Tuesday, February 28, 2017

TODAY'S FEATURE: RED DACHSHUNDS!

Ahhhhhh . . . those reds--aren't they beautiful?
The very first doxie my family ever owned was a red standard named Elia. We were living in Bremerhaven, Germany, and I was ten. She was truly a playmate: she'd let me put doll clothes on her and would lie down on her back in my doll carriage so I could take her for a stroll around the neighborhood.
Yes, quite a dawg she was . . .

Ahhhhh . . . those reds--aren't they beautiful?

The very first doxie my family ever owned was a red standard named Elia. We were living in Bremerhaven, Germany, and I was ten. She was truly a playmate: she'd let me put doll clothes on her and would lie down on her back in my doll carriage so I could take her for a strol around the neighborhood.

Yes, quite a dawg she was . . . too back I have no pictures of her at all!

Below are some beautiful red doxies. Longhaired or smooth coated, they are all gorgeous, don't you agree?

"Do these glasses make my nose look big?"

Nothing more beautiful: mama and baby

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"

"King of the Mountain"

"Okay, are you ever gonna stop messing
with  that laptop and play with me??"

"What kind of bug is THAT??"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em no matter what color they are!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

A DOXIE-MAID, A DOXIE MONSTER, AND AN ELECTRIC DOXIE!

When I saw the photo below, I thought it was the cutest thing! It's a doxie mermaid, or in other words, a DOXIE-MAID!

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Or, what about the one below? Would you say it's some kind of doxie monster?

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Last, but certainly not least, what do you make of this?

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Dachshunds . . . you gotta love em, because they're so downright comical!

Thursday, February 16, 2017

IN MEMORIAM: SHADOW, MY GRANDDAWG

Our granddawg Shadow crossed the rainbow bridge on February 1. At age 16, he was declining quickly and was in pain all the time, but this was a really sad day for our family.

Our son-in-law Philip gave our daughter Holly a thoughtful and beautiful gift for Valentine's Day--this canvas collage of Shadow and the family:



I posted the above picture to my Facebook dachshund groups, and people reacted overwhelmingly! One lady responded with "This is the sweetest thing I've ever seen." Another commented, "Sorry for your loss, but this is a wonderful husband to do this for his wife." Thousands of doxie lovers responded with heartfelt sympathy, kindness, and comfort, often including sympathy cards with dachshunds on them.

Most of us have lost a beloved family pet, and we know the pain of losing such a family member. It really helps when others know what we are going through, and I thank each person who took the time out of their busy day to respond with words of kindness and sympathy. Our family appreciates it, and we will miss Shadow forever. The pain will lessen, of course, but he was such an integral part of our lives for so many years that it's going to take some time to adjust.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, even when they're no longer with us.

RIP 2001 ~ 2017

Friday, February 10, 2017

VALENTINES, DOXIE STYLE

In researching for this post, I was amazed at how many vintage valentines featured doxies! Well, if you ask me, what better subject could there be, right?

Here's today's vintage doxie valentine:



Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

Monday, February 6, 2017

IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE

Our family said our good-byes to our doxie granddawg Shadow last Wednesday, Feb. 1. If you've ever lost a beloved pet, then you know how hard it is when that pet has to be put down because of health reasons. Shadow had turned 16 in January, and had been in declining health for some time. He could no longer see well (cataracts), had poor hearing, and his back legs had stopped working, for all intents and purposes. Our daughter and son-in-law made the heart-wrenching decision to have him put to sleep because they couldn't stand to watch him suffer any longer. He probably had cancer, too, because he was sick half the time and wouldn't eat, and he was in pain.

My husband Clark made him a wooden casket and painted it white; he bought Shadow a soft fleece blanket to wrap him in after it was all over; he cleared out a place in our woods across the bridge he'd built over our creek, and dug a grave for Shadow on a little hill overlooking the creek. He bought red mulch and white marble chips to adorn his grave. Lastly, since the grave is on a hill, he built a wooden
surround on the lower side of the grave.

We went to their house to stay with the grandchildren while Holly and Philip took Shadow to the vet appointment. Beforehand, we all held him, told him we loved him, shed tears, and say good-bye to him. That was far harder than I ever thought it would be! Shadow had been their firstborn, and he was brought home only a few months after they married in 2000. Shadow was there when each baby was born, he experienced the family's moves to different states (NC, MA, TN, and GA), and endured having three cats brought in as siblings to him. They came to love each other. Then last year, Bruno the boxer joined the menagerie, and they came to an agreement of sorts: "Don't bother me, and I won't bother you." Shadow didn't want Bruno messing with him or his toys!

Shadow stayed with us when they went on vacations--he and our doxie Duke were good buddies. Shadow had put up with Duke as an eight-week-old "whippersnapper" when we first adopted Duke, teaching Duke that ALL toys were his, no matter who they belonged to!

But I digress. When Holly and Philip came home after that vet visit, Shadow was in his casket in the back of the van. It was over. We all realized we'd never see him again after sixteen years of hearing his bark over nothing, seeing him argue with the cats, and giving doggie kisses to all of us. We all drove to our house where he would be buried, since their yard didn't have a place for such. Since our daughter Bethany and hubby Kurt couldn't come from AZ, they ordered the grave marker, which consists of an engraved, large rock (it will arrive soon):
Shadow
"Little Man"
2001 - 2017

Once Shadow's little casket was buried, Clark covered the grave with the red mulch and marble chips, and the grandchildren made the shape of a heart out of the red camellias from our bush. 

Below are photos from last Wednesday:
The grandchildren saying
good-bye to Shadow

Holly and Philip, aka
"mama" and "Daddy,"
saying good-bye
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Clark and me saying good-bye; Shadow
gave me a kiss on my nose!
Our doxie Duke saying
good-bye
Grandchildren decorating
Shadow's grave with
camellias from our yard

Finishing touches

RIP, Shadow
01/22/01 - 02/01/17


Some may wonder why we went to such lengths for "just a dog." In our family, our pets ARE family members, and Shadow was well loved--but he gave love back in so many ways. He was a special doxie, very intelligent, and he rode herd over the other animals (and kids!). He always made his presence known (as doxies do), he was comical, stubborn, protective, and food-oriented. We miss him so much, but are all the richer for having shared years of our lives with him. He was my inspiration for Sarge the doxie in THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES, and many of those stories really happened. He lives on in our hearts.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, even when they're no longer with us.


Thursday, February 2, 2017

IN MEMORY OF SHADOW, AKA SARGE THE DOXIE

For my doxie-loving friends:
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**UPDATE** Amazon has already listed this book as free! (Friday, 7:00 a.m.)

DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, Book 3 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES - click on the link below during the promo period to receive it free:
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