Dachsunds: Always Puppy Size

I'd like to say that I've had big dogs, and have loved big dogs, but little dogs rule! They're always puppy size. They're portable. Which is great. If it's time to go outside and they're not feeling it. I just take them out. I might even put them as far away from the door inside the fence so they at least have to walk back.

Right now I have two senior dachshunds, so I do quite a bit of dog-toting. When I get up in the morning to feed the dogs Flynn just gets down off the bed himself. The old dogs know that it's just easier for me to carry them so they just get up and go right under my arms so I can grab and go.

The boys spend much of their days together, which is strategically close to me of course, which I appreciate. Most of the time. They are sun worshipers, as all dachshunds are. We are finally getting to the days where they can laze in the sun outside. Dreaming of squirrels and extra chewy treats.

Miss Sandie is mostly blind and deaf so I help her out as much as I can. She does know the house like the back of her paw so she finds her way around pretty well. It's amazing how well she knows the backyard too and can find her way back inside. All she really wants is a warm place to sleep and snacks.

Dachshunds puppy likeness also stems from the exuberance that they bring to life. They are a fun loving active breed that doen't need a whole lot of space to get exercise.

I wish I could have a half dozen, but for now I'll have to settle for half of a half dozen.

What's Tougher than Shaving the Underside of a Dachshund?

My sweet Sandra, she would be such a mop if I let her be. Eventually the fur needs to come off. It's cool because she really only looks like a dachshund when she is trimmed up. It's like "Oh yeah, she actually is a dachshund. Plus she does a happy dance after. Sometimes a haircut can be so liberating.

I have been shaving our wire hair dachshunds ever since we first got Watson back in 1997. He was our first. He was a standard sized wire hair. He was a big boy, a solid 30 pounds. His coat seemed to get more fuzzy every year. I would shave him 2 or 3 times a year.

Then came Miss Peachy who was so timid when we got her, but she turned into a feisty little top dog. She could also be spooked by a random leaf blowing by.

Sandie came along while we still had Peaches, so she learned eveything from her. They are kinda similar looking, so when Sandie is all shaved up she can give you that milisecond when your brain thinks its Peaches. It's nice to get that Peachy moment. She's been gone a few years now.

So the job of shaving Sandie is a big project to gather all the tools and space to do the work. She's pretty coopertive but it does take awhile . It's also difficult to get to the underside of a dachshund. I end up sitting on the floor with her laying on her back on top of my legs. She's pretty chill with this whole deal, especially if she can lick my arms while I doing it. It's good so I can get to her undersides and her legs. Those fuzzy legs.

And look I have enough fur leftover for a whole nother dog! There is half again as much stuck to my clothing. Somehow I will also end up doing this on the hottest day of the year.

 

Never A Day without Dachshunds

 

I never want to have a day where I don't have at least 1 dachshund in my life. Last spring, when we lost my soul mate dog Spaatz, it felt really odd to just have 2 dachshunds. We had 4 for such a long time. The big 4 as I refer to the pack we had for nearly 10 years.

We had Miss Peaches, Spaatz, Sandie and Foozeball. They were a great crew. It's hard to believe that Sandiepoo is the only one left from those days. We're not a 100% sure how old she is as we're her 3rd owners. She should be around 15. She was supposedly the same age as Spaatz when we got her.

Now she pretty much sleeps all day. She has also gotten a bit thinner after being "chonky" her whole life. She is nearly blind as a result of having cataracts in both eyes. She's the #1 lump in the bed.

Then there is Rupert, who is the other lump in the bed. Rupert recently turned 16, so we're having a couple of senior citizens in the dachshund camp. I end up carrying them about the house quite a bit just to speed things up. Otherwise it can take all day to get everyone in and out of the house when you need to.

Then of course there is Flynn, who is my long haired red rescue. He is 6 years old, in his prime, and love, love, loves to hunt. For a guy who didn't know what a woodland creature was when he got here he has dedicated himself to hunting vermin. He's a sweet boy and apparently I am his person. 

So Ive gone from having nothing but smoothies and wire hairs, to now having 2 long hairs and 1 wire. Good thing I love scruffy dogs. Anyway we're up for more dachshund adventures, and who knows there my be more dachsunds yet in my life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Goodbye My Sweet Spaatz

 Of course I knew this day would come eventually. I knew it would be extremely painful because I loved him so much. Spaatz truly was a best friend. He was always there for me, and with dogs love is not so complicated. My husband Jerry agrees that when you looked into those two different colored eyes you felt a connection. He was a great nuzzler. He would brush his cheek against mine and give a little doggie kiss.

Spaatz came to us in 2010 by way of Florida. I had wanted a dapple dachshund with different colored eyes. Our daughter Marlena had the opportunity to get me just what I was looking for, and while she was at it she got Spaatz's sisiter Loreli. We still had Miss Peaches and Foozeball but our first dachshund Watson had passed the previous year.

When I first got Spaatz, Jerry wasn't exactly pleased. I think he wanted another wire hair. He felt they were more of the hunting dog type. I think any dachshund can be a hunting dog, if given the training and opportunity to do so. We are fortunate to have a little fenced in area in our back yard so the dogs can run around and sniff all they want. Occasionally they might get the chance to tangle with woodland creatures. Spaatz had the chance to kill a long tailed weasel. It's a dachshund playland.

So I started this post quite a long time ago. Losing Spaatz was really hard, but I had to pay a price for all that love. I made it through and now our cast of characters has changed once again, so we're back to 3 dachshunds. With the addition Rupert, my granddog, we keep the Doxson Ranch going.