THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH

From my own experience, doxie lovers are rabid about their doxies. I mean, we love them to death, and we don't think any other dog breed even holds a candle to dachshunds! Oh, I personally love German shepherds, huskies, and even the occasional boxer or border collie, but dachshunds are practically a part of my DNA, and most dachshund lovers feel the same way.

What is it about dachshunds, exactly, that gives rise to such undying love and devotion to them? Doxies are notoriously stubborn, difficult at times, too smart for their own good, and bark WAY too much. After much thought, however, I believe we love them so much because THEY LOVE US BACK UNCONDITIONALLY. Yes, they can be annoying (but I submit, so can human children!). Doxies are very attuned to their humans and watch us incessantly, knowing us far better than we often realize. Yes, they have less-than perfect personas, but to me, it's impossible not to love them--here are some of the many reasons why I personally love the breed, from personal experience:

1. Yes, they love us, and they want us to love them back
2. They're cute and endearing
3. They're foot warmers on a cold night
4. They take care of us when we aren't feeling well, and they instinctively know when that is
5. They miss us when we are away, even for five minutes
6. They seek our companionship, and love to show us how they feel
7. When that world out there seems daunting, doxies make things easier to face
8. They keep our secrets
9. They make us laugh every single day
10. They know how to give comfort: a doggie kiss goes a long way toward healing us

There are tons more reasons why I love dachshunds so much, because I have loved and lost several in my lifetime. Each one took a piece of my heart, and I've never forgotten the ache I felt when they passed on. They have left an indelible mark upon my life, and I am the better for having known each of them.

That's why I love dachshunds, one of God's amazing creatures--what about you?

PURE LOVE

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the MANY
reasons I love dogs!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, because they love us, no matter what.

ONE YEAR AGO . . .

I hesitated about writing this post, but I felt compelled to do so: one year ago, our doxie Duke was in the UGA Veterinary Hospital with an autoimmune disease ~ his body had stopped making blood platelets and he was slowly bleeding to death internally. Many of you followed my posts about his situation, many prayed for us, and many of you offered condolences when we had to have him put down because the meds weren't working. We chose to put him out of his misery on July 28, a terrible day I will never forget.

God has brought us through, and the pain over his passing has diminished, but it's not totally gone. I can still tear up when I look at his pictures--so full of life, so full of love, so full of wonderful companionship. He made me laugh every single day of his ten years he was with us, until he got sick. I couldn't laugh then--I was too afraid of losing him. But we made that decision to alleviate his suffering, perhaps one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. He was so swollen by then, he was barely recognizable, but he still knew us when we visited him at the vet school on July 27. The meds to help his body produce platelets weren't working, and he was on oxygen. He looked at us, weakly wagging his tail as he lay there. Now that I look back, his eyes were telling us to let him go. But it was a miserable time.

Today, we've moved on with our lives. We're getting older, and we've chosen not to get another pet. This choice is not out of selfishness on our part, but because we just aren't up to the task any longer. I've had pets over the years, but none of them EVER meant as much to me as Duke did. As I stated in blog posts last year, I spent more time with Duke than any human. Clark did substitute teaching nearly every day (we're both retired teachers), our two daughters are married, so Duke and I were home by ourselves as I worked on my books. He went to each room I went to; he listened to me read some portions of my manuscripts, never passing judgment! He was my soul pet, much like a human is a soul mate.

I do enjoy our doxie granddawg Sunny, because she helps fulfill my doxie longing--even Bruno, our boxer granddawg, is so loving. But to be honest, no dog even comes close to what Duke was for me. I

go about my daily life, which is amazing and fulfilling, because I have such a wonderful husband and family, but a part of my heart is still missing, and I suppose it always will be. Duke made me a better human because he was such a wonderful, loving dog. If you've never experienced the unconditional love of a dog, you have missed something in this life. Some of you get that in a cat, a rabbit, whatever. Animals are wonderful creations of our Father. He put them here for our benefit, and dogs love us, no matter what. At times, Duke simply put up with me, lol. At times he'd look at Clark or me like we were just plain stupid, too. I think he understood far more than we ever gave him credit for.

So. Here I am, a year later. I am doing all right. God loves me, my family and friends love me, and I am so thankful for my many blessings, far more than I deserve. I reach out more to other pet owners who have lost their beloved pets, because I now know how much it means to them. It helps tremendously to know that others have trod along the same path. You can't take away their pain, but you can let them know you care.

But I still listen for those little paws along the floor, the long ears flopping when he shook his head (doxie parents, you know what I'm talking about!), and yes, even his very loud bark.

Dogs get under our skins and I don't know of a way to remove that. Nor do I ever want to.

THAT SAYS IT ALL

I can attest to the fact that doxies love and care about their humans. Dogs can sense when we are upset or distraught, and it has been proven that they can smell the difference in our bodies when we are sick, often before we know. My doxie Duke fulfilled a role in our family that no human could, just by being his sweet self. My hubby and I often used to joke about how happy Duke was when we came home--no human was ever so thrilled to see us like he was. 

I've written before about what a great nurse Duke was when I had my two knee replacement surgeries in 2014 (has it already been that long??). My husband Clark waited on me hand and foot, so I'm not discounting his service at all. But Duke lay right by my side, often looking into my eyes, and seeing the pain there, would lick my hand to reassure me. When I first came home from the hospital after the first knee surgery, I could not get up from my recliner without help. However, it hurt terribly when Clark pulled me up. At first, Duke thought "Daddy" was hurting me, and got very upset, barking loudly at Clark. After I reassured him that the pain wasn't because of Clark, he settled down. Such is the beauty of a dog's love.

By the way, yesterday--Feb. 28--marked eight months since Duke left us. It has gotten easier, but I still miss him. We have decided against bringing another pet into our home, not because we don't love dogs, but because we just aren't up for the responsibility any longer. I don't want any dog but Duke. He had gotten used to us, and we had gotten used to him. Ten years of unconditional love, and we are so thankful for those years with him. He was a bright spot in our lives.

Dachshunds . . . you always love them, even when they're no longer here.

DON'T YOU LOVE A WAGGING TAIL?

Duke is overjoyed when we return home, even if we've only been away a few minutes!  Someone told me that dogs are afraid we are never coming back when we leave--hence, their happiness at seeing us.  "Oh, you came back!  O boy O boy O boy!  You didn't leave me forever!"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em (because they surely love us unconditionally).

A DACHSHUND'S OUTLOOK ON LIFE

THE BEAUTY OF A DOG'S HEART

Dogs are masters at showing us humans unconditional love.  When I look into my dachshund's eyes, I see an innocence in them that we seldom see, except perhaps in babies and small children.

God created them that way.  No wonder dogs are considered man's best friends.

THE TRUE MESSAGE

No matter what kind of day you've had, coming home to that wagging tail can make all the difference.  Dogs don't care what we're wearing, what we look like, how much money we have, or what kind of job we have or car we drive.

All they care about is how they love us!  (And a treat now and then, of course).  I will repeat here what one of my characters, Papa Duke, said in I AM SARGE:

"A dawg loves you no matter what. You can be ugly, old, even dumb--but a dawg don't care. All he wants is your love and some food now and then. I think dawgs represent the unconditional love God has for us--maybe that's why He created them, to show that to us."

And that, folks, is the true message of Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

WE "HEART" YOU, DOXIE LOVERS!

Dogs are the perfect valentines, because they exhibit unconditional love toward us just like God does :).  And our doxies are known for their loyalty and cuddle-ability (not really a word--but it should be!).

That's what my late father, Robert "Papa" Duke, said in I AM SARGE, Book 1 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES:
"A dawg loves you no matter what. You can be ugly, old, even dumb--but a dawg don't care. All he wants is your love and some food now and then. I think dawgs represent the unconditional love God has for us--maybe that's why He created them, to show that to us." 

So--Happy Valentine's Day, doxie lovers.  Be sure to hug your dawg today :).  And, I am certain that a treat would be appreciated.

ONE REASON TO LOVE DOGS . . .

. . . is their unconditional love, just when we need it :).

THAT SUMS IT UP FOR DOGS!

I love dogs, especially my doxie Duke, for many reasons:

*they take things at face value

*they love their humans unconditionally

*they know how to enjoy life

*they enjoy the little things

*they ask so little in return

*they know when we are sad, upset, or not feeling well

*they want to be near their humans

*they are always available to give doggie kisses

Why do you love your dog?