Tuesday, February 28, 2017

TODAY'S FEATURE: BLACK-AND-TAN DACHSHUNDS!

I have to admit that I'm kinda partial to the black and tans, simply because my late granddawg Shadow as well as my doxie Duke are/were black and tans. However, I also happen to think that ALL doxies are beautiful, and they all have the same facial expressions, don't you agree?

Here are some beautiful doxies for your viewing pleasure:


Image may contain: dog
"I don't believe that you are eating and not sharing with ME!"

Image may contain: dog
"I love you, Mama, and here's a rose for you"

Image may contain: dog
"I heard a cheese wrapper . . ."

Image may contain: dog
"I wonder when my humans will be home. I miss them."

Image may contain: dog
"Double trouble" - twins!

Image may contain: dog
My late granddawg Shadow and my Duke

Image may contain: dog and indoor
"But I thought this WAS my bed!!"

Image may contain: dog
"Ahhhhhh . . . I love sunshine"

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

DOES YOUR DOXIE RUN YOUR HOUSE?


Image may contain: dog
Help! The couch has been overtaken by the Hot Dog Gang!

Does your pet take over the house, the bed, the couch--everything?? I love our Duke, but he kinda does "rule the roost." It's my own fault, really, because my hubby works several days a week subbing in our county schools (when he wants to), and that leaves lil' ol' Duke and me here by ourselves.

I do spoil Duke--when I eat my lunch, I always save a few crumbs for him, like sliced turkey and Swiss cheese, carrots, broccoli, etc. He thinks those are manna from heaven! If I decide to work around the house, he finds a soft surface in whatever room I'm in and makes himself comfy. If I think I need an afternoon nap, he crawls up on my lap and looks at me imploringly for a blanket. So we nap together in my recliner. 

He is the perfect companion when Clark is away. BUT when Clark gets home, it's time to play fetch, tug-of-war, what have you, with Daddy. 

Image may contain: 1 person, dog

Duke loves me, too, but he wants different things from me than he does from Clark. I'm his safety zone: if someone is trying to "get" him (playfully, of course), he hides under my feet or in my lap! He expects me to go in the kitchen and cook at appropriate times, and reminds me in no uncertain terms. If he doesn't feel well, he wants his mama.

Daddy is for taking him for walks and for playing. The grandchildren are his siblings, in Duke's mind, and he expects them to get down on the floor and roll around with him while he's trying to lick them in the face or playfully nip their noses. He is, after all, a family member, with all the rights and privileges afforded to the rest of the family. None of us would have it any other way!

Image may contain: 5 people, people smiling, people standing and indoor
L to R: Alexa (11), moi, Annika (12), Clark, and Asher (7) in front

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

Image may contain: 1 person, dog and outdoor
Duke with his human sister Holly. He loves her to pieces!

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

DACHSHUNDS EXCEL IN THIS

Image may contain: text


Image may contain: dog and indoor
"What?? What do you want? We're resting."


Image may contain: dog
Total abandon--ouch, me achin' neck!

Image may contain: dog
Sweet dreams!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em, even when they're "resting."

Thursday, February 16, 2017

IN MEMORIUM: 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

VINTAGE VALENTINE CARDS FEATURING DOXIES


Image result for dachshund valentine cards


Image result for dachshund valentine cards



















What do you
think of these
doxie valentines?

Seems that the
dachshund
has been
featured often on
Valentine's Day!

Can't think of
a better
subject.








DACHSHUNDS . . . YOU GOTTA LOVE 'EM!

Thursday, February 9, 2017

MY DOXIE DUKE RULES THE ROOST--DOES YOURS?

Image may contain: dog and indoor

The photo above is of my doxie Duke looking pensively out the window. Is he watching for squirrels? The mailman? A cat sauntering across the yard?

None of the above. "Daddy," aka my husband Clark, had gone to run some errands, so Duke was standing vigil, waiting for him to return. Duke did play awhile, drink some water, etc., but he'd had enough and thought Daddy had been away long enough!

Below, Duke is sitting on Clark's legs watching me go into the kitchen (or, the "K" room we call it, since he knows what the word "kitchen" is). He usually begins pestering me around 5:00 p.m., because in his mind, it's time for me to prepare dinner. He starts by staring at me; if that doesn't work, he'll get on my lap as close to my face as possible, and whine. If I ignore him (and believe me, that's difficult to do!), he'll bark at Clark to tell me to get in the kitchen! Once I get up and head in there, he's fine, waiting patiently for me to cook. Oh, we don't give him much of our food, but I do let him lick out my plate if there's nothing spicy or verboten for doggies. 


Does your dachshund do such things?

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
Image may contain: 2 people, dog
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

For my doxie-loving friends:
FREE EBOOK PROMO!

**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:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00NU5VQOQ

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



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