Christmas Turkey Dogs

Happy Holidays everyone!! My Three Dachshunds wish all a special holiday season. We will be on the road so you may hear from us while traveling. Hopefully the only turkey dogs you encounter will be under the table pining for a bit of real turkey. Don't get me wrong, I do actually like turkey dogs, but for Christmas we hoping for something a little extra special. We will be getting together with my daughter so we should have some photos of all six dachshunds together. It doesn't get much more fun that that. Ho Ho Ho!!

FOOZEBALL ROCKS HIS FOOTBALL SWEATER

Foozeball has the curse of being very handsome. Not a thing he can do about it, he's just a good lookin dude. He is a dog that can really rock a sweater or polo shirt. I got him this little sweater and it goes so well with his copper color. He is a dog that tends to look naked when he's not dressed. He will lick his armpits until there is no fur there, so I found keeping him in a shirt solves that problem. So he wears the sweaters this time of year, he's cool with it, and warm with the New York winter.


 Fooze ia a summer polo, waiting for a ride

 

DACHSHUND DOMINO'S

Well this is why you need more than one dachshund. Its so they always have a warm place to put their head. This was sweet, all lined up putting their head on the next dog. You might think Spaatz has no place to put his head, but usually they will form a pile that will give everyone a warm spot to rest the noggin. I think in this case they were hoping we might be going for walkies and were queing up, but got a little tired waiting.

Just call me Peaches of the morning

Sweet, sweet Miss Peaches. Here she is first thing in the morning all ready to have her belly rubbed. Not that she's not ready most of the day. Except while she's eating or hunting. She is quite serious about both matters and belly rubbing at the time would be a distraction, but first thing in the morning belly rubs are at the top of the priority list. Along with back rubs, chin scratching, around the ears and top of the head. You get the picture, its pretty much an all out full body massage for the Peach. On most days I'm only too happy to oblige because..SHE'S SO FLUFFY!!

FLATOUT PEACHES

You know being a dachshund can be very stressful. You may have to go a couple of hours without being patted. Mother has to go out and buy dog food so no one is around to give your body a good rub down or get biscuits out of the jar for you. So in the evening Miss Peaches likes to just let it all hang out, flat out, paws to the sky, knowing all is well in the land of My Three Doxsons.

Dreams of milk bones and car rides

 

Who needs a cat? I've got Foozeball

Der Schnozzen- getting his beauty rest

When I was a kid I had a cat and a dog. Now I am strictly a dog person, just dachshunds in fact. One thing I remember about having a cat was how they rub their bodies against your legs. Well Foozie here is happy to provide this service completely free. Every time he does it it flashes me back to my cat Sam, who was actually about 4 pounds larger than Fooze. I don't miss having a cat, having 3 lap dogs with one that actually acts a little like a cat is all one could need.



Foozie out for a late season ride

It is November everywhere of course, and in NY that means its getting consistently chilly. The other day though it was nearly 60 degrees, so my husband got the bike out for a little ride. Foozie was so excited, spinning around in circles like he does when its suppertime. Now mind you he hasn't actually gone before because we don't have a custom dachshund seat with a helmet and goggles, but he was making such a big deal about it. I suggested he put the jacket on and stuff him inside. This worked for Fooze, and he went for a little ride and even a pit stop for gas. He was very happy. Here are the boys together.

Wire Haired Dachshund Can't Get Dry Fast Enough After A Bath!

 

We went for walkies the other day and went down to a farm down the road where the dogs can run free. There's no livestock, but an occasional chipmunk or woodchuck. I let them off leash once we're off the road. They really have a blast running around the fields and sniffing around old stone fences and  equipment. On the far side of the property there is a pond where geese hang out, we were there briefly, about to head home when Miss Peachy decides to roll in goose poo. AAHHH! NO STOP!.....Too late. So Peachy has a date with the bath when she gets home. I hosed her off first. Its a little cold here to do it all outside, but once inside I scrubbed her up with shampoo, AGAIN, second time this week. Last time she went through a drainage pipe, got rather muddy. That's my wire haired girl. The video shows the lengths she goes to to dry off after the bath.

Peachy getting dirty again?

Not her.





Needy Little Dachshunds

Spaatz on Foozies perch, not enough room for two to lay down. Feeling so sleepy. 

Today the sun is once again shining in NY. Yesterday was another of the many rainy days of fall we seem to have, including hurricanes. The dogs didn't get their walkies and they were being rather needy, Spaatz tugging at my pants, Peach and Fooze giving me that look. I sat down at one point to text back and forth to my daughter on the couch. The next thing I know, all three dogs are sleeping happily on me or next to me. Then we all felt rather cozy and they looked so happy I didn't want to get up despite having things to do. I did linger for a little while, but eventually got moving again. So its not so much having to go out and do things if they can snuggle up in my lap they don't really care so much. Gave me a little perspective on their priorities. So I take second place to food, but I may actually beat out walkies, I'll take that as a compliment.

Dachshund: Standard or Miniature??

Watson was my first dachshund. He was the best dog I've ever had. I had wanted a dachshund for a long time, but it had to be a wire hair. I have this thing for scruffy lookin. He happened to be a standard size. He was a big standard, 35 pounds, stocky, not overweight. Then eventually we got Peaches, who is a mini wire haired dachshund. I used to think there were more people with standards, but now that I have three minis I think it may be the other way around. It doesn't really matter, they all have that personality I love. They make me laugh everyday. They are truly wonderful little dogs.

HAPPY HALLOWEENER!!

HAPPY HALLOWEENER FROM DER SPAATZEN

BE SAFE EVERYONE!!

HOW TO HUNKERDOWN LIKE A DACHSHUND

Hurricane Sandy is near landfall, the wind is howling outside, rain hitting the windows. The TV is on the weather channel talking endlessly about the storm. The emergency scanner is going and the calls are becoming more frequent, there's a tree down on our road and you know what my sweet dachshunds are doing? Sleeping. Not even the stern warnings of Jim Cantore can rouse the hounds. Just goes to show my three dachshunds don't sweat the small stuff...or the big stuff, or anything really, just maybe when the next mealtime is.

Raining in NY again, so I made them a nest

Well, we have been caught in a weather pattern for sometime here in the Empire State. The dogs are even thinking "why even get up?" So they had hunkered down on the bed, so I figured I'd make them real comfy, and make a nest around them with one of their favorite crocheted blankets. They really seemed to enjoy it and stayed there for quite a while. Ordinarily they are sitting in the sunshine watching the birds and hoping a squirrel might happen by. Unfortunately we are forecast a nasty storm ala hurricane Sandy. The dogs might be hanging out in the nest so much they're gonna feel like birds.

No nest

                                                           Like bugs in a rug. All 3 are here.

Foozeball a Derpy Dachshund?

They might have been thinking of Fooze when they conjured up the word. I mean, if you manage to get the name Foozeball instead of Oscar or Frank there is definitely something up. The guy is a nut, but look at that face. Sweet, if somewhat demented. One of the things I love about this guy is that when the evening comes and we're watchin a little TV, and the dogs are sacked out on me, Foozie will let me pat him and pretty much do anything to him. He just keeps on sleeping. In the photo I have him sitting up in whatever position, pose him, stroke his handsome face. He just sleeps. Peaches wants to left alone if she wants to sleep, Spaatz has to be under a blanket, even in summer. If I'm watching something real exciting I will find myself patting Fooze and playing with his ears A LOT. It's all good, he doesn't care, he just keeps zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A little cranium scratching is good.



Bring out the Hounds

The hounds of course are dachshunds, which were originally bred to be hunting dogs. Let me assure you, inside the dachshund, the heart of the hunter still beats. My three doxsons dispatched their first squirrel on Friday. There was good fun to be had by all. We have an abundance of the "tree rats" here, our property being lined with black walnut trees. That doesn't keep the varmints from getting a free handout at my bird feeders. That's when we bring out the hounds. After chasing Mr Squirrel about the yard he managed to squeak himself into a hole int the back of our "garage". It is 70 some years old, holds no cars, basically a big tool shed. Unfortunately for the squirrel the hole was big enough for mini dachshunds too. I could hear shovels and brooms being knocked about inside so I went around and opened the door to witness Miss Peaches and Spaatz pinning the squirrel to the ground. He managed to escape briefly to run under the tool bench, Peaches in hot pursuit. Spaatz ran outside to see if he could access the squirrel from the other side of the wall, I think that Fooze just bailed at this point, he likes the chase, but I don't think he's got his "death shake" down. The sounds I heard next were kind of indescribable and I knew Miss Peaches was dispatching the squirrel. She walked out from under the bench and dropped the squirrel, x's in his eyes. For her the fun was over, Mr squirrel wasn't going to play anymore, time to move on. So I removed the body, and gave all the dogs a good bath. Figured its always good to have a bath after you killed somebody in the garage.

All washed up, ready to do it again

Out for a walk, stopped at the restroom

We were out for a stroll on a beautiful fall day here in NY and the dogs wanted to hit the restroom. Actually the whole outdoor world is a big restroom, but the 'ole fire hydrant is a favorite with all dogs I guess. Or maybe that's the impression we get from watching old Loony Tunes cartoons. The sniff-o-rama begins, then Fooze will go first followed by Spaatz and lastly Miss Peaches doing the best she can. Then Fooze goes again, then I say ENUFF. Our walk then continues, not that the marking of territory is finished, but you know there's plenty of ground to cover.

Which one is the Pumpkin?

Golly, they all look like pumpkins to me. Foober does make a pretty handsome hot dog I must say. Miss Peaches is the second best pumpkin because she is sooo sweet. Then there is Spaatz, well he is just a weenie, he can't help it
 

Happy Houndowiener

Well its that time of year when we dress our wienerdogs in silly outfits for Halloween. So as not to disappoint anyone we'll start a little early with Spaatz in the ever popular skull and crossbones outfit flanked by Fall colors and other Halloween things. Good to get into the "spirit" early. Sorry.

GOT DACHSHUNDS??

My three dachshunds sure do like a little milk. Actually, they really like anything that might be remotely related to food or anything that might be construed as edible. As one might imagine this can almost be without limitation. Lettuce, has been one of those things not worth consuming. Some other raw vegetables are not really popular, but they will eat them just so the other dogs can't have it. In the brief video you will observe the morning routine of finishing the milk from my cereal bowl. This will play out exactly the same everyday. They all jam their noses in simultaneously, lap like crazy, then Peaches the wire hair will finish first, followed by Foozie and then Spaatz will meticulously make sure that not a molecule will be left behind. He always likes to be thorough.

Did someone say "Doglets"??

DOGLETS?

Doglets you see, are what my sister calls the dogs whenever she visits. It struck me as kind of amusing and appropriate for mini dachshunds. They are all dog for sure, sometimes with even more attitude than big dogs. They don't have the luxury of size so they have to back up their small stature with feistiness. Pictured are my three doxsons of course, and two of my daughters hounds, the more the merrier.

Let me 'at 'em

DACHSHUND HIDES FROM THINGS THAT GO BOOM!

Poor Foozie, the neighbor was shooting something off. I'm not sure what, a gun or fireworks, but it was pretty loud. So Fooze ran over to me, climbed up on my shoulder and stuck his head behind the pillow on the couch. He was quite concerned about it. My husband asked that they cease the racket, and they did, so Fooze could relax. I mean there wasn't any danger, they have 50 acres and you can't see the house while the leaves are on the trees, but it upset Fooze and put him into a bit of a panic. One of those cases of a dog afraid of something that won't hurt him, but when he should be afraid of something,( like confronting after deer) he's all bravado.

Make them stop Mommy

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF DACHSHUNDS

As all we dachshund owners know they are pretty much a fair weather dog. Although some snow can be fun, rain pretty much sucks. Not only do you get wet when you go outside, but there is no sunshine to lay in inside the house. No fun for walkies either. So that means we're most likely going to pester mom all day. Spaatz pictured here, will go under the chair and tug on my pants, or jam his head up between my knees and be staring at me, or just jump on my lap. Foozy will put his paws up on me in that kind of pleading way so I will pick him up. Peaches will makes her little "hhrrump" noise so she can sit with me. I try playing some inside ball, but that's mainly Spaatz's game. Today the boys are running amok around the house so at least they get their exercise.That's another good thing about small dogs is that they can get enough action inside, usually without breaking any furniture.

Sunshine lovin Dachshunds

 

Mr. Sunshine

Fooze does Blue Steel

Just call him Sunshine, 'cause that's where he wants to be. Soakin' up the rays, as if it might add to his copper color. He'll be out there on the hot days, but he can't stay too long. That's why this time of year is great in the northeast. You can lay in the sun all day and not get too hot. I also keep strategically placed dog pillows about the house so they can move about as the sun moves and always have a cozy spot to lay down. It must be nice when your only concern is when to move to the next pillow.

You Talkin to Me?

ANOTHER DACHSHUND SUMMER ENDING

Well another summer has wound down, but we are trying to stretch it out as much as possible. Yesterday was a beautiful day in the Hudson Valley. We like to take the dogs on the Greenway Trail in Wappingers Falls. There is a loop that has a stone bench that is by an old cemetery that has this awesome view of the river. Even the dogs will sit on the bench with us for a little breather. We let them go off leash on the trail. Good thing they listen well and wait up for us, because those little legs can cover some ground. September in NY is great, our favorite time of year.

 

Can a Dog Have BUNNY FEET?

Well of course they can't, but with Miss Peachy who is occasionally known as Miss Bunny Feet comes pretty close. Her feet are just so cute and fuzzy and sometimes when she sleeps they twitch. In all reality she would like to have bunny feet- in her mouth. On the way to conquering the pesky beast. Nothing would make her happier. I am glad they have come up just short in the hunting of wabbits, because next thing you know I have to step in a dispose of the body, an accessory after the fact you know. I don't mind the dogs have their sport with them, it keeps them out of the gardens but if they didn't finish the job properly not only do I have to get them to give it up, and find a final resting place, I would have to dispatch it. I can do it, I'd just rather not.

 

No Place Smells Like Home

Miss Peachy checking the air

We took the Gang out for their third camping trip. We were in Saugerties NY, staying at the Rip Van Winkle campground. We would highly recommend it. Long as you like being in the peaceful deep woods sitting by the campfire. The dogs really like it, its a sniffarama. The only downside being we can't let them chase the squirrels and chipmunks. Believe me there is a lot of them. We went on walks as usual, down to the waterhole in the stream. Miss Peachy loves to go in. This time there was a sizable snake in the water. Fortunately no canines saw it or there might have been a situation.
On the way home an event occurred that Watson always used to do that always amazed me. As we turned onto our road it was suddenly heads up, noses out the window and great excitement. Our road must have a unique smell to it because they can SMELL it when we are close. You know they were all snoozing then, but not until we were on our road, that the noses started working and they knew we were almost home.

Home Sweet Home

AWESOME DACHSHUND PHOTOS

Every once in awhile I will feature a photo that is worthy enough to be called "awesome" Don't you just love these guys?. Makes you want to jump in the pool and kiss their fuzzy faces. Maybe do it quietly so as not to disturb them too much.

Wanted: Toy that Squeaks that can't be destroyed

KONG: Another Failure
I am on a quest for a toy that squeaks, that can't be destroyed by Spaatz. I thought today I had finally found it. Pretty tough rubber with the squeaker hidden inside so he wouldn't puncture it. It was promising when I brought it home, he really enjoyed it, squeakin away, but then what happens is its just not tough enough and he proceeds to bite bits off the end. Once the structural integrity is lost its all over. He continued to chew for awhile, but the thrill is gone. One day I might just get my moneys worth, but alas today is not that day.

End chewed off another toy

ALWAYS READY TO RIDE SHOTGUN

Foozie-B, Spaatz and Miss Peachy are always ready to ride shotgun. Today it decided to rain kinda hard while we were out, so no schnozzes out the window. I was pleased they decided to settle right down and not have the "who gets to sit in mom's lap contest." Ride is one of those words you don't say in front of the dogs unless you mean it, along with, walk, treats, squirrel, bunny. You tend to get the heads up and them looking where this item is or coming from. One thing is for sure, they are gamers, ready to go anywhere, anytime, you name it.

Wabbit Season Over Soon

I'm gonna find me a rabbit and cut his tail off
Spaatz probably doesn't realize that Wabbit season will be over soon. He has come real close, but has yet to get one. If he ever does it will most likely be a team effort with Miss Peachy and Fooze. Apparently though, some of our neighbors have been having problems with the rabbits getting their veggie gardens. Not here, the canine patrols are keeping the enemy at bay. Soon, as we feel fall creeping in, getting a bit cooler, and the days definitely shorter Spaatz will be watching more for the squirrels for his entertainment. There will be plenty of that, as our property is lined with black walnut trees. Did someone say squirrel?

SHE'S A GREAT MOUSER TOO!!

Who needs a cat when you have a great mouser like Miss Peachy? I knew she was good with other vermin, snakes, chipmunks what have you, but yesterday she proved herself a great mouser. I knew we had a mouse here in my craftroom because I had a small bag of finch food that had been gotten into. Yesterday Peach was showing heavy interest in a box in the bottom of the closet. I was not really paying much attention when I realized she has ripped the side of the box off piece by piece. So I moved some stuff so I could drag the box out. I got it out, open it up and shut my mouth, there's a mouse! Peach dives in and the mouse ceases to be. She dropped it on the floor as requested and I discarded the carcass. I thought she was being silly, but she continued to lay in the closet. I could hear her rustling around every once in awhile. I called to her to give it a rest. When I went out to check on her there were 2 more dead mice laying there. Never one to give up when there's still work to be done. I was impressed. I cleaned up the bodies and I brushed her teeth, which she didn't like that much, but I figured it was a good idea. With cool weather coming its is nice to know I have any extra ally in the fight against small borders.Peaches the wirehaired dachshund mouser extraordinaire.

Overwhelmed by supperior forces



Consider the Wirehair

The next time you might be thinking to yourself " I need to get me a dachshund", consider the wirehair I say. You won't regret it. I myself have only had two but they are the sweetest and by far the most laid-back dachshunds I have ever had. My first, Watson was my best dog ever. We miss him still. Miss Peaches is awesome too, and so many people are unaware of the wirehair coat that they are quite the conversation piece. You will most likely need to search a little harder for the elusive wirehaired dachshund, but they are worth it. Don't get me wrong I adore my smoothies, but if you get the chance the wirehair is a little extra special.

Sooo Jealous!!

BFF

These guys can be the best of friends, and yet they can be so jealous of each other if there is any attention being given here. If I'm patting Spaatz the next thing I know Fooze will come over and give my arm a good nudge letting me know he is here and would also like to be patted. Then its vice-versa for Spaatz. The real challenge is when Miss Peaches enters the picture. Then you have to get a little creative and pat two dogs at once. Use of the forearm on one while patting with the hand. Patting dogs is good for you, and I like things like that, its not even fattening.