THREE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY

Tomorrow makes three months since our doxie Duke died (RIP 07/28/17). His loss was excruciatingly painful at first, but he was suffering so much and there was no hope of recovery, so we had to let him go. We’re now able to remember him with joy, so thankful that we had him with us for ten beautiful years. We’ll always miss him because we still love him—and he so enriched our lives for ten beautiful years.

He was beautiful inside and out, and loved our family unconditionally. Coping with his loss was the hardest thing I've ever done, because it happened so quickly and unexpectedly.  Below are some photos of him from the day we took him home until he left us.

DUKE'S GRAVESTONE ARRIVED, AND IRMA IS ON HER WAY

Duke's gravestone arrived on Friday. Isn't it beautiful? Our daughter and son-in-law, Kurt and Bethany, provided that for us. We'll place it on his grave after Irma has departed.

Speaking of Hurricane Irma, she is expected to visit North Georgia later this afternoon. Winds and rain have already heralded her impending arrival, and they are both picking up as I type. We do expect power outages here, and we've been told it will be for several days.

Clark and I are as ready as we can be: we have assembled flashlights, candles, lighter, paper plates, plenty of food, water, and other necessities. We have even packed "getaway bags" just in case we must evacuate. Our church is opening its doors to evacuees, and it's only a half mile from our house. We are thankful that it won't be nearly as bad here as it has been farther south. Pray for those where Irma has wreaked havoc.

Power may go out later today and stay out for a number of days, so I'll resume blogging afterward. Stay safe wherever you are, pray for those who have lost everything, and keep looking up. God is in control. Is mankind listening?

Granddaughter and granddawg!

DUKE IS FREE!

We took Duke back to UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Athens last week, and the vets said he is progressing nicely! He's off of crate rest, and boy, is he a happy dog! They expect him to make a full recovery, and it normally takes up to six months for a dog to recover fully after such back surgery.

Well, he doesn't know that, and still tries to jump up and down, so we have to watch him carefully--it's like having a baby in the house. He has a hard time holding himself up on our hardwood floors, kinda like Bambi on the ice-covered pond. But he's getting there, seems to feel good, and for that, we are very thankful.

Here are some photos:

These were taken while we were at the hospital, and as you can see, Duke isn't thrilled. It's like he's saying, "No! Don't leave me in this place again! I wanna go home!" He behaved well, however, and we were soon on our way.

My hubby Clark built a ramp on our deck so Duke would have an easier time going outside. The ramp has other good uses as well: for decrepit ol' me, who has trouble with stairs, and also when Clark wants to bring the BBQ grill up on the deck. Here are photos of Clark's masterpiece:

So, there you have it. Duke is well on his way to recovery (and we must watch him at all times), but we wouldn't have it any other way.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

"LEMME OUTA HERE!"

"Lemme outa here!"

Duke is feeling better, but can't walk yet, of course. We got a small playpen to keep him in (Graco "Pack and Play") per the UGA vet's orders. We take him out to do his business (but we carry him outside and set him down carefully, then pick him up and carry him back inside). He has maybe 25% function in his back legs now, and he does stand some.

We are to move his back legs, stretching them to engage the hips and then push them back slowly, to keep his joints flexible. Today is terrible weather in Georgia (hail, thunderstorms, heavy rain, tornado watches, etc.), so it's not a good day to help him walk a few feet with a sling on his back. Oh, we could do it inside, but he just isn't cooperating with that just yet.

He is eating and drinking, and doesn't seem to hurt, even with pressure on his incision--he doesn't mind lying on his side at all. Those staples, and I can attest to after two knee replacements, aren't all that comfy!

I have to admit that I am afraid for his back in the future. I'll never be comfortable that it won't happen to him again, and I will be a helicopter doxie parent from now on. I pray he'll recover enough to be happy, healthy, and mobile, but we were cautioned that he might not be 100%. That's something we can live with, and we'll do our part to help him achieve his maximum. 

He's not a puppy anymore, but he sometimes forgot that himself. He's a playful, happy, and sweet doxie--I want him to be so again.

Dachshunds . . . you can't help but love them.

MY DOXIE DUKE RULES THE ROOST--DOES YOURS?

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!

MY DOXIE DUKE: VIDEO

Does your doxie enjoy "killing" squeak toys, too? In this video of Duke, he's enjoying trying to "kill" his toy, and that's so doxie! He also likes to growl like a big bad dawg, too--but he's really a softie at heart.

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em--killer instinct and all!

AIN'T IT THE TRUTH . . .

Oh, we can say NO all we want, but they'll pretty much do what they please, right?  

For example, I'll tell Duke to jump up on the couch and lie down if we are going out for a while.  What does he do?  He goes all the way across the room and jumps up in one of the armchairs--or better yet, goes into the guest room and jumps up on that bed.  It's called "selective obedience," and dachshunds have it--in spades!

Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em!

Duke the Innocent

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.



DUKE THE DOXIE SPEAKS

Hello doxie lovers,

This is Duke, Mavis Duke Hinton's dachshund. 

If you have read I AM DACHSHUND, I am introduced in that book, the second one of THE

DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series.

I am writing on her behalf to let you know that she is still recuperating from her second knee replacement surgery--but she asked me to tell you that she'll be back soon, blogging away!

From my observation (and doxies are master observers, you know), she is getting along so much better than she did with her first knee surgery.  Why, she was able to do things for herself when she first came home, unlike the first time, when my human daddy Clark had to help her up from her recliner, etc.  And this time, her leg is hardly swollen at all!  Oh, if I forget and jump up on her lap on the right side, she lets me know right away to move away from her sore leg.  But I caught on pretty fast and don't do that anymore.

I like to stay close by her, though.  I want to do everything I can to help her get well so she will feel like playing with me again!  Daddy does sometimes, but all humans know that there's just nobody like mama, be they human or canine.

She got her 51 staples out on Monday, and I heard her tell Daddy that they did hurt somewhat, but she was glad to have them gone because they pulled sometimes.

She asked me to tell everyone that she'll be back soon, and to please check this blog for updates.  Don't forget to stop by now and then!

Until then, just remember that she is making good progress and is able to walk very well, but not very far yet, because she gets too tired.  She has already started outpatient therapy three days a week, and that will help her build up her stamina.

Thanks for reading this from me, and she'll be back soon!

Duke