Having fun

All it takes to have fun is a boy and a scooter to run with!  The boys had so much fun trotting along!

After a while we unhitched Bentley because having two dogs was making the scooter wobble.  One works much better! 

And, no it was not hot and yes, I did have doggie water close by!

Celebrating Fives

This week was the observance of two events that happened five years ago and have forever changed my life.  Blossom and Sawyer celebrated their fifth Gotcha Day and Baylee celebrated her 5th birthday a few days later.  Now really, they didn't celebrate anything.  Neither did I!  But in the keeping of the passing of time both of these are momentous events for our little community.

August 12, 2010

I will always cherish my memories of picking each of these sweet babies up from Splendor Farms.  Just like the first glimpse of a human baby, my first glimpse of each one was priceless.  Blossom and Sawyer were so small that I remember asking if I could pick them up!  I went back for Baylee in August so she was 4 months old; I remember thinking that she was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen!

These five years have been wonderful; how did I ever live without dachshunds in my house?  I thought I knew a lot about dogs, but I know now that I didn't know a thing.  They have taught me so much and opened a whole new world for me.  Grooming, training, showing, nutrition, and doggie behavior are frequent topics for me to explore. 

Last week at the show we were discussing a breeder that had to go into assisted living and one of the other ladies had bought out the entire kennel.  I remarked that when the time comes for me to go to a place like that that I will have to find one that takes dogs!  I can't live with out them!

Am I in trouble?

Do I look a little sad here?  My human Mom told me I should be ashamed of myself.  She paid money to enter me in this show.  She took me to a training class last Wednesday and I aced everything!  Everybody was so impressed with me: I strutted around the practice ring and then laid down like a regal hound dog while I waited for my next turn.  We got up early on Saturday morning and drove an hour and a half in the rain to get here.  And, then I messed up big time.

Maybe it was the fact that the weather was lousy or the fact that my hair was really frizzy and fuzzy.  I don't know, really.  But I just didn't feel like walking around that ring.  Mom told me I was sloppy.  And, then when she put me on that table to stack me I just decided that I did not want to do that either.  No sirree, not this little dachshund!  To make matters worse when we went back in the ring for winners dog I didn't do much better.  By then it was too late.  I had messed up.

But that's okay.  My mamma still loves me.  While she sat around with the other dachshund mamas and talked I sat on her lap and everyone adored me.  I even went nose to nose with another big cream dachshund that was on his mamma's lap; how cute I can be sometimes. I messed up in the ring, but I'm still Mamma's Boy!

I was really glad to finally get back to our car and head home.  Traffic in Austin was very slow, so Mom snapped a picture of me while we crept along to the freeway.  See, she really loves me!

It's that time again

Yes, it's leaf time again down here in San Antonio.  The beloved live oak trees are doing their thing, dropping leaves and their nasty pollen.  It is a mess and this year seems worse that the past few years.  Of course, the nasty stuff is all in my house thanks to four little long haired dogs!  

 

Their beautiful long fur is like a Swiffer sweeper with this stuff and of course, they go out in the yard and roll in it so that makes it worse! But wait, part of the problem is my fault.  During the winter I have been slack about regular grooming except for Bentley because he has had several shows.  I realized last weekend that he wasn't picking up much pollen because his paws and legs are trimmed up.  Look at the picture above - see Blossom's untrimmed paws?  They look like Grinch feet!  And all that hair hanging over her legs just attracts the pollen! 

 



Sawyer wants to play in the pollen like it is snow.  UGH! I love my large trees, but honestly, this stuff is just nasty.  If you try to vacuum it it will explode.  The leaf blower just creates a yellow, pollen filled cloud.  And, yes it makes you sick!

 

So, with that realization I decided it was time to get serious and get out the grooming table.  Time for some serious grooming. I am definitely a novice groomer, but with 4 dogs I have had to learn.  I bought an excellent book, The All Breed Dog Grooming Guide (4th edition) by Sam Kohl, and I've watched countless videos on the internet.  As with anything, it is the hands on experience that really teaches you! 



I had actually made this picture of an unhappy Sawyer on the table last summer, but had to share it here.  He does not like anything about being groomed and will hide in the yard when he sees me coming with the table! Ditto with the nail clippers! He's just an adventure loving boy dog that doesn't want all that girlie primping stuff done to him! But, Big Boy, that fur has got to be trimmed up!

 

 

 

 



A little one-on-one

Sawyer (and I) are long over due for an adventure.  I had originally thought we would head out to a State Park, with picnic lunch, and walk the trails over the past weekend.  However, that was not to be.  I just have too many chores at home right now and putting 60 miles on the car every day to commute to work made me reluctant to take a day trip.

So I opted for the next best thing - an in-town adventure at a park.  We are very fortunate to have a city that is full of excellent parks and trails, so why take a road trip when you can make do very well at home?

San Pedro Springs Park

We headed out mid-morning to a place that I love and Sawyer had never been to before so he would have the experience of an adventure in a new place. The original springs have ceased to flow; this winter lake/summer pool is filled with pumped in water.  But the park is full of history. It is thought that somewhere near these springs that the first Europeans to come into this area camped with friendly natives and named the place San Antonio since it was the feast day of Saint Anthony de Padua.  Today, as in the past, the park is a favorite place to walk, picnic, and enjoy the scenery.

The original adventure dog wasn't too keen on a photo shoot.  He's a mess right now anyway.  He needs a bath and a good grooming.  But that face is my Sawyer!

I think his ears are awesome! Blossom's are even longer, but his red/black combination with the long hair is stunning!



I had him on the retractable leash and the park was pretty much empty when we arrived.  We walked around for a while.  I had expected him to run and explore like he does on a trail.  Instead, he was happy to walk along with me for the most part.  He waited patiently whenever I stopped to make a picture.  We stopped by a low wall and I attempted to make pictures.  I stepped back to make the first shot and he jumped off the wall and ran to me!  The wall was about three feet high and I just cringed when I thought about his dachshund back.  Yes, dachshunds have no fear of heights!

We walked on some more and I found a lower wall to sit on.  I expected him to explore around on the terrace and the grassy area behind me, but he wanted to sit half on and half off my lap.  I sat for quite a while in this place and he was perfectly happy to just lay there and watch everything.  Once someone passed behind us on the sidewalk across the grassy area and he growled to alert me (that's protection for you!). I realized that he was enjoying our one-on-one time and have promised him that we will have more time together, just the two of us. 

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!