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We adopted Hank from Riverside Dachshund Rescue in 2003, when he was about 18 months old. He'd been a gift to someone who bred dobermans, and she didn't have any idea what to do with this spoiled, bratty little beast who tore up all his beds and was a general nuisance. Fortunately, we did!
Even though Hank has been with us the longest, he's the baby of the house and manages to get his way almost 100% of the time. He's still a brat, but he's also the delight of our lives, somehow managing to be silly and serious, fiesty and lazy, filled with energy and terminally bored. He could care less about visiting people or doxies; all he wants to do is lie in the sun and have his belly rubbed.
Every once in a while, he'll deign to get up from his bed and accept a treat or a pet from a visitor, but mostly he just sulks, waiting for everyone to leave so he can have his mommy all to himself again. He loves his daddy, too, and jumps up in the air whenever he's around. |
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Olive came to us in 2004, when she was seven years old, an owner-surrender from a family who fed her nothing but table scraps and people food. As a result, she was so fat that her belly dragged on the ground when she walked. After a few months of quality dog food, she slimmed down to her svelte self and she's been trim and lean ever since.
Olive is a Daddy's Girl through and through, but she likes her mommy too -- especially at dinnertime! A very talented girl, Olive can sit pretty and sing. She and Hank hold choir practice in the afternoons.
Olive is our pack queen, protecting her family from marauding strangers with her mighty bark. She sits on all the new dogs and has no qualms about cuddling up in any available lap. Although Olive is a daddy's girl, totally devoted to him, she graciously allows her mommy to love her too.
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When Molly came to foster with us in 2005, we never thought she'd be with us four years later. But no matter where we posted her adoption information, no one wanted her. It was a mystery -- she's a tomboy huntress in the body of cute little fluffy white dog. Who wouldn't like that?
After a couple of years passed, we accepted that Molly was a permanent resident. She's worked her way into her daddy's heart, and he couldn't bear to part with her.
A dachshund-poodle-spitz mix, Molly is frisky to the point of madness. In fact, our vet said she's schizoid! She bounces around the house with her fluffy tail wagging, eager to find someone to play with, even if it's an imaginary friend or the invisible flies the circle her head until she bites them. Doesn't she sound like fun? It's a good thing she's her daddy's heart dog. Molly's daddy swears she's an excellent mouser, although there's no proof she's ever caught a mouse. She did try to take out a cow once...
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The last thing in the world we needed was a fourth dog, but sometimes the best dogs find you, and the timing isn't always convenient. When I drove up to the Bay Area to fetch Miller for rescue, I had no idea he'd quickly become a permanent resident. An extremely handsome fellow, Miller has potent dachshund mind powers, as evidenced by his ability to procure treats and belly rubs as the other dogs look on in jealousy.
Miller was taken to the shelter when his person passed away, which was incredibly traumatic for him. At first Miller was very shy and tried to bite me whenever I went to touch him. Two weeks later, he was utterly in love with me -- and I with him! Now he follows me around all day, gazing at me with big, moist, happy eyes.
A quiet and gentle doxie, Miller is about 10 years old ... and such a gentleman! His manners are impeccable, and his chivalry unparalleled. If he could write, he'd send handwritten thank-you notes in boilerplate script. In a perfect world, he'd be the only companion of a retired British butler. However, he seems to find life at Wiener Wonderland to be just fine.
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Redgie was our first foster dog. His former owners took him to the vet to be euthanized because his back went out, but when the vet saw how healthy he was for an 11-year-old dog, he refused to put him down and talked the people into surrendering him to Dachshund Rescue & Placement. When he came into rescue in March 2004, he couldn't walk, but he was up and running around in just a few weeks.
We are so glad fate brought Redgie to us! A snorty little pig with tons of personality, Redgie is everything a senior dachshund should be: cantakerous, opinionated, affectionate and totally devoted to his human slaves.
So far, he has survived damaged discs in his back and neck, periodontal disease, arthritis, seizures, heart failure, hypothyroidism and a very dangerous form of stomach cancer. He's cost a fortune and been a royal pain, but we wouldn't trade a moment of our time with him. He's retired from his job as alpha dog, and spends most of his time napping in the sun.
We are sad to report that on July 2, 2008, our Redgie passed on to the great dachshund playground in the sky. He is sorely missed.
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Roxie was my very first dog. I had spent 33 years as a cat person, thinking that dogs were gross. When I got married and my husband and I moved to a house, I decided that since he was a dog person, he should have a dog. We went to the shelter and adopted Roxie, a one-eyed, eight-year-old shepherd-beagle mix. My plan was to have her sleep in the garage at night. Within a week, she was sleeping in the bed with us. I'm a big sucker.
Roxie was the best dog ever. She was mellow, sweet and friendly, happy to meet new people and dogs. I had her certified as an Animal Assisted Therapy dog, and we'd visit senior citizens in convalescent homes. Roxie was so good at this work -- she'd sit next to an elderly person and allow them to do whatever they wanted, which was usually petting her head and ears. Roxie was also a good education tool for rescue. People often praised us for taking in a one-eyed dog, but we'd laugh and say we were the lucky ones. When children wanted to know about her missing eye, we'd teach them that disabilities don't have to be disabiling.
Unfortunately, Roxie developed doggie dementia when she was about 11 years old. We made sure she was happy for the last year of her life, and when she told us she was done, we let her go, peacefully and surrounded with love.. |
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