the overhang of the house, in the dark, at 10 o'clock at night?

Because it is lightly raining and the only way I can get the dogs outside to take care of their doggie business is to go outside with them.  So, here I stand.

But, that's okay.  It is peaceful to stand here in the silence of the night and hear the light drip, drip, drip of the rain dripping off the roof and the trees. How different my life was before I had these little ones, I missed out on moments like this.

Sawyer's Sunday Outing

The first full weekend of every April the Starving Artists Show is held downtown on the grounds of historic La Villita. I love our downtown and I love this delightful show that features local artists and artisans.  It is fun to stroll through the little village and shop for treasures.  Today after church I decided that even though it was misting and drizzling a bit that I would head down there for a little while.  Family members were busy elsewhere, so it was just going to be me.  Then I decided to put the doggie stroller in the car and take Baylee.  But that was not to be.  I don't know how he knew what was happening, but as I put up the doggie gate I realized that Sawyer was standing by the door into the garage and was whining very softly.  Looking at me with those sweet loving eyes, wagging his tail.  I knew he had to go instead.

I made today's pictures with my purse camera using basically one hand since the other one was holding the retractable leash with a dog pulling on it!

Sawyer had no problems with the elevator in the parking garage, his first elevator ride.  It wasn't until we were waiting to cross the first street that I realized that this was a very different adventure for him.  He is used to walks in the park or neighborhood or in the State Parks that we've visited.  But Sawyer didn't seem to mind the traffic noise or the different environment.  He just wanted to walk and as soon as the light changed he trotted right across the street!

I did realize how different he is from Bentley.  Bentley is used to shopping at the dog shows and will wait patiently as I look at things.  Sawyer was good, but he was ready to keep moving and I would have to reassure him that we would be soon.  He also kept wanting to walk on either side of me and I would have to turn him around to keep him on my left. 

He made many new friends, too.  So many people stopped me to ask what kind of dog he is, his name, and his age.  Several people commented on how good he was with the children (he did lick them and I always warned the adults!).  I think half of the people I talked to either have a dachshund or had one in the past; several commented that they had never seen a long-haired dachshund!  Everyone thought he was beautiful!

He is a good looking dog, if I do say so!



After I finally finished shopping at the show I slipped into the Arneson River Theater for a few minutes.  I loosened the retractable leash and sat down on the top step of the theater.  It was such a peaceful day and the river was not crowded.  I wished that I wasn't wearing boots (it was wet when I left and didn't want to have wet feet) so we could stroll the river walk for a while.  Instead I opted for a few quiet minutes and a little photo shoot.

This was the only picture I managed to get of both the Arneson River Theater and Sawyer!  Isn't the river beautiful?

 

Sawyer's first trip downtown was a success!  He enjoyed himself, even when he had to wait on me to shop!  He got in a lot of socializing, too.  Plus, he was good publicity for dachshunds and for polite doggie behavior in public places!

We're on Instagram!

Blossom, Sawyer, Bentley, and Baylee are now on Instagram! 

Follow them at TalesofWaggingTails. Only one picture now, but more to come! 

Where have all the doggies gone?

They went to the kennel, of course!  I've been on a short road trip and left the puppies at the kennel for four nights.  When I dropped them off on Saturday morning Sawyer had major separation anxiety; I had to walk with him over to where they check the dogs in as he refused to walk on the lead with the kennel staff person.  Then I stepped around the corner, but peeked around a few minutes later to check on him.  He was looking anxiously around, trying to find me.  Finally, when it was time for him to go he refused again, so the dear staff person had to pick him up and carry him to the kennel area.  Poor doggie!  And, on another topic he weighed in at 19 pounds, so we've got to get serious about weight loss.

This is Douhlie, in the car and ready to ride!

I picked up a little traveling companion along the way.  He was a good companion in some ways; he did not require walks before bedtime or early morning.  He did not bark either and rode cutely in the top of my purse.  He was welcome in restaurants and everywhere I went. But he didn't wag his tail and look at me lovingly.  At night he sat by the computer, he was not warm and cuddly.  Plus, he didn't lick my face!  I was ready to get my real dogs back this morning!

I know they were ready to come home, too.  For one thing they are very tired.  I suspect that it is just a round-the-clock-barking-party at the kennel!  They all keep looking at me like, "Mom, why did you leave us in that place?  Why couldn't we just stay with you?  You kept talking about going bye-bye, but we know that bye-bye means that we get in the car and ride somewhere.  We don't understand why we had to stay there, but are so glad you are back with us and we are at our home!"

**Read about Douhlie and the short road trip at Small Simple Things **

Don't leave your toys outside

This is the zebra, one of the stuffing-less toys that the dogs dearly love.  Bentley is devoted to his Foxie, but seems to favor this one, too.  Tonight he took Zebra outside, somewhat sneaking it by me.  He's done this before, and as in the past, he left the toy outside when we came in.  Then he realized what he had done and wanted back out to retrieve it!  I snapped this picture before I let him out!

When I let him out he grabbed the zebra and gave it a good shake!

 

Then he settled down for a good play session until I called him inside.  He brought the toy with him this time, along with a bunch of leaves!



Doggie Paws

To follow up on the last post, this is why I have to learn how to groom the dogs' paws.  This picture was made with the not-so-great cell phone, but it gets the point across.  It is  the underneath of Baylee's front paw.  The pads are just barely visible, covered over with beautiful long fur.  When the pups go outside these hairs pick up dirt, mud, debris, and I don't know what else.  It is uncomfortable for the dogs to have the underneath of their paws caked up, plus it leaves a mess on the floor. 

Typical of dachshunds they do not like to have their paws messed with.  I suspect they may be a little ticklish!  I've just done a little work on each foot with the idea that I will ease them into a full trim.  I've also started gently massaging their paws while they are sleeping next to me on the sofa at night in hopes that will get them to relax a little when they go on the grooming table for a doggie paw trim.

New things

Here's Bentley yesterday morning, waiting while I unloaded the cart and crate at the local dog show.  He did good in the ring, but there was only one other male dog showing - a gorgeous long haired red with a beautiful coat.  Bentley had serious separation anxiety when I left him in the crate for several hours while I worked.  So today, even though he was registered to show, I left him at home.  I just couldn't bring myself to do that to him again.  From now on it is either show or steward, but not both.

What's in that box, Bentley?

Well, it is a new grooming table for everyone to use!  It is lightweight (#1 requirement!) and it easily folds down.  I tried it out yesterday afternoon and it works great, much better than spreading a towel on the patio table. The nice part is that it leaves both hands free to work on the dog since they are secured with the hanging loop.  I did figure out that since it is low that I need to pull up a chair to sit in while doing their feet.

Blossom was the first to try it out.  I'm not sure if she was a little worried about the new table or if she was envisioning a bad haircut!

I've never seen a dog that loves to be groomed as much as Baylee.  Of course, if I had that much hair I would want it kept combed out, too!

I also bought a slicker brush and scissors.  I like to shop at these shows and support the vendors rather than shopping for things like this online or from big chain retailers.  They usually have good quality products and they are dog people and can answer  your questions.  The guy that sold me the table was extremely busy, but still took time to show me how to set up and break down the table and then he took time to cut a handle in the box so it would be easier for me to carry!

I wasn't sure about the slicker brush until I tried it on Bentley.  It worked great, so I gladly paid the $30 for it. Just as I have found with my sewing and quilting, you have to have the right tools.  The scissors were great, too.  I trimmed up his feet, both top and underneath.  I was careful with the cutting as I didn't really know what I was doing and I didn't want to mess him up!  But he looked fairly good when I was done.  I realized tonight that I did not do a good job on his nail trim, I think my next purchase is going to be a better set of nail trimmers!

Sawyer was the last to give it a try.  He does not like to be brushed or have his nails trimmed, sometimes trying to hide out somewhere when he sees me doing the other dogs.  He was a good sport and let me comb him out real good and also trim his paws. 

As I was working on the dogs I remembered that I had this little tote bag.  I had bought it to put rotary cutters, scissors and quilting tools in, but most of the time it sat empty and the supplies scattered around the room.  It works perfectly for the grooming tools!

Bentley's 3rd year checkup

It's time to get this little blog going again.  Seems like it is in start and stop traffic, but hopefully the road is clearing out a little and I can get some posts going.  I thought it appropriate to get started with a report on Bentley's visit to our new vet for his third year check up. I find it hard to believe that it has been just over three years since I drove to Splendor Farms to pick up this little baby; time flies by when you have four little dachshunds to keep you company!


Bentley at 6 weeks - a little warm, brown, fuzzy puppy!



I really like our new vet clinic, Loop 410 Veterinary Hospital. The vets and staff are so nice, and offer top notch dog care plus great client service.  They texted me a reminder about the appointment which was very convenient.  Plus, they are very efficient and that means a lot to me.

The first item was the weigh in.  We had to laugh because Bentley was almost too long for the little dog scale.  But when he tipped the scale at 15.8 pounds I was so surprised! Almost, but not quite, a standard dachshund.  He is not overweight and the vet asked me if I thought he was too skinny.  Not at all, he is perfect.

Six months, April 2011

When they took him in the back to do blood work and get the fecal specimen I was worried because he was gone so long.  I was afraid that he wasn't cooperating, but there was nothing to worry about.  I think he was socializing! When they brought him back he didn't want to come into the examination room and was balking at the door and twisting around.  I realized that he didn't see me so I leaned down and gave the command, "Bentley, come to me" and he was across the room and in my arms in a flash!  Mama, mama, save me!

Of course, he was good during the exam.  Although he didn't want his mouth examined.  The vet said it was probably because he had just had the Bordetella drops in his nose. He was pronounced perfectly healthy!

Growing up - February 2012

I discussed his coat at length with the vet. His diet is good and the salmon oil supplement is good, too. He did give me a prescription fatty acid supplement to try.  It is a 60 day supply, so we'll see what happens. 

I also discussed the leg lifting problem and that I was thinking about getting Bentley neutered.  He said that at this point it probably would not stop the leg lifting and it would just make him fat.  No, I do not want him fat, absolutely not.  So I think I will just have to live with the intact male dog!  Interestingly, the vet said that they rarely see an intact male dog.

 

May 2013

His tests came back negative for heartworms and parasites, so he is healthy inside and out!  We left with our 6-month supply of Trifexis to keep on staying healthy; even though it is expensive it is the most practical solution for prevention of heartworms and fleas. Great check up Bentley!

Winter morning

This is what it looked like in San Antonio this morning.  I know this isn't much, but to us it is exciting to have a little sleet on the ground!  My office, like many, had a delayed opening so I had the morning at home.

The boys enjoyed watching me do a little dusting. 

 

Then they went out to check the yard while I made pictures of icicles.

 

 

Even with all her beautiful fur Baylee was cold and didn't want to stay out too long!  I can't blame her, it was 27 degrees. No worries, it will be in the 70's on Sunday!

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!