Tuesday, September 30, 2014

FALL DAWGS

Fall is my favorite season of the year!  The beautiful colors, the crisp, cool air--what's not to like??

Here are some fall scenes, a feast for the eyes--and a couple of doxies enjoying the leaves:




















Saturday, September 27, 2014

WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH . . . AND THEY ARE (OR WILL BE)



This is a wonderful reminder to self.  Sometimes, life just "is what it is," and we must keep going when we know it is the right thing to do.  God never promised us that life would always be easy, did He?

This photo and the idea came from a blog post by a mother of a dyslexic son, who was having trouble reading.  He got so frustrated at times, and so did she.  The next time she took her son to the psychologist, she asked what was she doing wrong.

The reply was so simple:  JUST BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG.  Some things in life are just hard. 

When it is the right thing, it is often very hard, but that doesn't mean we should quit, either.  "If God called you to it, He will see you through it."

May these words uplift you and strengthen you today, doxie lovers.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Friday, September 26, 2014

MY BADGE



A dear friend from my college days, Helen,  who also happens to be on Facebook, shared this photo on my timeline, saying, "Mavis, you need one of these."

I love it!  In fact, I've had this "badge" as my profile pic this week.  Don't you love it?  Oh, I know it's not about dachshunds, but being a retired English teacher and self-professed grammar geek, this badge is just "me."

However, to satisfy your raison d'etre for visiting my blog today, here's a cute doxie photo for you:

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT OTHER PETS??



For those of us who love our doxies, it's hard to imagine why anyone else would feel differently.


Shadow the granddawg

 Oh, other pet owners who have cats and OTHER DOG BREEDS (shock!) love theirs just as much as we do.  We've had cats and other dogs, but I really believe that none of them can even compare to dachshunds.  No brag, just facts, ma'am.
 
Other dogs have good qualities, too; however, a doxie is everything rolled up into one perfect little dog!  Therefore, I can honestly say that I believe the dachshund is the epitome of what dogs should all be :).  Yes, I'll admit they are stubborn, but I think that comes from their intelligence.  If they were dumb, we'd give them a pass, so why not do so for stubbornness, too?  Can I hear an "amen"?

Shadow is 13, so he's getting on up there in age, but he's still a very sweet and cute doxie.  He shows his love to all of his family, and he still plays, albeit not as much as when he was a puppy.  Guess what?  I don't play as much as I did as a child, either!
 

Duke, my precocious baby
All in all, having Duke in our family has been a big plus.  He's a great companion, he's comical and makes me laugh, and he's loyal.  He shows us love in so many ways:  doggie kisses, wanting to be close to us, following us around the house (especially if we have FOOD),  and ALWAYS does his business outside.  He is simply a lot of fun to be around.

 Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

DUKE, THE CUNNING DACHSHUND


My doxie Duke is one cunning dawg:

Granddawg Shadow is staying with us while his family is out of town, and he loves to lie beside his "Papa" Clark on the couch. Well, Duke will have none of it, so he grabs Shadow's squeak toy off the floor and squeaks it loudly (with a sly look at Shadow).

The theft of his favorite toy propels Shadow off the couch to retrieve it from Duke's grasp--all a part of Duke's scheme. Duke then triumphantly jumps up beside Clark and lies down, mission accomplished!  Duke has done this several times while Shadow has been with us--quite intelligent, but also quite bratty, isn't it?
 
 
 

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!
 

Monday, September 22, 2014

DACHSHUNDS FOREVER UPDATE


Photo: DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, Book 3 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series, will be released on Amazon Kindle on Tuesday, October 17!  

It may be pre-ordered as soon as it appears in the Kindle Store--the next couple of days. 

For information about Book 1, I AM SARGE, and Book 2, I AM DACHSHUND, visit www.mavisdukehinton.com.   

The release date of the paperback version will be announced soon :).  Stay tuned!  #dachshundsforever  #dachshundbook  #dogloversreadthis
 
I've finalized the cover (and those really are photos of granddawg Shadow and my doxie Duke!).
 
Here is the latest info:
 
DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, Book 3 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series, will be released on Amazon Kindle on Tuesday, October 17!

It may be pre-ordered as soon as it appears in the Kindle Store--the next couple of days.

For information about Book 1, I AM SARGE, and Book 2, I AM DACHSHUND, visit www.mavisdukehinton.com.

The release date of the paperback version will be announced soon. Stay tuned! 
 
 


Friday, September 19, 2014

DUKE, A.K.A. "THE PILLOW"



Dachshunds have to be near their humans.  Duke will NOT stay in a room by himself, in fact.  During the day, he finds a place to lie down in any room I happen to be in at the time.

The photo above shows our son-in-law Philip and his "pillow" Duke when they kept our dawg while we were on vacation last year (before my knee surgeries).  Duke feels just as at home at their house as he does at ours, and the picture proves it (if I needed any evidence, that is).

Here's Duke "resting" with my husband Clark:


Oh, Duke isn't the pillow this time, but rather, Clark is!  In true doxie tradition, Duke got as close to Clark as he could, surmising that lying on Clark's head was as good as it got.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

YA KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?

 

I had to laugh when I saw this cartoon because it refers to that GEICO commercial with the annoying camel running through an office asking everyone "YA KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS??"  We (and they) all wanted to clobber him!

Happy Hump Day, folks!  Should I duck??

                                                    

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

OH, ME ACHING EARS: A DACHSHUND'S LOUD BARK



Yes.  Doxies do bark VERY loudly.  In fact, Duke lies in wait on Sunday afternoons, and the moment he thinks I've drifted off to sleep for my Sunday afternoon nap, BOOM!  He'll bark madly, thus waking me and causing me to think murderous thoughts about him.

I don't know why dachshunds were endowed with such loud barking ability.  We recently took Duke and Shadow to the vet to get their toenails trimmed and have Duke's annual tests (remember, Shadow
 is staying with us until next week).  In the waiting room was a HUGE dog, all black, and the owner had difficulty restraining him with his leash.  Clark thinks the dog was a rottweiler, but I'm not sure.  I think he was a mix--part rottweiler and part monster!  I'm so glad she was able to keep him restrained, however, because his bark sounded pretty serious, and he did not look friendly. 

Being the feisty dachshunds that they are, both Duke and Shadow barked back at this dog who was probably five or six times their size, weighing about 100 pounds (Duke weighs 18 lb., and Shadow weighs about 12 lb.). 

And you know what?  They were just as loud and reverberating as the big dog.  The rottweiler/monster's owner looked a bit surprised when she heard the "two pipsqueaks" bark, too.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Shadow and Duke:  innocence personified!

Monday, September 15, 2014

TA DA: DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, BOOK 3, TO BE RELEASED SOON!




I'm excited to announce that the long-awaited Book 3, DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, will be released in a matter of weeks. 

The cover is still in the tweaking stage, but it does catch one's eye.

The featured doxies are my own granddawg Shadow (upon whom the doxie "author" Sarge is based), and my beloved doxie Duke.  Handsome, aren't they? 

The smaller photos on the cover represent an adventurous trip out West that these two precocious guys took in a motor home (with some of their humans, of course).  You'll love reading about what and whom they encountered along the way, written in Sarge's own entertaining doxie style.

Book 4, A DACHSHUND'S TRIBUTE, will follow closely behind this book's release.  Therefore, you might be able to get both on Amazon before Christmas! 

**Stay tuned for updates**

If you haven't yet read the first two books of the series, go ahead and get your copies now by clicking on the BOOKS link at the top of this blog--you'll then be ready for DACHSHUNDS FOREVER when it comes out.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

CLARK GABLE LOVED DOXIES!!




I've always liked Clark Gable--I mean, didn't Margaret Mitchell write GONE WITH THE WIND with him in mind for Rhett Butler??  Who else could have possibly played that part to such perfection?

I now find out that the man also loved dachshunds; not only was he a great actor, but HE. ALSO. LOVED. DACHSHUNDS.  Quite discerning and tasteful, wasn't he?



Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em . . . and so did Clark Gable. 

Thursday, September 11, 2014

TWO HANDSOME LADS



Two quite handsome lads, don't you agree?  My hubby Clark was attempting to take some GOOD photos of Shadow and Duke together, but it was difficult to make them stand (or sit) still.

Here are the guys in separate photos:

 
 
Shadow:  "Don't you have any kind of reward for me?"




Duke:  "OOOoooOOO, I see that cheese!!"
 
Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

TYPICAL DOXIE BEHAVIOR



This is a photo of our granddawg Shadow begging for food from my husband Clark.  They were on the couch, and Clark was eating a snack, and that's something doxies really love--human snacks.

Just look at that face and those eyes.  He really knows how to turn on the pitiful and soulful face, doesn't he?  I don't think Clark gave in to him, because he was eating something he didn't want to share:  an apple.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

GETTING ON THE SELFIE BANDWAGON



At our daughter Bethany's request, Clark and I took a selfie this evening.  We tried to get Duke to join us, but he was too busy barking at something outside.

Clark then attempted taking a photo of Duke, but the dawg just would not be still long enough.  Oh well.  We'll try again sometime.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

SAY CHEEEEEEEEESE!


If you haven't guessed already, the photo above is of my doxie granddawg, Shadow, who is 13. 
Daughter Holly snapped this unusual photo the other day, so I absolutely HAD to post it.  He COULD be smiling, grimacing, dreaming, growling--or all of the above!  I laugh every time I see it.  In fact, stare into his eyes for a bit--doing so can be pretty mesmerizing as well!


Aslan
As the patriarch of the animals in our family, Shadow is the oldest of two dogs (the other being our doxie Duke), along with six cats (both of our daughters now have three cats each).  He might be outnumbered, but he's no dummy:  he holds his title without any trouble at all.  In fact, Aslan the three-year-old flame point Siamese, gives him a cat bath every evening while they are relaxing on the couch, a type of homage to Shadow, I am certain.




Thor the mighty


Piper


Thor, the newest kitty in Shadow's family, is full of kitty energy and gives Aslan and Piper a rough time:  jumping on their heads and biting, chasing and terrorizing them, etc.  But he knows well enough to leave Shadow alone.  Such is royalty, and it is recognized in the pet realm as well.

Tate, Joey, and Winston have never had the pleasure of meeting Shadow, because they are the three cats who are owned by Kurt and Bethany, our daughter and son-in-law in Arizona.

Joey


Tate



Winston

 If you've read THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series, you'll remember that Sarge the dachshund writes about Tate and Joey in his encounter with them, dubbing them the Fuzz Brothers.

Dachshunds--you gotta love 'em!

Dachshund Books for Dog Lovers!

Dachshund Books for Dog Lovers!
Click on the BOOKS tab at the top of this blog

Write a Review!

Write a Review!
Visit www.amazon.com/author/mavisdukehinton