Hotlinking

So....I'm new to this whole blogging thing, and I believe I've made some boo boos in my attempt to bring you all doxie smiles. I'm pretty sure I've been "hotlinking" which is a huge no-no on the intertubes. As a result, I'm going to be restructuring my page a bit, so that the images you see are being taken from my server and not someone else's (which uses their bandwidth). Wow I feel like such a noob... I'll fix it though, and hey, I learned something interesting today :)

Helping HotDogs

In case you wanted another store where you could buy weenie things here ya go :) A portion of the proceeds go to D.A.R.E Dachshund Rescue. Great Cause, cool store.

An easy way to help

Instead of using google, or any other search engine use this one: The results are powered by yahoo, but 50% of the money the site makes from advertisers goes directly to a charity of your choice! I didn't even know this existed until just now, which is a shame because I use google EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE! So now I'm using Goodsearch instead and am rasing money for Almost Home Dachshund Rescue Society. Using Goodsearch is easy too. Where it asks for the charity, type in AHDRS and then hit verify. Then search as you normally would and smile knowing that you're helping the society provide for dachshunds in need :)
See, it's easy!

UPDATE* I got my tax refund this past Tuesday and bought those two wiener roast shirts I talked about earlier this month! I also donated $10 to help Jake from the AHDRS website, and $10 to help Marbles (from the Southern California Dachshund rescue site). It feels good helping even if it is only $10 at a time. I'm sure you too would get a warm fuzzy feeling if you donated, so if you can spare it, please do - you won't regret it!

This'll Make you smile

I absolutely love seeing things like this :)

Special thanks to the www.ru-sacks.com who supplied this picture. I actually recommended checking out their products - super cute!!!

Read only if you want to be sad

I read a story of cnn.com today that has just bothered me from the moment I read it. The story was extremely detailed to the point of making me almost throw up in my mouth. It chronicles the dog culling in Iraq right now, and how Iraqi officials are using shotguns and poison to kill stray dogs. I understand that strays can be a problem, especially if they're aggressive, but these methods of killing are NOT humane. No animal deserves to bleed to death because it's been shot in the abdomen by a shotgun (like the one detailed in the article). I'll spare you the exact words, and I found a link at the SPCA website that is a little less nauseating. Reading this just saddens me. It's bad enough that there are stray dogs out there, but to be killing them like that? Yes, I know Iraq is a 3rd world country, yes I know that the world is not fair or perfect, but come on people. We need to evolve here. I sincerely hope that the SPCA gets enough support to at least euthanize these aggressive or sick dogs, and can also vaccinate/spay/adopt out the healthy ones. Whatever the case, these dogs are in my prayers.

Also, I know that people make arguments that dogs are "just animals." How would you feel if that had been your pet? Does the thought upset you? It upsets me very much. Regardless of the fact that they are animals, it doesn't give us, as the dominate life form on this planet, the right to be cruel and abusive. I've also heard the argument that "If only people cared about other people as much as animals..." touted in cases like this. Yes, many innocent people are dying in Iraq, and all around the world every day, and I'm not saying this aid need to come at the expense of human life, but these animals were born into a situation they can't control. They are at the complete mercy of ANY human being (where as people are at the mercy of military leaders and governments). They didn't choose to be born, and their parents didn't make a conscious decision to have them (unlike people who can at least know the risks), and unlike most children, they don't have anyone to take responsibility for them - they are completely defenseless. Call me a bleeding heart...call me a liberal, I don't care, because nothing anyone says can change the fact that what is happening there (this isn't an isolated incident for Iraq...or even the rest of the world) is WRONG. *takes a deep breath* ok my rant for the day is over, and I feel much better.

I know that I'm posting links for charities all across the country and encouraging anyone to donate to any of them. I understand that most aren't made out of money (and I am definitely no exception), but helping out one of the thousands of charities out there is extremely gratifying, and in the end, your help DOES matter to these organizations. Regardless of whether you donate money or time, if everyone just gave just a little, we could help prevent at least some of these inhumane, heartbreaking situations from happening. I'm going to do my part (gonna buy an SPCA shirt and make a small donation after I get my tax refund), it helps me sleep at night knowing that I'm not just sitting back and doing nothing.

Funny Story

So, Roger is obviously a dachshund, and on top of that...a male. Any of you who have this combination will understand what I'm about to say. Roger doesn't mark his territory, and he doesn't lift his leg to pee. Brendan and I have made him a beta (a loving one), so that's not really an issue. Roger is, however, a chewer. He loves his chew toys, tags on clothing and blankets, the drawstrings on my pajama bottoms, and...of course...our underwear.

Brendan and I were watching TV last Wednesday night, while Roger was chewing on a rawhide stick I gave him earlier that day. Around 15 minutes later, I looked down and he wasn't there anymore. I couldn't hear him, and I didn't know where he was. I asked Brendan "Have you seen the dog?" Of course he hadn't so my frantic searching began. I checked his little den crate thing, under the blankets, behind the couch, on top of the couch...all the places he usually is when he isn't in my lap. I should have checked the closet...

You see...I, like most people, have a laundry basket. I also place my dirty clothes in said basket. Roger, likes to climb in the basket and steal my underwear and socks. As a result, I put the basket in the closet so he couldn't get it (only works if the door is closed). Well, Brendan and I must have somehow neglected to shut the door all the way, and he had gotten in. I found him inside my laundry basket snacking on the crotch part of my underwear. After I pulled him out, I noticed that a majority of the fabric was missing on not one, but two pairs. He didn't lick, or bite the undies, he ATE them.

While this didn't surprise me one bit, and I couldn't be mad at him because it wan't his fault the door was left open...I was frustrated because this brings the total of destruction to over $150. He destroyed my $100 robe (see above), has destroyed 2 pairs of work socks...and over a week's worth of underwear. Gotta love him though.

Anyways, I wake up at 4am the next morning to the unmistakable "ack ack bleguh" sound. Thinking this was an emergency I grabbed him and put him on the tile, so anything he puked up could be easily dealt with. Nothing though, he just shot a blank. 6AM rolls around, same drill. This time, I couldn't get to the tile fast enough, before the "bleughhhhhh" came. I did make it to a towel though, and it was there that he redeposited various shades of bright pink, blue, and green. I thought this was the end of it...but I was wrong.

When I came home for lunch later that day, I took him out to potty like always. He did his business in the rocks, and when he was done, a nice shade of hot pink caught my eye. NICE! This continued for around 3 more poops, but after 24 hours we were sure it had all cleared his system. Later that day Brendan turned to me and said
"Good, maybe that'll teach him not to eat those." I looked at him, smiled, and said while laughing:
"You have a lot to learn about dachshunds."

Roger

Roger is 18 weeks old (born on Oct 9th) and can now do 5 tricks, stay, speak, sit pretty, lay down, and roll over. He's pretty smart for a doxie (Chippy wasn't too keen on learning tricks...it wasn't that he was dumb, he just didn't give a damn, lol), and Brendan and I are loving watching him progress. We still have to work with him on socialization (he barks at noises) and on separation anxiety when we leave for work. Eventually he will calm down regarding those two things, with our help of course. He's now had all of his shots and can go to dog parks and such. He gets along with my moms dog very well, but he just takes a little while to warm up to other people/dogs. He absolutely loves my family though! The best part about having him is that he is super snugglie. He sleeps in the bed with us, and usually on top of me (sometimes he crawls on my head and wraps around it like a fur hat!). He is the most loving cuddly dog and I am so grateful that we have him. My life is definitely better because he is in it. I will post more pictures of him when I get my new camera, maybe then he can show you all his tricks!

Small disclaimer

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I am not a breed snob, and I do not think doxies are better than other dogs. I'm just writing about them because they're the only dogs I've ever known -- I've only ever had wiener dogs. I know them in and out, but I want you to know that I love all dogs, hence the story below about Faith who is a mix (I think). The ultimate purpose of my site is to raise awareness and support rescues all across the country. That being said, my focus will be mainly on dachshunds (my life with them and cute doxie stories, pictures, and merchandise), but don't be surprised if you see news, stories, and links about other breeds and non-dachshund specific rescues. I am open to happy stories from any dog owner or volunteer. Please email me if you have one or feel free to comment (please make it happy for now though, there are too many sad stories out there and I can only cry so much). Thanks! - Kristen

Happy Ending

I first heard of this little miracle in an email from my mom. It was one of those forwards that gets passed around the office - you know the type. I actually do read all of those, because some are well worth it - this was one of those. The email told the story of a little dog, Faith, who brought a smile to my heart. I wanted to share the story with you in the hopes it could do the same, and also because this story proves that even though one may not have a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul, and that in life there are always bad things, but you can lead a happy, fulfilling life - just so long as you never lose faith :)

"Faith Stringfellow is an amazing little dog, with an even more amazing story. Faith suffered from a birth defect, she became a member of our family when she was just a three-week old puppy. My son Reuben (17) picked Faith out of a litter of puppies that his friend's dog had recently given birth to. Several of the puppies were deformed; a few had already died. The mother dog was actually trying to terminate Faith's life when Reuben lifted her weak body out from under the mother dog; he brought her home to me knowing I had a heart like a marshmallow.

Even though Faith has this defect we taught her to stand, hop, and eventually walk on her two back legs, like a human. She's been a great dog and we forget she's handicapped. You'll turn around and she's chasing the geese at the park, running, jumping, skipping, and acting like any other dog...well, any other dog with a nose reach of 40" from the ground! (Watch your plate, she'll clean it for you before you're ready to share.)

I'm going to tell you a little story about Faith that you may find quite interesting. I couldn't get Faith interested in toys when she was a little puppy. She didn't want to play fetch obviously, but she also didn't want to chew on squeaky toys. She looked at them. She would sit there and watch me throw a little toy in the air - often times I would throw the really soft ones at her to see if she would catch it - she didn't. It just hit her in the face! Then she would stare at me as if I was the bad-guy. One day I was doing laundry and some of the warm socks feel off the top of the basket - she grabbed it! After she grabbed the roll of socks she hopped under the bed with it. When I reached under the bed to retrieve the clean rolled up pair of socks I found she had been stealing our socks for quite some time! She had an entire nest of socks under the bed. FINALLY I found something she was interested in. When I encouraged Faith to play with Matrix all it took was to take one of her socks from under the bed and give it to Matrix to play tug-of-war with - - that was all she needed. She began playing hard and she never let up. She could stand up really tall and take the sock back when she wanted to, so Matrix began taking out her legs. Faith realized early that she only had two legs to use - and she began hopping backwards to get away from Matrix. This began a series of training behaviors that absolutely stun the professionals. Faith can (if she wants to) hop backward, forward, straight up, and even over the dog - but I stress - IF she wants to. I can't make her do anything - we call her the "Diva" sometimes.

With Faith every day is a new adventure - she has always been ready for traveling, touring, meeting people, visiting hosptials, going on stage, or just hanging out under the bed all day. She's as normal as any other dog when it comes to being in her "cave" for protection - - the difference between Faith and other dogs is she actually looks forward to flying, driving, traveling around and being in the limelight. She sees a big camera and she thinks it was put there for her...she's actually walked into weddings because she heard the music and the people clapping. You can bet she stuck around for the food at the reception and that's one bride's maid that will never be forgotten in King of Prussia, PA!

I've written a book about our life struggles and how Faith helped us, and another strictly about Faith. You can buy them online through www.amazon.com by their titles "With a Little Faith" (2nd Ed.) and "Faith Alone: Stories of an Amazing Dog" and of course they are also available through the publisher at www.xlibris.com (Just a note: With a Little Faith is for persons over the age of 14.) Thank you so much for loving my little dog and for sharing her miraculous story with all of your friends. She really is a gift, and I am very blessed by Jesus to have her."

Here is a link to Faith's homepage if you'd like to learn more about her and her story. :)

Calendar Contest

Hello Hello - I just learned of this wonderful opportunity from the Dachshund Rescue of South Florida: A CALENDAR CONTEST!!! For just 10$ donation, you can submit a photo of your doxie for consideration. After June 30th, they'll hold a vote at just $1 per vote. This should help them raise a bit of money for their rescue, and it's a wonderful opportunity to get your little lovie in a calendar! As soon as I get my tax refund, I'm getting the digital camera I've wanted for 4 years and then I'm taking Roger out for his first real photo shoot! This is going to be awesome! I encourage you all to do the same :)

Honoring Kate

While I'm on the subject of dachshund stories that make me cry uncontrollably...

I found this site http://ctdr.org/ because I'm always looking for good rescue sites that sell cute/fun doxie things that benefit the rescue. This particular rescue (Central Texas Dachshund Rescue) has calendars for sale, of which I bought 2 for only $12 each. It's extremely gratifying for me to buy promotional items from charities to help with their cause. In this case, I needed a calendar and a valentine's day gift for my sister (a doxie lover), and was going to buy a doxie one anyways, but then I saw that instead of profits going to a corporation, they could go to the rescue -- WIN WIN! (The calendar is pictured above). I would suggest buying one, but I learned that after I bought two last Friday, they are now sold out! This is wonderful news, because it means so many people supported the cause. :)

After perusing their site after a bit though, I came across this story and (having just written my blog about Chip), I completely lost myself again.

http://ctdr.org/inmemory/kate.html

Perhaps you could donate in her memory too? I did, and in all my years of volunteering, I've never felt so good. While the ending is sad, her story reminds us of the ongoing battle to help rescue these loving little animals, and how even though we may not be able to save every one, with our help, rescue organizations CAN help others, and no dog's death will ever be in vain. God Bless you Kate - You're in my heart and prayers.

Chip 1992-2008

I just have to get this out there...it's one of those things that, even though it's tough to handle, I feel better sharing with others. Just a warning...I'm going to be extremely detailed, if this bothers you, you may want to hold off reading this.

My mom brought a little black and tan doxie home when I was in the first grade (I was six at the time). From day one I was super attached to the little guy even though my mom had to keep telling me not to "smufficate" him (a combination of smothering and suffocating for those new to the term). I was actually the one to name him because I thought, in all of my six year old wisdom, that his breath smelled unmistakable of tortilla chips. So for nearly 16 years, our little chippy roamed, protected, accompanied, and loved our family...and we loved him back. This is important because Chip was with me for the majority of my re-callable childhood - I can't remember much of my life before him. He was my best friend through elementary school, my biggest supporter during the awkward phases of middle school, my shoulder to cry on during the dark ages of my high school years, and was my favorite thing to come home to during and after I graduated college. Like I said, I don't have many memories before him.

Directly after we graduated Brendan and I lived with my parents for a few weeks 'til we found a place of our own. We found a place and I officially moved out, but we only lived around 10 minutes away from my parents' house. Every Thursday I'd go over after I got my allergy shots to spend time with my family, and I'd be lying if I said that seeing Chippy wasn't one of the things I was most looking forward to as I made the 10 minute drive from the doctor's office to my old home.

Every time before I left my parent's house, knowing full well his age and that his time wasn't going to last forever because he was nearly 16 years old, I made sure to say a special goodbye to him - where I would tell him that I loved him very much, and that he is the best dog ever. It was my way of making sure he knew how much he meant to me. However, nothing really prepares you for the worst...even if you know its coming, and especially if it catches you by surprise.

This particular week, I decided that since I had come over Sunday, and since I wanted to make mashed potatoes for dinner with Brendan instead of eating with my family that night, that I'd simply stay home and come over later that weekend. This is a decision I have come to regret. That Friday, I called my mom because we were supposed to go to the MVD to have my car's title officially transferred to my name and I had wanted to get our plans in order for the next morning. I'm usually extremely perceptive of people's tones, especially my mother's, but this time it wasn't at all hard to tell that something was very wrong.
"Is everything OK?" I asked.
"No sweetie, it's not" (tears unmistakably choking off her words - and at this point I'm fearing the worst, because the only other time I've heard my mom cry is when her dad died)...it's Chip...he's dead."
"WHAT!?!???!!?" "
"I found him in the pool...he drowned honey."
The world stopped. It was like that scene from Saving Private Ryan where Tom Hanks is on the beach and everything slows down to a near halt as he looks around while trying to figure out what the hell is happening to him. I was driving home along Hayden Road because it was a Friday, I had just gotten off work for the week, and until 30 seconds ago, I was in one of those blissful moods where everything is going right; I was on top of the world...and in less than 30 seconds, I was violently yanked backwards against a wall like Linda Blair was in a scene from The Exorcist. I didn't know how to handle it....I started cursing, crying...
"Are you sure?" - This seems to be the question everyone asks when the get news like that...as if the person relaying the news wouldn't make absolutely sure before telling someone something of this magnitude (unless it was some cruel horrible prank). She was sure.

I drove over as fast I could. As I pulled into the driveway, tears rolling down my face my mom came out to meet me. We hugged without saying a word...just the labored breathing that comes with the type of crying that's nearly a seizure because you're shaking so hard. We walked inside...then, as if the flood gates hadn't already been opened...my mother started talking.

"Kristen, I'm so sorry....I let him outside to go potty, and...and...he always lets me know when he wants to come back in....and...and...this time he didn't... A little back information on this, is that Chip, even though he was now deaf and mostly blind, still knew the layout of the house and backyard - and ALWAYS scratched at the door to be let out, and barked when he wanted back in. He had also fallen in the pool several times, but he always knew where the steps where and made his way there (the top step was a large one, in only about 6 inches of water) to sit and bark until someone could pick him out of the water.

I'm not sure what was so different this time...this is something my family has gone over time and again in our heads why he didn't make it to the step, why he didn't bark etc.... Maybe because it was a hot Arizona July day and the heat just took it out of him because he was so old and couldn't handle it anymore...at this point it's just speculation that does us no good. Regardless, I could tell that my mom thought it was her fault for not noticing that he was in trouble. (I don't blame here though, there are just to many variables that were out of her control, and blaming get you nowhere in a time like this.) She said she found him floating right by the step...he was so damn close...but it wasn't enough. He had released his bowels right by the step, and now there was nothing any of us could do.

When she showed me to the back porch, where she had laid him to dry off, I couldn't help myself. The sight of my dog...my best friend that was content just to be in the same room with me for nearly 16 years of his life (it was July 25th and he was born on August 10th)...just laying there with his eyes open and his body stiff as a board was more than I could bear. I burst into tears as I sprinted over to his motionless little body.
"Oh Chippy..."

We immediately took him to a crematorium. My parents and I had discussed what we would do when inevitably, he would pass...and I felt comfort knowing that we'd get him back. It was a long drive from my parent's place. The guy was located in Glendale, so we had to take the 101 in rush hour traffic, from Scottsdale; needless to say, it was the longest most disparaging 45 minutes of my life. As we pulled in to the lot, a young man came out and showed us to the office where, who we thought was his father, the man who owned the place sat. Apparently, the gentleman had stayed open an hour later than normal to help us out...it was very kind of him.

The young man wheeled out a tiny gurney...oh God this couldn't be happening. "Dammit...I'm not ready to say goodbye," I thought to myself. It was so surreal, like a dream that I was stuck in and couldn't get out of. We had wrapped him in blankets to transport him since he was still wet. My mom, tears still in her eyes (eventually we would all dry up from dehydration) placed our little guy on the gurney, blankets and all. My mom, my sister, and I then piled into the tiny office where we went over the morbid details...the cost...the process...etc. The man assured us also, especially since we paid extra, that he would be alone in the chamber, so we would get only his ashes back. That was one of the only comforting things I had heard all day.

Several times throughout the conversation, my sister and I walked outside to be with Chip. Arm in arm we cried some more... I placed my right hand over his little floppy ears and rubbed it the way I always did because he liked that so much that he'd put his entire weight into my hand the way a human leans into someone giving them a massage.

"I love you so much Chip."

All the while I was thinking, I knew this was coming but did it have to end like this? He died scared and alone. What if...what if...what if... I cursed some more. At least it was painless, but I had always imagined being there with him whenever he passed if it came us needing to put him to sleep. Better yet, I had always hoped that he would just go peacefully in his sleep...inside... warm in his little bed with everyone who loved him...not cold, wet and alone in the damned back yard. Knowing that was one of the hardest things for us to deal with...and like I mentioned above...this was not what I was expecting.

The man and my mother came out. "I'm sorry about your pet," he said.

"Yeah...me too," I manged to choke out.

"OK, girls, do you want to say goodbye." My mom was red in the face, but was trying to do the right thing by not having us draw it out...but OF COURSE we wanted to say good bye...we just didn't want to leave after we said it, because if we left, it was the final confirmation that this was indeed real, and that Chip was indeed gone.

I looked down at him...peaceful...quiet... I gave him one last hug.

"I love you Chip...God I miss you so much...I'm sorry for not coming over Thursday...please forgive me. I love you so much." I was standing over

We negotiated with my sister who wanted to keep one of the blankets we had brought him in. So with one wet blanket in our hands, we said good bye...I was grateful for the few extra seconds that gave me because it meant I got to be with him that much longer...

"We love you Chip" - we all managed to get out in a distorted unison broken by tears. We knew we needed to go...and that drawing out the process of mourning over his body wasn't going to get us anywhere, so we reluctantly got back in her Camry, slowly backed out of the lot and drove away slowly back to the main road.

As we drove away, I looked over my left shoulder and caught one last glimpse of my little dachshund laying on the gurney just before the young man closed the gate. "Goodbye Chippy...I love you with my heart and soul," I whispered to him..."Goodbye little friend."

Cute Doxie Shirts - Almost Home

Almost home, a very good resue organization, sells their annual weiner roast shirts. They're designed by none other than Andrea Cammarata (the lady who designs and sells the magnets below. I know they're outdated, but they're super cute and the money goes to a good cause. The price is reasonable, and S/H is included!!! Also, it's nice to have unique shirts because they tell a story - this one says you love weenie dogs :)

Almost home Doxie Picnic Shirts

Almost Home Boutique

Magnets and more!

This lady (her name is Andrea) designs and makes these precious little weenie dog magnets. I bought quite a few from her because they're just too cute. She has an eBay store right now (http://stores.ebay.com/The-Mosaic-Dachshund) but she told me she was moving over to the etsy site soon. I strongly recommend supporting her and buying a few magnets because she donates some of the proceeds to charity as well :)

www.doxiedoodles.etsy.com

Save a Weenie Shirts

http://www.nebraskadachshundrescue.org/store.htm

This is a wonderful rescue site for Nebraska doxies. Since I'm in AZ, I couldn't really volunteer for them, but they have the cutest dachshund rescue shirts. Consider buying one or a few (I bought a short sleeve and a long sleeve) because they're nice t-shirts and all proceeds go to the rescue site.

The Beginning

For a few years now, I've been scouring the net to find the best, funniest, heartwarming (you get where I'm going) dachshund websites and stores. This is because these little guys have such a special place in my heart, and I want to share everything I find with anyone else who may be looking for that perfect doxie gift or cute picture. This will also be where I blog mostly about my own little one, 4month old Roger. Currently, though, I'm at work and don't have a lot of time to write much more. Trust me though - they're will be more :)