I Love Purebred Dogs

Today was "National Purebred Dogs Day." The mixed breeds aka Heinz 57s and All Americans get TWO days (July 31 AND December 2) so why not one day to celebrate the intentionally bred to a standard dogs?

I love my purebred dogs because I knew exactly what I was getting. I am allergic to most heavily coated breeds, smooth dachshunds are much less of a problem. I adore Corgis, but the 24 hour, seven day a week shedding is murder for me to keep up with, hence the polyester of the dog world, smooth dachshunds, are my breed of choice. I like smart independent dogs that love me, but are not needy. I don't want a yappy dog, dachshunds have a surprisingly deep houndy bark, the better to hear them when under ground. I could go on and on on what I like about dachshunds.

Conversely I know I have dogs that love to dig, chase critters, and can be very stubborn. With consistant and firm training it is possible to work with these behaviors, by providing a safe and secure environment and redirecting them to approved areas to dig. I was able to train the red boys father, Crunch, to dig on command. From there I was able to get him to dig in the woods. Sadly I have been less successful with John and Dell. You can even enter your dachshund in den and field trails as an official outlet for their hunting, chasing, and digging needs.

Another advantage to having a well bred purebred is their health and temperament. So far the boys have only suffered from self inflicted and accidental health issues, from snake bites, to a dislocated shoulder (stupid squirrels taunting my boys), and the odd growth. As for their temperaments, well I chose the breeder known for happy, loving dogs with waggy tails. Both dogs love kids and view visitors to our home as new friends. There are a lot of ill bred dachshunds out there that are snappy and ill tempered. My dogs are beloved at the vet and the kennel for being the love bugs that they are.

So that is part of why I love my purebred dogs.

Defender of the Home

We acquired a plastic sword last year, it had been left in our yard during Halloween and since no one came looking for it so it has become part of our arsenal. Which means it spends a fair amount of time on the floor.

Today we looked down and saw John stretched out next to it, peacefully snoozing away. I took a few pictures and decided to go one better, I slid the sword over a bit and draped John's paw over the grip. He briefly looked up to see what was going on and went right back to sleep. He looks like such a valiant defender of the home. A job he takes very seriously in regards to deer, squirrels, birds. and the occasional rabbit. It just has to fit in his nap schedule.

AKC National Obedience Championship: Man's Bond with His Dog

Such an amazing bond between man and dog. It is particularly remarkable since bull terriers are not known as an "obedience breed," they do not live to please. You have to convince them that it is a good idea. That said, the two work together and have done amazing things such as garnering an invite to the AKC obedience championship.

Dogs In Elk

This story has been floating around on the nets for years. I first read it back in 1999 and it is just as funny now as it was then. It is not for the squeamish, being a rather extreme example of life with dogs. And the best part is that it is true.

I present to you: Dogs in Elk.

Pomelo Head

Pomelo head, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

John is a very patient dog.

He was less than thrilled with my instance of a pomelo rind hat, but he tolerated it long enough for a few pictures. Which was far better than than his brother.

Dell, who believes that things are divided into two categories: food and potential food, was far more interested in eating the rind than wearing it. I should have recorded his attempts at grabbing the rind with his jaws every time I brought it near his head, it was hilarious.

Winter is Coming

First Snow, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Today we got our first snowfall of the season. It didn't stick and it didn't last for very long, but we did get a sustained snow flurry for about an hour.

I was on the phone with my husband when I glanced out the window are saw the first flakes come down. I blurted out with unrestrained glee "It's SNOWING!" Then proceeded to do a happy dance. Hopefully I didn't damage his hearing, I think not since he did sound genuinely happy for me. I'm a northern girl at heart and the first snowfall is always my favorite.

cozy, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I know winter won't officially start for quite some time, but I'm ready for it. Our home has a new roof plus skylights and autumn has reached that dreary stage when everything seems dead. The lone holdout is my parsley, which still retains its vibrant shade of green. The weather is cold and our dogs have the right idea of getting all cozy under their blankets.

Red Boys in Repose

Red Boys in Repose, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The red boys certainly have the lazy days of summer down pat. We got this bed for them last year and it has proven to be a very good idea.

Years and years ago I got beds for the dogs and they were promptly ripped to shreds. I ended up getting a western style saddle pad and that lasted for many years, but it wasn't particularly comfy. This bed is far more comfortable and the red boys love it.

Of Towels and Tournaments

IMG_0735, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Big doings this weekend. Saturday was both Towel day  and the start of the soccer tourney that Rebecca's team was entered and Sunday was the conclusion of said tourney.

Now Towel Day is the celebration of Douglas Adams and his works and what better way to mark it than a reference to the Hitchhikers Guide to theGalaxy. To whit:

Towel Day: A Tribute to Douglas Adams
Monday 14 May 2001 06:00am PDT
Douglas Adams will be missed by his fans worldwide. So that all his fans everywhere can pay tribute to this genius, I propose that two weeks after his passing (25 May 2001) be marked as "Towel Day". All Douglas Adams fans are encouraged to carry a towel with them for the day.
So long Douglas, and thanks for all the fish!

— D Clyde Williamson, 2001-05-14

As you can see both Dell and John are in the proper Towel Day spirit and have their towels at hand, or rather paw.

tournament time, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Now as far as soccer was concerned, it was a lovely weekend. Tempertures were low and it was not raining.The girls started with a bang and handily won their first game on Saturday. The second one far closer and we lost by two goals. However, this was good enough to secure a berth in the semi-finals as a second seed.

Sunday dawned clear and bright and the girls were keen to go. They were playing a team we had lost to twice during the regular season, the first time our team was crushed and the second time (a mere two weeks ago) I think we lost by just one goal. Our team had come a long way since last fall and wee ready to take the other team on.

It was an incredible game to watch as the two teams really picked up their level of play. They battled back and forth with both teams pulling out all the stops. The final score was 0 - 0, but it was far from boring. At the end of the game the players on the pitch were called to the center by the referee. He set them up for a penalty shootout to determine which team would go on to the finals. It was a real nail-biter and we ended up missing by one. Our girls were sad, but not crushed. They knew they had done an outstanding job.

Brothers and Best Friends

brothers, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

This is my favorite picture for this week.

Dell and John are very much bonded. They love to sleep near each other, so this is a common sight. They prefer to go outside together and have been know to wait at the top of the deck's staircase for each other begore venturing out to the yard.

As for the picture, I saw them sleeping in their dog bed and really noticed the play of light on the. It was one f the few breaks in the weathe5r this week and the sun was finally allowed to peek out of the grey skies. It was a bit tricky taking the picture and not have Dell pop up. As you can see I was successful in the end.

Questions About Dog Food

I ended up reading an article over on The Slate today titled A Dog-Eat-Dog World, Does your pet’s food contain dead pets? The article itself was rather poorly written, but the comments are excellent.

I have been aware for some time, at least a decade or so, that commercial dog food runs the gamut from abysmal to excellent. The key thing is to read the label. Avoid foods with generic terms such as protein meal, if it doesn't specify the source then it could be anything. I like The Dog Food Advisor, it has a pretty comprehensive list of the foods available plus they post pet food recalls.

If you don't understand what the ingredients are then odds are you wouldn't want to feed it to your pet.

Looking For More

John, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I'm a bit frustrated now. The picture group I had been a part of has changed to the point that I no longer want to participate. It is all facebook dependent and I end up missing posts. It was far better when it was Flickr group, I could easily find the challenges and the pictures. Now I have wade through many layers of pages to find anything out.

So for now I'll just pick out my favorite picture of the week and post it here.

I took this one of John on Tuesday. I dropped my camera in my pocket as I headed out the door for the morning walk. It was a pretty nice day and I felt like taking pictures. I did a short detour to the ponds edge, I wanted to see what the dogs' reactions would be. Both were not terribly interested in the water, but up on the dock John came to attention when he saw a duck paddling along. Fortunately the duck was swimming away otherwise I think John might have tried to catch it.

I think it is a fantastic shot of John. He is naturally stacked himself in a lovely show pose, I could never get him to look that good in the show ring. Apparently I needed to bring a duck along and have it waddle out at opportune moments. Somehow I don't think that would go over to well with the other exhibitors.

You Sly Dog

You Sly Dog, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

John looks like he is up to no good in this picture. It's that sly glance he has.

For the most part he is a model citizen, but if there is food within reach.... It's gone. He likes chocolate in particular and I know it is very bad for him. Poor Rebecca  keeps losing her candy stash to his predations. You wouldn't think he could reach very far, but you would be mistaken. Anything along a table's edge is fair game. He can rear up on this hind legs and, combined with his long snoot, can reach a good  three feet.

John is not very tall, but he is very clever.

Project MCP: Low Light

low light, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

With the shorter days and the sun hanging lower on the horizon, this week's Project MCP challenge was low light.

I took this picture of John this morning. I saw him napping in a patch of sun and realized this was my picture. I was able to fetch my camera without to much disturbance and fire off a few shots from a discrete distance.

When I took this particular photo I knew this was the one. The focus is a bit off, but the composition more than makes up for the slight blur around John's head. Other than a bit of sharping, this is what I saw in the viewfinder. No cropping or fooling around with the contrast. I'm rather pleased how the picture came out.

Whose Bed?

Whose Bed, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Nate has been wanting the dogs to sleep with him for quite some time, a few months ago we relented.

I'm still not overly thrilled, at some point something will get chewed, but there has been an unexpected bonus. Max is more inclined to stay in bed when the dogs are in the room with him (he and Nate share a room).

As you can see the dogs are usually with Nate. I got this picture in the morning when Nate was sleeping in. The dogs had been fed and let out and had returned to their favored sleeping spot. Poor Nate has barely any room on the bed. That, however, is the price you pay when the dogs are on your bed.

Dog Shaming

bad dogs, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Dog Shaming is my new favorite website.

The idea is that your dog has committed some sin, you make a sign describing what happened, and take a picture of the dog with said sign. The result is quite often hilarious.

I found out about it from a dachshund owning friend. There is a rather dubious pride in the dachshund community in preponderance of dachshunds on the site, partially due to the site's owner having dachshunds. But the real reason is because dachshunds are awful dogs that get into all sorts of mischief (and yet we love them).

I whipped up this picture of the red boys and submitted it to the site. So far it hasn't appeared, but the website is transitioning to another platform and it may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I'll try again after the dust settles.

And yes, John really did eat the floor of the shed. He was trying to get to the critter underneath.

Project MCP: Favorite Fall Activity

morning walk, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

There are lots of things I like to do in the fall, but I think my favorite is the morning dog walk. I love heading out in the brisk fall air and the walk seems to be a bit easier. The sun sits lower now and seems softer, no longer the cruel mistress of summer.

The colors are more vivid with the added bonus of little splashes of color here and there from new plantings and fall foliage. And if I'm lucky there is the smell of freshly turned earth when people have their lawns aerated. Later on I get to smell the fragrant smoke as fireplaces get pressed into service.

Everyday there is something new on the walk as we transition from one season to the next and that makes for a great walk.

Project MCP: Shadows

Sun Dappled Dachshunds, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The first Challenge for October was shadows which proved to be a bit tricky this week. The weather has been stuck on warm (dare I say hot), gloomy and rather damp. Which has made for foggy mornings and not a whole lot of sunshine for making shadows.

I did, however, get this picture of the red boys out in the woods. I like the play of light and dark on their bright red coats. It was just happenstance their positioning being so perfectly bracketed by the branch coming off of the log I was sitting on. It makes for an interesting composition.

The Unexpected

John and Dell, like all dogs, have different barks for different events or things. The soft whine when they want to be fed, big blustery barks when deer are espied on the lawn, the bark-bark-bark when chasing squirrels, and so on. I can pretty much guess what is going on by the type of bark I hear.

Today I got to hear the "Oh my gosh what is this I want to get it but I'm not sure if it's safe" bark from John while I was puttering about. It didn't quite sound like "I've found a snake" so I wasn't in a big hurry to pull on my boots and tromp down into the woods and find out what all the fuss was about. Eventually I made my way to John with a leash in hand since I wasn't too keen on having to carry a squirming 28 lb mass of dachshund back to the house.

turtles, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It wasn't too hard to find John and I was happy to see that it was not a snake. It was in fact a couple of Eastern Box turtles and, well, they were very busy. First priority was to leash John, who emboldened by my presence to charge at the turtles. Once I had the dog under control I took stock of the situation. I was very glad I had my phone stuck in my pocket so I could capture for all the world to see what one friend called "a very private moment."

Once back inside, with a now very sulky dog, I looked up the mating habits of the Eastern Box Turtle. It turns out that the breeding season lasts from April to October, with the eggs lain late in the season overwintering in the underground nests. Who knew dog ownership could be so educational.

Police K9 Bite Demo

Saturday my club participated in a combination "AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day" and "Meet the Breeds." This meant I spent a good four hours manning a table that had a wealth of information about dachshunds with Dell in my lap. John did not get to come along because, honestly, he's a total butthead around strange dogs.

In addition to dachshunds there were Bouvier des Flanders, Afghans, American Staffordshire Terriers (love those blocky heads, very loving and smart dogs), Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (the living decoy, they lure the ducks to shore with their playful antics-seriously), and Havana Silk Dogs(a new one to me, very cute). A couple of vet clinics were there including a microchip clinic. Dell got to go through the agility course and was amply rewarded with cheese and hot dogs making this the best day ever in his mind. To me however, the best part was the Hanover Sheriffs K-9 unit demonstration. The dog had laser like focus and you could see it was having a great time. The bite work looks very scary and lord knows the dog could inflict serious damage, but the training was done such the bite work was just a huge game of tug-o-war for the dog.

Here is a video I took of the demo. It's not the best quality, I was testing out my cell phone, and the dog was so darkly colored it disappears into the background, but you get an idea of what was happening.

Silly Girl

Silly Girl, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The dogs' crates are located under a table right next to my computer. It's a good spot for the dogs, out of the way yet close to the action.

For whatever reason, on Monday Max and Rebecca viewed the crates as their playground. In the course of an hour we determined that one 10 year old and one standard sized dachshund can both fit inside a medium sized crate. Two 10 year olds can also fit together inside a crate, but with far less room to spare than the dog plus human combination. As an added bonus a 10 year old can also fit on top of the said crates.

John found all of this vaguely distressing. He was fine sharing a crate, heaven knows he's always piling in with Dell, but he decided it was best to sit in his own crate and keep an eye on things. Dell meanwhile thought it was fun, all that was needed was more treats.