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.

Signs of Spring

Crocus, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

At the end of February I saw this brave little crocus amongst the leaf litter in the front garden. It is one of the very few left of the massive planting I did not long after we got the house. Deer, mice, and bugs have taken their toll over the years. I should, and probably will, do another mass planting. I have always liked crocuses because they are low maintenance, come in pretty colors, and are the first flowers to bloom.

I almost missed them this year with all the snow we keep getting. My guess is the worst is over, February has always been the snowiest part of winter followed by one last gasp in March.

Dell and Daffodils, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Daffodils are always the next to bloom and this patch has been going strong for over a week. I finally remembered to bring a camera along today during the dog walk. Dell wasn't particularly impressed by the flowers, the neighbor's house was far more interesting. I however disagree with Mr. Dell. I think it is very interesting that this particular planting is one of the first to bloom every year. My best guess is this particular spot is very sheltered and gets quite a bit of sunlight. My daffodils reside in a rather shady spot and are about a week behind. They have been up for quite awhile and not until this morning have I see any flower buds.

daffodils, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Speaking of which...

This afternoon I found flowering daffodils in own yard. It is amazing how an 80 degree day can hurry along plants. I thought I would see blooms tomorrow, not this afternoon. Spring is definitely on its way.

Snuggle

Snuggle, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It has been very cold around here lately, dropping occasionally down to the single digits at night. Which is shockingly cold for the average Richmonder and darn cold for those of us from more northern climes.

I think the red boys have the right idea. They like to snuggle up with each other when they are not on crumb patrol. They are silly dogs, but they are not stupid dogs. John and Dell  have even figured out it is better to duck under the deck to avoid the wind when they are forced outside to do their business.

Oh and as to school, there indeed was school today with only a two hour delay. The slightly warmer temperatures helped clear off the roads, just in time for next week's storm.

Worrisome

worried Dell, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Dell had a very tough start to the week. Monday morning I got the dogs ready for their big walk around the neighborhood. As always they wee raring to go and dashed ahead of me as we went through the garage to the side door. While I was getting a poopy bag from our collection of plastic shopping bags we keep in the garage for such purposes, the red boys whipped around the van to wait at the door. I wasn't very far behind them and soon I was at the back of the van only to be shocked at the sight be for me.

A two foot long copperhead snake was coiled directly behind my van, pressed tightly against the closed overhead garage door.

Dell was nowhere to be seen and snake was pacing about om the other side of the snake. He was clearly interested, but oddly silent and wary. After repeatedly telling John to "Leave It" I got him to stand down. Now I had a puzzle, how to get the dog away without either or us getting bit or losing track of the snake. As I surveyed the assorted tools and brick-a-back available I settled on our garden spade, it was just the right size to cover up the snake enabling me to call over John.

Once I had John in hand I put him back in the house. I had to off the snake and there was no way I could safely do that with a loose dog such as John. He would pretty quickly figure out my intentions and would rush in and "help." Once the dog was secure I had to decided on my instrument of doom. I settled on the spade, again, due to it's relatively sharp edge and long handle. The first whack was a failure, but with the second I nailed it right behind the head and thus I had an exsnake. I scooped its mortal remains into a bag and gingerly tied it up and put it on top of the trash can.

At this point I saw a very frightened Dell. He refused to go around the back of the van, I had to coax him around the front amongst the bikes. The poor boy was limping, this front left leg being held awkwardly out from his body. He clearly had been hit by the snake in the leg.

Dang.

I called the vet and told them what was happening and I would be coming in. Having gone through this with Crunch (he got nailed in the ear) I knew it was life threatening, but he would still need treatment. At the last minute I tossed the dead snake in the back of the van. I was 95% sure, but it would be could to get confirmation.

The one funny part of this whole ordeal was when I was at the vet's office. I asked the vet if he wanted to see the snake and got an enthusiastic yes. Once I brought it in the vet confirmed the species and gave an impromptu lecture on copperheads to all the techs and myself. When he was done he asked if I wanted it back.

Ah no, he was welcome to keep it.

Dell then spent a miserable day at home, barely able to hobble about. He did perk up and dinner, but shortly afterwards staggered into his crate for the night. The next day, Tuesday) Dell was much improved with just a minor limp that diminished as the day wore on.  Buy Wednesday he was pretty much back to normal.

However, he is very leery of walking past the back of the van.

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.

It's A Dog's Life

Dell, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Dell has such a hard life. Not counting the large dog bed in the den, he is limited to one piece of furniture. It's a wicker loveseat that we acquired from my father-in-law's house. The house had been sold and he had a fair amount of extraneous furniture that we were welcome to take.

The love seat is relatively low to the ground, just right for short legged dogs. The original cushions had been ruined by sun and cats, so we make due with cushions we can find in big box stores. The top cushion in the picture is supposed to be for the back, but the red boys prefer them stacked. Either way it's pretty comfortable.

Just ask Dell.

Trapped

trapped, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Every time I sit on the floor this is what happens, the red boys immediately pile onto my legs. And there they will stay until I shove them off. With the red boys having a combined weight of well over fifty pounds,  I don't sit on the floor very often. I am very much trapped in place. I get very sad looks whenever I attempt to reposition. It is nice to be loved, but this is a bit much.

This winter break we have been watching the extended versions of the The Lord of the Rings. Which is a whole lot of movie watching and as a result I have ended up on the floor a few times. So I think it is safe to say that the dogs have become indirectly big fans of the LOTR movies.

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.

Huntin' Dogs

Huntin' Dogs, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It's a bit hard to see, but the red boys got a camouflage treatment today.

I'm not sure how it all came about, but Nate asked today if he could paint the dogs in camouflage. A decidedly odd request, I however could see no harm in it. My only condition was that Nate would use colored hairspray and do the whole thing outside.

A few minutes later Nate had a can of green and a can of black hairspray. He did the dogs separately out on the deck and after 20 minutes we had two dogs painted in woodland camo. Just writing about this made me think of this old cartoon from World War I. The formerly red boys were, like the horse, less than enthused about their new color scheme and found a lovely pile of deer poop to roll in.

As you can imagine they didn't stay in woodland camo for very long. The dogs postively reeked and were soon herded off to the bath. Silly dogs.

Project MCP: Repetition

Dual Dachshunds, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

The first challenge of the month was repetition and I figured what better way to show that than the red boys at their favorite perch. Between the repetition of the dogs, their pose, the steps, and the uprights for the railing I pretty much had it covered.

We pretty much find them on the steps every day. From there they can look out the windows and keep tabs on the yard. Judging by their alert expression they have spotted something. What it was  I have no idea. Most likely it was a squirrel.

They do make going up and down the stairs a bit hazardous, but that is life with a couple of dachshunds underfoot. You always have to watch your step.

Artist of the Week: Fabulous

Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Rebecca is this week's artist due to her efforts to make the dogs a bit more fabulous. Which is an understandable goal when the only other female in your family is your mom.

Having three brothers is tough when you want to be a girly girl. She can do a mean sliding tackle in soccer, but she does it on an all girl team. As soon as it was possible she asked to be on a girl's team and left the co-ed teams behind. Now she is on the travel team and is eagerly awaiting her first tournament.

Dell, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

In the meantime she is making her world a bit more fabulous, one dog at a time.

I had trimmed the dogs nails today and jokingly referred to it as a pedicure. This got Rebecca's attention and she decided to go one better and asked if she could put nail polish on the dogs' nails. I could see no harm in this and gave her my blessing.

Dell was her first victim/client. She collected our nail polish and asked which one we should use. Blue ended up being picked for Dell. She hustled him outside and proceeded to paint his rear nails. Once she finished I held Dell in my lap as his front paws were painted. It's not very easy to see the blue, but it is there on all four paws.

John, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Then it was John's turn.

 Since Dell got the blue John got dark purple. Like his brother, John was very good-natured about the whole process. Heck Max found the smell far more objectionable than either Dell or John. Neither dog seemed to mind and did not try to lick the polish, an obvious concern with these two particular dogs.

In the end Rebecca was very pleased with her handiwork and declared John and Dell to be fabulous.

Project MCP: Shallow Depth of Field

On the hunt, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I'm back after a little two day holiday. Having everybody home for a week is draining and I got a bit obsessed with Mini Ninjas.

So amongst dental appointments and Dr. appointments I squeezed in a little time to take pictures. The assignment was shallow depth of field and I tried taking a few pictures in the backyard when I got assaulted by Dell. I was on the ground and he was all over me. Silly me, I tried being on the dog's level and expected to get anything meaningful done.

The logical solution (short of dragging the offending dog inside) was to take pictures of the dog. Dell happily milled about when I got this great shot of him with one paw lifted. He is in the shade, perfectly exposed and in focus while the rest of the lawn is overexposed and blurry. I did no processing of the photo, just cropped it down and uploaded.

Project MCP: On the Lookout

On the Lookout, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

It took all month, but I finally took a picture for challenge #1. Take a picture from a high vantage point, from above your subject.

Part of me wanted to go up to Richmond and shoot a few pictures from city hall, but that would be boring. Then I thought it would be nice to find an old spiral staircase, but none that I could get to sprang to mind. So I just pushed it out of my mind until this week

Yesterday I got my inspiration watching the dogs surveying their kingdom from the deck. I could shoot a picture of them from above while they are looking at the ground while up on the deck. A picture from above of those looking from above.

The dogs were very happy to look out and I got a nice assortment of pictures. I particularly liked this one with the strong diagonals from the shadows slanting across the dogs. I think this was the hardest challenge, since I had to really think to come up with something that was uniquely mine.

Circle Dogs with Bad Kitty

Circle Dogs with Bad Kitty, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Remember that picture I took titled "Circle Dogs"? You know the one with the dogs in virtually the same pose, but with a different book?

Well Larry noticed they were up to the same, but this time with "Bad Kitty." He thought it was an excellent photo op, and dang it he's right! I think it's just so very funny to have that book with the dogs clearly turned away.

Bad kitty indeed.

Dell, by Nate

Dell, by Nate, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I've been sitting on this picture for awhile. I just didn't have anything to post with it and then things got busy and we then were off on vacation.

It's a wonderful picture of Dell taken by Nate. I love how most of the picture is in shadow, all that is visible is a bit of rug and half of Dell's face. The focus is dead on, which is remarkable considering the low light levels. Both Nate and Dell were rock steady for that brief moment in time.

Back to Snooze

Back to Snooze, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

Dogs will sleep anywhere and any time.

Max left his school backpack on the dog couch, and yes it's really the dog's couch. By giving them their own couch they stay off of the rest of the furniture.

Anyhoo, big bulky bag on the couch and Dell decides that it would make an excellent pillow. Never mind all the hard books inside, Dell had found his comfy spot. And there Dell stayed until Max moved his backpack in order to do his homework.

MCP Project 52: The Eyes Have It

Keepin' a eye out, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.

I swear this is the last pirate themed picture until at least Halloween.

The theme this past week for MCP Project 52 was "The Eyes Have It" and the red boys have such expressive eyes in this picture. John has a wary eye and Dell seems to be looking towards John for support, a fairly accurate portrayal of the two.

I had not particular ideas in mind for this week's theme, I basically fell into it. I was going through the pictures I took of the dogs in honor of "Talk Like a Pirate Day" when I realized I had a good picture for MCP Project 52.

As a result I submitted early on in the week. Of course, as though to balance things out, I forgot to write up the picture on Friday. Either way this was the selected picture and I think it's a hoot.