Monday, January 30, 2017

RIP, SHADOW: CROSSING THE RAINBOW BRIDGE 02/01/17

Shadow with my doxie Duke
Please pray for the Hinton family this week. Our daughter Holly and family are having to say good-bye to our granddawg Shadow this Wednesday, February 1, 2017--it has been a tough time since he has been deteriorating to the point, at age 16, that it's his time to cross the rainbow bridge. They don't want him to suffer anymore.

Many other doxie lovers already know that Shadow was my inspiration for Sarge the doxie of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES. He has been the older fur brother to our grandchildren, a buddy to our doxie Duke, and such a special little man! We will all miss him so much.











TRUE OR FALSE?

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This is absolutely true in our household! Duke turns sideways in our king bed and stretches out as far as he can, thus taking up most of the bed and leaving us hanging on each side!!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

DACHSHUND TATOOS, ANYONE?

For those inclined to get tatoos, take a gander at these colorful and creative doxie tatoos! Which is your favorite?

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"Flower Power" doxie

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Looks like a paddleboat honey from the Old West days

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Just truckin' along doxie

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Tribute to a beloved pet

Whimsical doxie--cute!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Monday, January 23, 2017

SHADOW'S 16th BIRTHDAY!

Yesterday, January 22, our granddawg Shadow was 16 years old! He's experienced a lot in his long life: he's "big brother" to our three grandchildren, who've never known life without him; he's made several moves to different states with his family (Massachusetts, North Carolina, Tennessee, and now Georgia); he's suffered through the indignities of living with no less than THREE cats now, plus the boxer Bruno. But he's still in charge, you know!





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Since he's now 16, he can drive!

As you probably know, Shadow was my inspiration for Sarge the doxie of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES. Most of the things he "writes" about in these books really happened to him or my family.

Hope we have him for awhile yet. 

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

I AM DACHSHUND: KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL



DOG LOVERS, L👁👁K!

Want more laughs after reading I AM SARGE?


KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL featuring I AM DACHSHUND, Book 2 of THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00UNQSSDM (ebook)

WHEN:
1- Saturday, 01/21/17 - 99 cents - 67% discount (8:00 a.m. PST)

2 - Sunday, 01/22/17 - $1.99 - 34% discount (3:00 a.m. - 11 p.m. PST)

3 - Monday, 01/23/17 - Returns to regular $2.99 price
(NOTE: If you haven't yet read I AM SARGE, it is still only 99 cents as well:

Taking up where I AM SARGE left off, Chapter 1 completes the closing chapter of I AM SARGE, "A Joyful Christmas in Sanford."

Among his other comical experiences, Sarge learns about conniving cats after a week-long visit with relatives who own Tate and Joey, a.k.a. "The Fuzz Brothers." During his visit, (which Sarge calls a feline boot camp), who comes out ahead--Sarge or the cats?


Sarge: "My take on life is this: stand up for yourself, be courageous and loyal to those you love, and NEVER pass up a chance to consume good human food. I want the world to know that I AM DACHSHUND--the guardian, the sentinel, the keeper of everything my family holds dear!" 

#CR4U

Five star review on Amazon:
"Amazing, heartwarming and easy to read! I love, love, love this author--Mavis is a wonderful story teller!! I was so excited to see more books written by her after reading the first 2--you can't go wrong by choosing her stories!"

Free Kindle reading apps for your tablet, computer, or smartphone:

P.S. That's Shadow my granddawg on the cover, my inspiration for Sarge. The cats actuall
y are Tate and Joey, owned by one of our daughters. The other dog is our doxie Duke, introduced in this book.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

I LOVE SNOW!!

Do you love snow as much as I do? I no longer go out and play in it like I did when I was young, but I love to sit by the window and just watch it coming down--like in a lodge in the mountains, with a roaring fire in the fireplace and lots of hot chocolate.

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Grizzly bear in Alaska
Living in North Georgia, we don't get much snow at all. The recent huge snowstorm that blanketed the South rendered us with about five flakes, so I was disappointed again.

I have lived in colder climes, notably central Alaska, when I was in high school. Forty and fifty below zero temps were common, and needless to say, we had plenty of snow. It didn't melt at all until
spring, known as "the breakup," when ice on ponds and rivers began melting. My dad was in the military and we lived on a military post, and ice on lakes was so thick that soldiers drove heavy equipment across those lakes with nary a mishap. I will submit, however, that roads were much better in winter there than summer, because the thick ice covering the roads also covered huge potholes and cracks that were caused by freezing temps.


Mt. Hayes, near where I lived in Alaska
Now that I'm older, I don't think I could handle the winters in Alaska due to stiff joints and weaker muscles. It took courage to walk to school in frigid temperatures and strong winds. It seemed like the wind blew all the time, thus increasing the wind chill factor a great deal. My school was only a two-block walk, but when it's 50 below with the wind blowing, that's a tough trek--I learned to lean into the wind to keep from being blown over, literally! Plus, in winter, there's only a few hours of daylight, so I went to school and returned home in darkness.


Image result for snow scene imagesThe cold was a dry cold with very low humidity, so twenty below zero didn't feel any colder than +20 does here. I couldn't even form a snowball because the snow was so cold it wouldn't stick together. But it was more deadly, meaning frostbite was a real concern. I never got full-blown frostbite, but sometimes after being outside too long, my toes would be numb, and it was excruciatingly painful when they began thawing out. We covered our faces with winter scarves, but our breath froze on the outside of them, so fashion statements were out of the question! And the first thing we females did when we arrived at wherever we were going was head straight to the ladies' room and try to salvage what was left our our hairdos, since we HAD to wear hoods, hats, or at least earmuffs in winter.

There's nothing quite as beautiful as a heavy snowfall with large, fluffy flakes. The world seems to stop and become quiet then, too. And even mundane scenes take on quite a picturesque appearance when covered in snow. In any case, I do love where we live now (Atlanta area), but my heart longs for the beauty and serenity of snow.

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Buffalo herd in Alaska: one morning I had
to walk past a herd on the way to school!

Mid-day in December
 

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

I AM SARGE ONLY 99 CENTS

HEY DOG LOVERS:

Do you enjoy reading humorous fiction with a twist? Sarge the doxie's books, THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series (in ebook and paperback), are all available on Amazon--check out I AM SARGE, Book 1, currently only 99 cents in ebook:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UNQSSDM

This book begins with Sarge's adoption at eight weeks old into a loving family, and he relates what he learns about his humans--and he thinks they're weird!

His tales are funny, uplifting, taken from real life, and his doggie philosophy "lowdown from the ground" are enjoyed by dog-loving humans of all ages. 

#CR4U

Five star review on Amazon:
"As a dachshund parent, I was totally smitten with this book. I couldn't wait to see and compare the antics of Sarge with that of my own little clown dogs. A light-hearted story full of comical situations. I loved this book."


Free Kindle reading apps for your tablet, computer, or smartphone:
www.amazon.com/kindleapp

Friday, January 13, 2017

DOUBLE TROUBLE!

Ahhhh . . . here we have doxies in pairs. Which is your favorite, and why? Write your comments below!


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"We're cute, and we know it!"

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"Are you going to give us a bite of your food?"

"We're all brushed out and ready to go!"

"Do we hear a cheese wrapper opening somewhere??"

"We want our mama!"

"Dontcha love our hot dog costumes?"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!


Wednesday, January 11, 2017

TO A DOXIE, THE WORD "NO" MEANS NOTHING!

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Ah, yes . . . that pesky word to both children and doxies. We all know that dachshunds are the most stubborn breed of dogs, but that trait has stood them in good stead for what they were bred for: going down into badger holes and killing them! Badgers are tough and vicious, so doxies have had to be a tad tougher and more vicious. That's why doxies are so stubborn and tenacious. Have you ever tried to play tug-of-war with your doxie? MmmmHmmm--they might be small, but boy, are they strong!

Image result for NoAnd that brings us to the word NO: make no mistake, these fur balls know exactly what it means--they just choose to ignore it. Case in point: our doxie Duke likes to lie on our couch and relax. One day he wanted one of us to play with him, but we were both busy doing other things. He kept whining and following one of us around, so my hubby finally told him to get on the couch. Duke stood there looking at Clark for a moment, looked at the couch, and then promptly crossed to the other side of our living room and jumped up in the blue armchair! He knew what COUCH meant, he knew what GET ON THE COUCH MEANT--he just chose to be disobedient. Oh, he did get in the chair, at least! See, our doxies are way too intelligent, and they know exactly what NO means.

If Duke is barking at a speck of dust floating around, I tell him no. Does he stop? Heavens, no! Barking at nothing (at least, in a doxie's mind) is far more important than anything a human family member says. In his mind, he's warning us of danger (a good trait), but a speck of dust?? I may have fears, but a speck of dust isn't one of them.

I've seen several doxie memes lately that have cropped up to address this very doxie tendency. Here you go:

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So, you see? You are not alone in being ignored by your boss . . . er, doxie. They know what NO means, they simply have more important things to keep doing rather than do what we tell them. But we love all their other wonderful traits enough to offset their stubborn streak: loyalty, fun, loving, cute, sweet, warm, and NOSY.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, stubbornness and all.

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Monday, January 9, 2017

CUTIE PATOOTIES!

Happy Monday, doxie lovers!  I thought you'd enjoy some of my latest pics I've garnered from the net. It seems that doxie lovers/owners are going for dressing their doxies more and more. These are certainly cute!

Do you put outfits on your dachshund(s)?  Unfortunately, our doxie Duke is not fond of wearing ANYTHING except his collar. 

Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the doxies below:

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"We're cute, and we know it!"


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"I'm all set for the dinner party"


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"Nothing like lounging around on a cold day"

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"I know I look dumb . . . but it's warm!"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, outfits and all!

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