Greetings from Geneva

Thanks to our pretty pal 'Geneva' for writing in:

Dear Joey,

I wept tears of sympathy as I read your tale of the endless wait for dinner. I endure the same torture every single day and it is almost more than I can bear.
Here I am, recuperating after a delicious chicken breakfast. I have two luxurious beds, but sometimes I would rather sleep between them than on them.
I am now going on 17, so I pretty much do whatever I want and Mom doesn't argue with me.
I wish you and Rowdy a wonderful Christmas, filled with love - and food, of course.

Those Special Dachshunds: Meet Lunar!

Rub My Belly

Thanks so much to Emily for writing in with some great photos and a nice little, albeit scary, story of her beloved pretty little 'Lunar.'  She pens:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I would like to tell you about our mini dachshund Lunar! She is a smooth black and tan with serious attitude. If the postman comes, or we have takeaway food, or someone dares to walk past our gate, she skids around on the wooden flooring dashing to the door to see if they're coming to see her. She then saunters back, wiggling her behind like a scorned dog. She has so many hilarious and adorable little traits, probably far too many to put here. And we wouldn't change any of them, but last January we almost thought we were going to lose her...

Tidying away all the Christmas decorations into the garage, Lunar was zooming round our feet, excitedly wagging her tail and following us into the garage. She scampered into a corner and we caught her chewing something but by the time we got to her she swallowed the item whole and looked very sheepish. We assumed it was just a house spider and thought nothing of it.

A week or two later she was looking forlorn and couldn't keep food down and wouldn't go outside to the toilet, quietly whimpering in her bed. She didn't improve over the next day so we took her to the vets and they said she had an intestinal obstruction and they needed to operate immediately, we said a swift farewell and she went to sleep. It was a very tense wait and she was kept in overnight for observation as there was a high chance of infections occurring. Fortunately she recovered without an infection and grew to eat again (with a little help from some chicken) and was her crazy self again!

 

It turned out she'd eaten a little catnip mouse that had fallen from a shelf in the garage. We were extremely shocked and are now mindful of ANYTHING laying on the floor she may fancy eating.

 

 

She is now a happy, healthy 1 year old dachshund loving life and currently has a hobby of chasing frogs round our garden.

 

I love telling her about all the articles on your blog, she always listens intently, wide-eyed and one dot eyebrow raised. We call her eyebrows dit-dots!

 

Thank you for your blog and please keep posting, we love it!

 

 

-Emily & Lunar xxx

Dachshunds Gear Up For Some Football

Meet pretty Ms. Ruby!  This gal is 16 and a half years old and no doubt curled up in her Dad's lap right now cheering on her favorite team.  Who Dat Geaux Saints! 

Thanks to Ruby's Dad for sending in the pic.


Related:  Go Brees!

Dachshund Love Stories: Remembering Cinnamon

It was Valentine’s Day, but my Dad Bruce still ‘feels’

my wet nose & whiskers whenever he looks at me

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

We discovered your tremendously informative and entertaining blog after the loss of our beloved Cinnamon Precious Costa on June 4, 2012.  Immersing our combined selves . . . Cinnamon’s family of humans . . . in everything Dachshund came about as a coping mechanism but was really more like wandering around in shock after a traumatic event.  Except the sadness and sense of loss never ends.  What is it about you Dachshunds, your never ending wellspring of unqualified love, devotion, sensitivity and humor, that makes your passing impossible to deal with? 

We recently read the ‘Anxiety Revisited’ piece on your blog and wanted to send our condolences on the loss of your cherished goddess Maggie last year, as it reminded us of why we love and will forever appreciate our Cinnamon so much.  As you can see from the pictures below, Cinnamon was a beautiful forever young red smooth mini.  She triumphed over two back surgeries and lived a tremendously full and happy life.  Ultimately the horrible scourge that is cancer took our Cinnamon, in spite of chemo and radiation and the tremendous care of the gifted and dedicated doctors who treated her.  July 4th 2012 was the first holiday spent without our Cinnie since New Year’s Day 1999, and the memories described of Maggie’s fear of fireworks, and thunderstorms, and Dad’s efforts to comfort his precious little girl, brought tears to our eyes.  How is it possible to ‘spoon’ with a 15 inch long mini Dachshund?  I don’t know but I miss it more than words can ever convey. 

Bless you for continuing Maggie’s good work.  You are both extraordinarily handsome, and excellent writers,  as well.

Sincerely,
Cinnamon's Humans: Mommy Melanie, Mommy Georgette, Bruce, and Chuck

On the lawn Fall 2011 . . . what a beauty!

 

Cinnie won Miss Congeniality in 2010 Halloween contest!

My Favorite Dachshund: Remembering Oscar

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

In August 2008 I adopted a dog that would change my life when it came to thinking about courage ,love and loyalty. That dog was my beloved Oscar. I got Oskie at the humane society. I was looking at a pug I heard about as I had Joey, a pug, and Maggie, a mix of beagle and BT. But the pug wouldn't fit in the clan. Leaving, I saw a red doxie - he was barking "Hey whatabout me, me , me !!!" The lady caring for the dogs said "He is blind and he is available now!" I am sure you know that pull when you see the right dog. I had never had a Dachshund before. It was love at first sight, no pun intended! I brought Mags and Joey to meet him that afternoon and everybody got along.

Oscar was a double dapple. I was later to find out, as no one kept him long enough to get a history or give a history, he had multiple medical problems: blindness due to progressive retinal disease, and he probably went blind while living on the streets!

Oscar had a wonderful personality. He would smile and play jokes on me making me think he had to go out just to get a biscuit. His spirit was bright and strong. Every morning I would take him out of his crate next to my bed and tell him I loved him. He never once appeared to say, "I am depressed I can't get out of bed today!" He loved his walks and walked proudly as only a low rider doxie can do!

Oscar had colitis resulting from severe malabsorption problems which also caused vitamin deficiencies causing baldness and skin infections. We got through one problem at a time.

In March of this year Oscar was taken by the angels and I miss him so. He showed me love, courage and a loyalty I have never seen again and will always treasure.

I love you Oskie!

Elissa Hughes

Those Special Dachshund Noses

Thanks so much to AJ Swenson for sending in this funny shot of her little girl.  She writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I absolutely love your blog! I found it today and can't get enough :) My parents got a mini Dachshund 5 years ago (when I was finishing up high school) and have never looked back. She is a mischievous little girl, often playing tricks on us and smiling when she is happy. I can't wait to get a Dachshund of my own someday! Thank you for your awesome blog!

Those Special Dachshunds: Happy Birthday Fairfax!

Wooo Dachshund!  Fairfax is stunning.  Thanks to her Auntie for writing in on the occasion of the pretty little girl's 7th birthday!  She writes:

Dear Joey and  Rowdy,

I am a huge fan of your website, and wanted to submit some of my favorite moments of my sister’s dachshund, Fairfax.  It’s her 7th birthday today, and she still acts like a baby! We love her to death and spoil her rotten.  Maybe that’s why she insists on having to share everything with my sister’s little baby!

Happy Birthday and sleep tight little one.

Dachshund Love: Rosie and Jimmy Dean

Thanks so much to Lauren Miller for writing in with a beautiful photo of the new addition to her pack!  She pens:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Hi guys!  I've written in before about my son Jimmy Dean, on the right, and recently we've added to the family!! Jimmy wasn't too fond of the idea at first, but 3 weeks later you would never know! Rosie, left, is 13-weeks-old and loves her new brother! She's going to out grow him in no time! And they sure love to snuggle.

Related:  Leaping Into Your Friday With Some Ooey Gooey Dachshund Puppy Goodness:  Meet JIMMY DEAN!

Those Very Special Dachshunds: Vasco da Gama

How Handsome

Thanks so much to James Hall for writing in about his beautiful and beloved red smooth boy 'Vasco da Gama.'  We know that every single day with him is a blessing.  James writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I love your blog!

Back in 2006, a friend whose husband worked at the Providence, RI animal control office told me that they had "that dog you've been looking for" was at the pound. I knew the chances were slim, since I was looking for a standard short-haired red dachshund, This was the kind of dog I had always wanted since I was a kid.

Oddly enough, when I arrived, there were 30 pit bulls, 2 or 3 chihuahua mixes, and the gorgeous guy that we would name Vasco da Gama. he was living in the Director's office. The vet thought he was probably 2 or 3 years old. I cannot quite imagine how anyone would have abandoned this amazing dog. He came to us neutered, house trained, and willing to walk very nicely on a leash. After a few months, my partner was able to convince him that he had nothing to fear from other dogs, and he has learned not to be aggressive in the park.

One month ago, we discovered that Vasco has an inoperable and aggressive tumor on his prostate. We are spoiling him and saying a gradual good bye. Needless to say we are heartbroken, and feel our nearly six years with him was too short. I know this community of dachshund lovers will appreciate our experience, and these photo of our proud guy keeping watch over Casco Bay in Maine a few summers ago, and posing on a dachshund-sized chair in our living room in a photo by the very talented Brian Jones.

Hug your Dachshund today!

Those Special Dachshund Mixes: Meet Giles!

And what a BIG beautiful boy he is!  Wow!  Thanks so much to Dan Marshall for writing in about the big love of his life:  a Dachshund/Great Dane mix - yes, let's repeat that - a Dachshund/Great Dane mix who goes by the name of Giles!  He writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I was bored and doing some google searching, seeing if I could find other dogs like mine. I have a 1.5 year old dachshund (father) / great dane (mother) mix that looks almost identical to Garnet, the dog you posted about here:  When A Dachshund Met A Dane....

I was wondering if you had any information about whether or not Garnet got adopted? I'd be curious to share info with her new parents!

Here are some pics of my guy, just so you can see how adorable he is ;) He's super friendly with people and other dogs!

His name is Rupert Giles (goes by Giles).

Unfortunately we have no idea if Garnet was adopted.  But we tend to think that a beautiful girl like her was snapped up pretty quickly!

Giles!

Those Special Dachshunds: With Love From Charlotte

Thanks so much to Jenna Durrance for writing in with such beautiful photos of her beautiful dappled black and tan smooth 'Charlotte.'  What a sweet gal.  Jenna writes:

Dear Joey & Rowdy,

Charlotte is an eight year old dappled mini-Dachshund.  She leads a very hard life of napping in her fluffy pink chair, snoozing on the couch, and laying under the lamp to "sun".   Life hasn't always been so easy for this hot dog.  In her puppy days, she survived a broken arm and just last year she went through neck surgery.  We are happy to report that she bounced back and is as good as new today!!! :) She loves running laps around the house, sitting up tall for treats, and snuggling on the couch.  As with all Dachshunds, she comes with a personality all her own and we are so happy to share our days with such a loving, carefree, loyal companion! :)

Meet Harry Potter: The Boy That Lived

Thanks so much to Amy Ryan for writing in with the wonderful tale of a little wire-haired Dachshund puppy who met life with many struggles, but is doing great now thanks to the love that he found.  Meet Harry Potter:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I stumbled across your blog while trying to decide if our rescue puppy is a wire-hair and thought you should hear his story..

A good friend was adopting a Pomeranian from our local animal shelter in October, when they let a pregnant rat terrier into the shelter play yard.  I was enchanted by this sweet dog, she seemed like a happy dog.  We usually have 2 or 3 dogs, but are down to one terrier, Maggie, due to our other dogs passing from old age.

I asked the deputy at the shelter about adopting her, and was told that she was going to be euthanized that week, after her stray hold was lifted.  It is a state-run shelter and they cannot adopt out any dogs that are not spayed.  Due to her pregnancy, she could not be spayed, and she wasn't due for three more weeks.  They did not have the room to keep her that long.

I was horrified, and asked the deputy if any rescues could help.  During the week, the deputy, Heather, found a rescue that would allow us to foster her and the pups, we could keep the mom, and relinquish the pups to the rescue when they were 8 weeks old, so we took her home and named her Sadie.

5 days later, she gave birth to 2 puppies in my 13-year old son's bed while he slept.  he awoke to his alarm for school, to find two cleaned newborn puppies under his blankets by his feet.  Guess she was due a little sooner that the shelter thought.  I called the rescue to inform them that the pups had been born. 

The rescue called me back a few hours later, to let me know they had a litter of 3 dachshund pups that were orphaned by their mother 5 days prior.  They wanted to know if they could bring them over to see if Sadie would take them as her own.  Of course, we said yes, and they brought the 3 very weak orphans to our home.

One died at my home that evening, and one died the next day.  The bottle feeding had not left them strong enough to make it, but one little guy was strong enough to nurse on his own, and Sadie took him with no problem.

Cut to 5 weeks later.  We could definitely tell Sadie's bio-pups were pomeranians, and the orphan was growing longer, not taller.  We decided to name him Harry Potter, because he was an orphan, and he is the "boy that lived", as in the books.

We have now fallen madly and deeply in love with this puppy.  I have adopted so many pets, and was prepared to find a home for this pup, because we now have two dogs and two cats.  My husband, who has NEVER complained about the animals I adopt, begged me to keep this little guy, so I relented, and now we are the proud owners of what we think is a wire-hair Dachshund. 

Here is his picture, as we aren't sure he is a doxie.  His body is for sure, but his face is a mystery.

I thought you might be enchanted by the story of the boy that lived!

Wasted Wiener

It's been about 5 days since all the New Year's festivities, and we certainly hope that this handsome little guy 'Noodle' is feeling a bit better.  He writes:

Greetings Joey and Rowdy,

My mommy just adores your blog The Long and Short of it All. She can’t get enough of all things wieners. This is my very first time writing to you both and I’m so excited. I wanted to share a picture that my mommy took of me on New Year’s Day. As you can see I’m slightly hung over from the night before. I was able to kinda get one eye open for the photo. I drank plenty of water and had a nice long nap underneath my blankie and in no time at all I was back to chasing my balls.

Dachshund Pajama Party!

It was a girls only event at Nomistakin' Dachshunds in Thunder Bay, Ontario, recently when these pretty little ones were found sleeping in a chest of drawers!  Too cute!  Their mom, Serena I., writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Is this a pajama party????  I don't get it!  I just spent $300 on dog beds, yet the girls all climb into my open pajama drawer.  I'm guessing this is Sprout, Gracie, Gloria and Kizmet's idea of a pajama party?  I noticed there were No Boys Allowed!

Those Special Dachshunds: Holiday Edition!

It's the most wonderful time of the year - time to go Walking in a Wiener Wonderland!  Thanks so much to all the good folks who have sent in wonderful seasonal photos of their beloved Dachshunds.  Kicking things off, above, it's pretty little 'Lexie,' from Dieppe, NB, Canada.  She writes:   

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I love your blog and would like to wish you Happy Holidays!!!

Next, our good friend 'Geveva' Dachshes through the snow to tell us:  

Dear Joey and Rowdy

Geneva here, sending Christmas greetings! We'll be having a green Christmas this year here in Rhode Island, but a few weeks ago, I was able to take full advantage of an early snowfall in MA.

As you can see, I am a true Snow Dog. I especially enjoy sticking my nose down into it and snuffling along. Things always smell better under the snow.

Best wishes to all my fellow dachshunds for a healthy and happy 2012!

Geneva

PS Does this photo make my ears look big?

Then, the mom of these three wise Dachshunds wanted to comment on Olga's troubles with dressing up for the holidays:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

My three Dachshunds Foozeball, Peaches and Spaatz also have to endure getting dressed for Holiday Photos. Although Peachy likes getting dressed and dances around when the outfits come out the boys just put up with it as long as the treats are part of the deal.

Happy Holidays to all Dachshunds and their lucky owners.

And would you believe, Lily and Turbo's mom quipped in our direction:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I was going to make a fabulous Christmas Card this year.....but the dogs got things all tangled up!!

And finally, this just in from Sacramento, California:  While visions of sugarplums danced in her head, Macy's mom Robin was heard to have said:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Attached is my x-mas baby Macy who is six years old. Don’t let the picture fool you she is just full of doxie antics and fun.

Wishing you and your fur babies Joey and Rowdy a very Merry Christmas and Holiday season.

A special thought and prayer for Miss Maggie on her B-day tomorrow. We sure miss her.

Wishing you a happy healthy 2012 with lots of doxie love and snuggles.

Thanks for remembering Maggie's Birthday!   Happy Holidays to All!

Those Special Dachshunds: Dressing Up With Olga

Smile Olga!

Thanks so much to our pretty little friend 'Olga' for writing in with a common problem a lot of us Dachshunds have to deal with this time of year:  The Dress Up.  Ugh.  She writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy:

I just wanted to say Happy Holidays and that I love your blog. I’m assuming that your human doesn’t put you through the torture of dress up and photo shoots for holiday cards. My mom was insistent that I dress up in front of the tree this year. In a way I didn’t mind because I got lots of treats in the process, but it was still a bit of a pain. I’ve attached a photo from the shoot. It would have turned out better if my mom had better lighting and a better camera that wasn’t so sensitive to my every little move! Maybe next year we can do without the costume…

Happy Holidays!

Olga

Can any of our readers help Olga out?  What do YOU do when, heaven forbid, it's time for "dress up?"  Do you play along, or do you run behind the couch and rip the clothes off? 

Waiting For Santa With Patti And Costello

How Much Longer?

Thanks so much to Trammi Nguyen for writing in with a cute little holiday photo of her beloved red smooths.  She pens:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

These are my Dachshunds, Patti, on the left is 1 year and 8 months old, and Costello, on the right is only 5 months old. I can't even believe how much bigger he is. Patti loves the videos you post! We're all big fans of your blog!   

We love Costello's dark muzzle!    That'll sniff him into some trouble for sure!

Those Special Dachshunds: Sasha And Her Best Friend Lassie

Snuggles

Thanks so much to Allen Burton for writing in all the way from Monterey, California about his beloved red smooth 'Sasha' and her best friend 'Lassie.'  These wonderful photos have sure put a smile on our faces.  He writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

Greetings from Monterey CA. Here is my little 3-year-old mini Sasha and her friend Lassie. Lassie is a Collie owned by an older human who loves her dearly.  She was a rescue - see Lassie is blind.  For months now at our little patch of woods in Pacific Grove, California they meet for walks. And as you can see, Sasha and Lassie have developed a great friendship. 

Even when we get to the woods early and walk the trails of the dog park, one or the other knows when either one is there.  I know either Lassie or her other friends ( a Dalmatian, Boxer, Ridgebacks or Labs) have arrived when I see what I call "wigglebutt syndrome" - tail goes a mile a minute, butt and legs in frantic movement - and off Sasha goes running down the trail to the "moss pit" (an open area we all congregate), and if it is Lassie there, then these photos show what occurs: two best friends meeting. 

Those Special Dachshunds: Meet Arthur!

Thanks so much to Emma Macpherson for sending in such a beautiful photo of her new beloved Dachshund puppy 'Arthur!'  Will you look at those eyes?  She writes:

Dear Joey and Rowdy,

I love your blog and just wanted to share this photo of our Tan & Black Miniature Dachshund Arthur, he's 8 weeks old. He loves playing outside and chewing leaves! :)

My partner Andrew and I used to have a black and tan mini, Ziggy, however he passed away from a very rare Mycobacterium infection in December of 2010.

Miniature Dachshunds are the best dogs in the world to me and I am so excited to be embarking upon a loving friendship with one all over again.

Congrats on the new addition to your family!

Get A Load Of This

Wowza!  Your Long and Short of it All host 'Joey' would LOVE to get a load of 'Maxine,' this Canadian gal is a looker!  Thanks so much to Rita, Andrew and Maxine Pacan for writing in:

A very happy Halloween to Joey and Rowdy from Maxine (Joey's long lost Canadian piebald girlfriend from another mother! haha)

Hope all is well on your end!  We're sorry to hear about Maggie, and Rowdy is super adorable!

Take care, and happy Halloweenie!