Look, it's a water puddle!

Sawyer absolutely cannot resist a puddle of water; it doesn't matter if its clean, dirty, small or large.  He loves it!  We've had days and days of drizzle and rain (with cold temperatures) and finally on Tuesday afternoon the sun came out and warmed us up to 60 degrees.  There was no excuse not to take the boys out for a neighborhood walk after work.  Sawyer was quite pleased that there were so many puddles.  Of course, the indulgent Dachshund Mama let him stop and enjoy himself!

While he enjoyed the water I made pictures with the not-so-great-cell phone.  At the first puddle he actually laid down in the water!  That had to be cold, Big Boy!  Now if I could just get him this excited about the water in the bath tub!

The tale of car harness woes

Since I've been posting infrequently you don't have to read back far to know that I had purchased a car harness and discovered the first time I used it that the strap that connects the harness to the car seat belt was sold separately.  If I had actually concentrated on reading and understanding the details on the back of the package before I bought the harness I would have realized that I needed the strap, too.  On our way home that day we did stop and buy the necessary strap.

This not-so-great cell phone picture expressed exactly what Bentley was thinking that morning, "MOM, why have you locked me in over here?  I ALWAYS sit on  your lap in the car! How could you do this to me?"

The next time I tried to use it was when we went to the show in Austin in February.  I put down an old, soft towel in the seat for him to snuggle into, hooked him up and off we drove in the pre-dawn darkness.  After some staring at me he did curl up and snooze.  It was peaceful driving in the dark that morning, just me and the dog.  No radio, no conversation.  I wondered if he realized that he was more comfortable over there and actually able to sleep.

Just as we entered Austin the sun came up.  I turned off the freeway to avoid the awful Austin traffic and was winding around to get to the facility when Bentley put his front paws on the console and gave me the MOM look.  I was surprised that the harness allowed that much movement.  But that wasn't the case.  When we reached the facility I really looked at him -  he was out of the harness.  How did he do that?  Little Houdini!

When we were ready to head home I put him back in the harness, still wondering how he had wiggled out.  It was a little loose, so I decided when we got home I would tighten it up a little.  Meantime, Houdini practiced his magic again and by the time I got to the freeway he had his front paws on the console and the harness was off.  As I waited through the last traffic light I helped him over the console and he settled, quite happily, into my lap for the remainder of the trip home.

Last Wednesday night we headed out to the little ring training/practice we sometimes go to.  There was yet another cold front blowing through and I knew we would have to walk across a windy parking lot to get inside so I put his little red jacket on him and then put the harness over it.  I had tightened the straps a little and with the thickness of the fleece jacket it was snug.  No escaping this time.  We drove over to the class, but the facility was closing up (I should have called to confirm since there was a local show going on this week and everyone was already there) so I turned around and we drove back home. 

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into the garage and I came around to his side of the car to let him out and instead found a little dog hopelessly tangled in a show lead and a car seat harness.  He was in a mess.  The strap was in such a bind that my weak fingers could not get it to unclasp.  The clasp on the harness was even tighter and the show lead was way too tightly untangled to get it loose.  As I wrestled with the mess I had the thought of having to figure out a way to safely cut him out!  I finally managed to get the jacket undone and pulled through the mess which gave a little room to work with (the lead was still threaded through the jacket neck, but at least the bulk of the fleece was out).  I somehow got his legs through the harness and pulled it over his head.  He was free!

The tangled mess after I got Bentley out!

Once again I re-read the package instructions.  I realized that the diagram showed attaching the strap to the upper portion of the seat belt; I had fastened it to the lower lap belt.  Ah!  maybe that is the problem.

So, when we headed out to the show this weekend once again I hitched him in and attached the strap as shown in the diagram.  We've had short rides back and forth to the event facility and on each one he has laid down and snoozed.  In fact on the way home today I put him in the seat and didn't bother to put on the harness.  He stayed on his side of the car and laid down and fell sound asleep, he was so tired from the show!  But I need to try it out on a longer ride to see if he really is comfortable and if it doesn't tangle up again!  I have a suspicion that this harness is really designed for a larger dog and just may not work for us.  We'll see.

To the show we go

Bentley and I headed north early Saturday morning, really early to a dog show; he had an 8 a.m. show time.  We pulled out of the garage a little before 6 a.m. and arrived in Austin exactly an hour and a half later.  There was almost no traffic and we drove peacefully along in the darkness; I enjoyed watching the sunrise as we neared Austin. 

This was our first show since July and I decided that rather than being nervous that we would just consider it as a practice type show.  I had debated with myself all the week before and continued as I drove along about why I'm still trying to show him.  It is expensive.  There are the entry fees, travel expenses, and if it is overnight then I have to board the other 3 dogs and pay for our hotel.  Plus it takes time to really prepare a dog for showing.  But I love the dogs and enjoy the shows.  For some reason I just can't give this up.  After Saturday I made up my mind to really give this a serious try.  That means dedication on my part to exercise him every day and to work on my grooming skills.  I think it is my feeble attempt at grooming that is hurting him. He does good in the ring and I think with a little serious practice he'll be perfect. I can't go to every single show (I have to work to support the doxie crowd at my house and pay our mortgage), but I'm going to get to the ones I can.

Hey, Mom, did I win this blue ribbon?

There were 17 long haired dachshunds entered and I think only 2 or 3 didn't show up.  There were  11 male dogs competing in different classes and I was surprised to see so many crèmes.  I enjoyed talking to several of the other handlers as they were a friendly group.  Turned out one of them had the Isle of Dog booth and I went down to see her. She was super nice plus she lives in Louisiana and is very familiar with Kelly and Splendor Farms where all my babies came from!  I picked up a large bag of the Isle of Dog products and will be sharing the results.  Here's the link to her online store:  https://squareup.com/market/isle-of-dogsla

Mom and I are tailgating today!  Whoopee!

I've learned from experience to pack a cooler with at least a light lunch and some things like granola bars to munch on.  Concession lines can be long and sometimes the choices are either nachos or a hot dog.  The day was warming up and before we headed home Bentley and I shared lunch.  Well, he had treats and I had lunch!

News that makes me GRRRR!

Well, there's one thing that gets me writing again and it is getting me irked!  And I was today when I read the articles about Go Daddy! having to pull its Super Bowl ad that featured a lost puppy that manages to find his way home only to learn that he had been sold...via the internet.  If you didn't read the story, the please do!

Honestly, I did not watch the ad, but the description was enough for me.  What irks me is that the people that objected were upset because if featured a pure-bred puppy being sold over the internet.  Their main target was people who breed dogs.  They overlooked the fact that the ad features the puppy being transported in a box in the back of a pick up truck.  I hate to see dogs in the back of a truck and that irked me. So here's what I need to sound off about now:

• it is okay to buy a pure-bred puppy from a reputable breeder
• I have never bred a dog and don't plan to.  Leave that to the reputable breeder who understands blood lines, whelping puppies, and nurturing them for those important first weeks
• while I would not actually buy a puppy over the internet, that is how I found my dogs.  I saw those cute little faces on the Splendor Farms website.  I filled out an application and sent it to Kelly, along with a list of questions.  She e-mailed me back and told me I was asking the right questions to call her the next day.  I did and she answered my questions; I knew she was a good breeder by the answers.  I bought Sawyer and Blossom over the telephone, sight unseen.  Baylee and Bentley were also later bought through e-mail and over the telephone, sight unseen.  AND, I drove 545 miles one way to pick them up.  Kelly does not ship her dogs. My dogs are beautiful, healthy and well adjusted.  They are dachshunds through and through because of her careful breeding (just to note Baylee was actually bred and whelped in another kennel but came to Kelly with her mother and grandmother and siblings, nothing wrong with her either).

See what I'm saying?  You check out the breeder, you ask the questions, and you go pick up your little bundle of joy in person.  The whiners about the ad contorted everything to suit their little personal vendetta against pure-bred dogs.  And, no I have nothing against adopting a rescue dog or a shelter dog. 

And, yes the ad could have been a little better structured to convey the message a little differently (like showing using the internet to reunite a puppy with its owner or showing people looking at a breeder's website and then showing them with the breeder picking up their new puppy).  I bet Go Daddy! is a little more careful with their next ad.  And, just to note the puppy featured actually is owned by an employee and I got the impression from the article that it is a frequent visitor at the company's office. 

And, just for fun here are the pictures of Sawyer and Blossom that were on Kelly's website!  I think they were about 5 weeks old!

Little baby Blossom!

Sweet little Sawyer!

Bentley: On the Road, part 2

(Click here to read part 1)

Traveling with a dog is a little different.  I had thought ahead about lunch and decided that I probably should take a brown bag lunch for myself since I wasn't sure about dog friendly restaurants.  And, I packed the doggie stroller, poop bags, doggie water bottle, and treats (just like packing the diaper bag for those human babies!). I wasn't sure about how to handle the human potty breaks, but I decided that rather than leave him in the car (the temperature was in the upper 40's) that I would just walk him into the visitor center ladies room.  He was pretty cute in there and got a lot of giggles from other lady visitors!  That was the first of his many admiration sessions during the day!

Our first stop was at the Dogologie store for some serious dog shopping!  There were a lot of people in there as well as dogs.  I put Bentley in the stroller because he was nervous about the crowd and the big German Shepherd that wanted to jump at him.  I even zipped up the mesh, just for added security (the big dog did get taken out of the store, thankfully!). It was easier to maneuver around in the store with Bentley in the stroller so that's where he stayed.  Dogologie is a wonderful store and if you are in Fredericksburg be sure to stop.  Even if you don't have a dog, you will be delighted with all their products!

I picked up a cute little dachshund plaque, selected a new collar for Bentley, and a few other little dog things.  I had already had the thought before we left that he would look really cute strolling down the street wearing a little red sweater.  I have never put costumes on my dogs, but after all it was almost Christmas and the weather was cold.  We looked at several that were either put on over the head (no way!) or didn't appeal to me.  Then I saw all the college gear on a side wall - Bingo!  I looked at the orange UT jackets, but the idea of red was still in my mind.  And, after all, my nephew is at Tech right now, so why not a Tech jacket?  We tried it on and even though it was a little pricey I knew we had to have it.

I picked up a plain jacket for Sawyer thinking that having jackets for both boys would motivate me to walk even when it is cold.  It has fleece under a nylon, waterproof top.  However, at this point it will not fit around his wide girth and that has motivated me to walk them as much as possible.  Burn those calories big boy and we'll get you in your jacket!

Back out on the street Bentley was warm and ready to walk.  We had so many people stop and talk to us!  I love sharing my dogs with other people.  Many wanted to pet him and so many mentioned that they had dachshunds.  I enjoyed talking with everyone, and isn't he a little cutie?  Who can resist a dachshund that looks this splendid?

The wind was strong, making it feel very cold.  I choose to sit on the wall around the Vereins Kirche to eat my lunch because it was warm and sunny and out of the wind.  Bentley munched on a few treats while I ate.  We enjoyed sitting there feeling the warmth of the sun and watching other visitors enjoy their time in the Marketplatz.

There's no place like home and a nap with your Foxie

Bentley enjoyed his day, but he was glad to come home.  I always knew that he is a "mama-boy-dog", but realized that he is also a homebody! He was tolerant of the attention from admirers and followed me around the little shops and up and down the street.   But he would always look at me with a look that seemed to say, "Mom, why are we doing this?  Can we just go home?".

Bentley: On the Road, part 1

If you read Small Simple Things then you know that recently Bentley and I headed out for a "Me Day" in Fredericksburg, Texas.  I wanted a day to enjoy the small town's holiday spirit and since I've seen dogs strolling along in their historic district I was fairly sure it is a dog friendly town - and it is! I love taking a dog along with me whenever possible and I do enjoy their company, so I decided to give this day trip a try and included Bentley in my plans.

Bentley's day didn't start off too hot.  Look at those eyes, they say it all!  "MOM, why am I over here in this seat?  How could you do this to me, I'm your little Mama-boy. I always ride over there with you".  

Yes, I finally bought a doggie car harness after much researching and comparing.  I had ruled out one of the doggie bed types since my dogs don't care to snuggle down into those little beds, plus it is too warm here most of the time and that type of carrier would not work in the heat.  So I opted with a fairly inexpensive harness from PetsMart.  My theory was try it and see how it works for the dog and me; then, if it works later on invest in a more expensive model.  It was easy enough to put on him and it is soft so it won't chafe him.  I snapped him right into the car, much to his horror.  However, I did notice that the lap belt was off the seat and I wasn't sure how comfortable that would be for him.  I also wasn't sure about how the harness attached to the seat belt; it just didn't look right to me. He did okay on the ride and didn't seem to mind the lap belt.  He did bunch up the towel I had put down and then laid down.  And oh yes, I quickly decided it was best to not make eye contact with him for a while!

The enlightenment about this harness came as we were getting ready to come home.  I had stopped to make a few pictures and left him in the car while I stepped just a few feet away to get the shots.  I ended up crossing the street to get the picture I wanted, but I could see him the entire time.  When I got back into the car I realized that he was very much tangled up and twisted up in the seat belt.  To get him loose I had to come to his side of the car and open the door.  I finally ended up getting him out of the harness and then untangling it all.  At that point I realized that the clip attachment I had looked at at PetsMart when I bought the harness was what I needed to attach the harness to the seat belt correctly.  They don't tell you that you need both of them!  So, lucky little boy rode home on my lap; and we stopped on the way home and got the clip.  He may not be happy in the passenger seat, but he is safer and a little more comfortable.

The shy, quiet one

Just because I didn't post for a while doesn't mean we didn't have any excitement around our house - it is non-stop and if you have dogs then you know what I mean!

Just like with children, it is the shy, quiet one that you have to watch.  In this case, it is Baylee that I'm learning to watch very carefully.  She is exquisitely beautiful, but a little naughty and has a few little surprising characteristics. Here are a few of her little escapades:

First, remember her little encounter with Shadow when there was some bloodshed? (Read that story here) Well, we had a repeat of that several weeks ago.  I was in the back of the house and heard the yipping start and I knew they had a cat cornered.  As I moved down the hall I heard the cat screaming and hurried to find and rescue the cat.  When I got into the kitchen all I saw was poor Shadow on her back, writhing around and screaming for her life.  Baylee had her by the neck and was not letting go.  I clapped my hands and made enough distraction that Baylee let go and Shadow headed to my bedroom and safety under the bed (the dogs haven't figured out that they could go under the bed, strange).  When I pulled her out a few minutes later she was okay and there was no blood this time, only a very wet neck.  Poor cat, but I'm glad I was there to rescue her.

The next excitement came one afternoon as I was preparing to take them to the "resort" to board.  The boys were still outside, so I decided to get the girls hitched up first.  I snapped Blossom's collar on and reached for Baylee's harness and then Bam! Baylee and Blossom were in a huge girl-dog-fight.  It was serious and I realized that I had nothing to put between them and was afraid that by the time I could get to the broom and get back it might be too late.  I stamped my foot and yelled at them and they broke up.  Goodness, gracious, Baylee what got into you...and about that time she went after Blossom again.  This time she had raised the red flag and wasn't backing off, she was fierce and almost crazy.  She had grabbed Blossom's ear and was shaking her and dragging her across the floor.  Blossom was helpless and unable to defend herself since her head was immobilized.  This time I figured that neither of them could bite me, so I grabbed Blossom's hind quarters and lifted her up while pushing Baylee away.  It worked and this time I kept Blossom in my arms.  Poor little thing, her heart was just pounding.  Her Mama gave her lots of cuddling and reassurance!  I let the boys in the house and then put her down, not sure what Baylee would do.  I think Baylee was really sorry because she very gently nuzzled Blossom as if to give a doggie apology!

Baylee also had a night adventure one night.  It was around 9 p.m. and I put the dogs out for a potty break.  When I let them back in there were only 3 dogs, no Baylee.  Sometimes one of them gets delayed in the yard, so I wasn't too worried.  When she didn't come up to the door I started checking the yard with a flashlight.  But no Baylee.  Where could she be?  Then I remembered to check the "escape hatch" on the fence where they had gotten into the neighbor's yard before (I really need to fix this, I know!).  Sure enough, she had gone visiting!  Since I had already taken a bath and had my pajamas and robe on and because I knew that my neighbor's hubby works until late at night and she might not answer the door I decided to just see if Baylee would come back under on her own rather than going next door to retrieve her. Several minutes later she did appear at the door as if nothing had ever happened.  Silly dog!

The latest escapade was just flat gross and disgusting.  I will not detail any of it except to say that I didn't notice when she brought a squirrel into the house and proceeded to start eating it in the living room.  I was pre-occupied with a little project and just didn't notice what was going on until it was already going.  So now I'm doing a mouth check at the door!  And, yes she did have serious gastrointestinal issues for quite a while.  Based on her fierceness with Shadow and Blossom I have no doubt that she had killed the squirrel, probably after it fell into the yard.  UGH!

So, that concludes the recent excitement caused by the shy, quiet one.  Don't let those sweet brown eyes fool you, this little girl's a lively one and has a few surprise characteristics!

Where oh where have the little dogs gone?

This empty crate is a little like this blog, empty!  But don't worry, we are still here and just like the crate will soon be full again.  It seems there is always something going on in the doxie world of wagging tails, but just no time to write it all down.  So, after this small vacation we will get the blog going again. 



Hey Ma, quit making pictures and get us out of this crate!  We've been at the "doggie resort" for 4 nights and we need to get outta here and on the sofa for a nap!

Good Luck Jelly!

If you read this blog regularly then you may remember the post about the adoption of Jelly  by my daughter and grandson.  She was a stray that was found roaming in a park across town along with what was presumed to be her litter mate. A local organization was sponsoring an adoption event and Jaydon just fell in love with her, so into their lives she came.

Jelly was very happy and seemed to fit into their home very well, at least for a while.  The problems started when she grew tired of being left alone while they went to work and school.  She is very much a people dog and needs companionship.  After destroying the inside of the house several times my daughter decided that while they were gone from home Jelly would have to stay outside.  She had the perfect place to leave her outside – a large covered patio with shade and protection from the occasional rain shower we get here and a nice fenced yard with enough room to run and play.  That worked well, for a while.  Then their time away from home increased and Jelly wasn’t happy.  So she began to dig holes under the fence and wiggle through to escape into the neighborhood.  Not a good plan, Jelly.

So, she came over to stay at my house until a suitable new home could be found for her.  She enjoyed the company of my four little low-riders, but it was different having that fifth dog in my house, especially a big dog!

We knew that we had to find the exact, perfect home for her.  So we sent out e-mails, posted on Facebook, and my daughter advertised through her company’s classified ads. At first there was nothing except polite inquiries and good wishes.  It was discouraging, but we knew that the right person(s) would come to give Jelly the forever home that she needed.  We could not even consider a shelter because of the fact that she had already been bounced around too much; plus, we knew that she is a good, sweet dog and just needed help to find the right home.

As silly as this may sound, we prayed for Jelly to find that home.  God answers prayers for dogs as well as people.  Last Friday my daughter had an inquiry and the folks came by to look at her and agreed that she was the right dog for them.  We agreed that they were the right people for her.  They live in Fort Stockton (way out in west Texas) with property, have another dog, and one of them stayed at home during the day.  Perfect!

Jelly took right to them, giving them her big hugs and licking their hands.  When they picked her up on Saturday afternoon I said good bye and she walked down the driveway, just like she was ready for her new life.  I was relieved because my dogs would never have left me to go somewhere with unknown people.

I’m sure that this happens fairly often.  You adopt a dog knowing nothing about it and then it is not the right match for you and your family.  I’m glad that we were able to do the right thing for Jelly and get her into a home where she will have the companionship that she needs. 

Having five dogs, one of which was large, was interesting, but it was only for about a week and a half.  During this time I realized that while I have always thought I could never foster a dog (I would get too attached, I thought) I now think I could and may try sometime in the future to do so.  There are several dachshund rescue organizations in our area and I know they need foster doggie parents. If you know that the dog is only staying with you temporarily, then you care for it and give it affection but you do not bond with it.  This is exactly what I did with Jelly because I knew I could not keep her permanently; she was loved and cared for and I enjoyed her sweet company, but I did not let myself get attached to her.  I knew that was to be saved for someone else.

So, Good Luck Jelly!  We will miss you, but know that you are on your way to a long, happy doggie life in west Texas!

 

Time to loose the weight!

Week 1

Sawyer is overweight.  The last time I had him weighed he weighed just over 19 pounds.  When he had his check up in May the vet wasn't too concerned; he said that Sawyer could loose a pound or two.  But I think he needs to loose a little more.

I've been telling myself that we need to get out and start walking again and stick to the plan, make it a habit like it used to be.  Even with the cooler weather I have just put it off.  Until now.  On Sunday afternoon Sawyer went in the kitchen and laid down by himself.  I thought that was odd since he is usually close to where I am.  Later I noticed he was scratching, and knowing that he does not have fleas I decided to check him over.  I suspected that he had a sticker or debris caught in his fur or that he had a little ouw-wee.  I stood him on his hind legs to get a good look at his underside and that's when I realized that we had a problem.  His tummy looked like a sausage that was about to pop, much like a small puppy's stomach only bigger.  That, plus the way he had laid around all afternoon concerned me.

Yesterday as soon as I got home from work I changed clothes and we were out the door, no excuses.  I made sure to check the time on my phone as we left since I wanted to time our walk.  Normally I would walk about 40-45 minutes, but with his weight and not being conditioned I knew I had to watch him and the time.

As usual he was out the door and at the end of the leash, ready to go.  I let him lead for a while and then settled us into a brisk walk.  Of course, he wanted to stop and smell everything, but we had to keep moving.  When he started to slow down and drag behind I checked the time:  10 minutes.  I decided to walk a bit more before turning around to head home, but within a minute he was really slow.  Time to  head home.  Our total walk time was 17 minutes.  After a cool down on the deck and some water he laid down.  I've always been told that if a dog lays down after a walk then they have had a sufficient amount of exercise. 

Tonight I followed the same routine; however, he seemed to settle into the brisk walk quicker and kept the pace going steadily.  I walked a different route, as is my habit, and noticed that after 10 minutes he was still on a good pace.  I kept us going for a few more minutes and then we were heading home.  Total walk time was 23 minutes and he never dragged behind.  I'm going to let him set the time frame until we can get back to our normal walk time.

I was reading through a little magazine that I get from our vet and there was an article about dog weight.  It recommended taking a 15-minute brisk walk each during the week and then a 45 minute walk on the weekends that was a little more leisurely.  I think that is good advice, but feel like we can do more than 15-minutes. But that suggestion helped me to realize that a short walk is better than no walk.

Sawyer was 14 months old in this picture and still at that somewhat awkward stage, but see the difference?  I had found this picture Sunday night after seeing his little about-to-burst-belly and it helped me get motivated with his weight loss plan!

Chow line

These puppies don't normally line up like this to eat!  This afternoon as I was re-arranging the canned goods in the cabinet I found a can of store-brand green beans and remembered that I had not fed any veggies to the dogs in quite a while.  What a treat!  I put the bowls down in a row and they all buried their noses in the bowl.

Normally they will either ignore the food for a while or one or two of them will eat. There is also usually some rotation from bowl to bowl. I've never had dogs that are so uninterested in food and don't care what time I feed them.  All it takes is just a little motivation in the form of human food!

Out and about

I took off today so I would have a nice, long weekend.  My plans were to do a few catch up things and then have lunch at one of my favorite lunch-only spots and head to the downtown library to do research.  Since one of the catch up things was to take Bentley by the vet's office for bordetella and Trifexis refill and the other things were places he could go, I decided to take him out and about.  I love taking the dogs to places and plan to do this more.  Obviously, I would not take them to a restaurant or grocery store and would be respectful of any business with a "no dogs allowed" sign.

The staff at the vet laughed when I told them that as I turned the corner onto their street that Bentley let out a big whine!  I don't really think he knew where we were, but then again maybe he did.  He had to be carried into the back for the nose drops, but quickly came back wagging his tail.  I'm sure he was relieved that this was an easy visit!

Then we headed to get the oil changed in the car.  Since I knew we had time I walked him a little before heading into the waiting area.  There was plenty of grass and landscaping, but I choose to walk down a little strip center to a grassy area at the end.  Bentley smelled around and then proceeded to roll all in the part grass part weeds.

First it was just his face

Then it was a full doggie roll, over and over!

At first I thought there was something gross in the grass that he was rolling on, but I couldn't see anything.  After he had rolled for several minutes it did occur to me that there might be stickers in the weeds.  And there were a few caught in his leg hairs that I had to pull out; I did not want them going home to my yard with us!

We walked back toward the oil change place and stopped again for a bit.  I was using the not-so-great-camera on the smart phone and was very surprised when I got home and looked at the next picture.  It was great, not sure how that happened.

We went in the waiting area and Bentley sat in my lap and then got down in the floor.  He never barked at anyone and was a perfect canine citizen.  Then I headed over to the tire place to get the tires rotated.  It is along a busy freeway and he never flinched about the traffic roaring by as they checked the tires.  As we walked in a man asked what my dog's name was. His next questions were "Does Bentley bite" and if he could pet him.  Of course, as I love for people to pet Bentley as that is a great socialization technique.  I was quite surprised when Bentley, although slowly, went forward to man's outstretched hand! Normally he is shy around men and I'm always worried when we show to a male judge. I told the stranger that I could tell he was a dog person and then we both laughed when he made the oft repeated comment about liking dogs more than some of the people he knew!

The tire rotation took about 40 minutes, but Bentley waited like a little gentleman.  He sat in my lap and then wanted down in the floor. 

Mom, can't you tell I'm tired?  Can we go now?

Finally, he laid down and closed his eyes for a little nap.  Oh, the life of a little dachshund boy!