Vacation and Coming Home to My Guys

Last week, I went on a short vacation to visit my parents in Ohio. My dad turned 75 this year, and we had a surprise party for him. I didn't tell him or my mother I was coming to Ohio and just showed up on the front door. It was so much fun. I love surprises!

I was only gone 5 days, but it was a long 5 days without my babies. My mom has a dog, and I kinda grew up with her, but she is just so different from my boys. First of all, Candy is 12 years old and losing her hearing. She's pretty calm, but she does bark a lot. (She's a sheltie, so we expect it!) Kool and Swift don't bark nearly as much as she does. She doesn't cuddle as much as they do, and she also expects to be petted a lot - she'll bark if you stop. I missed sleeping with my guys. I did take a nap one day with Candy on the bed, but she eventually left, and I woke up to an empty bed. :(

Candy

Kim watched the boys for me while I was gone. Apparently, she's much stricter with them than I am. They didn't bark once in her house. She has cats, so she'd let the dogs out on the patio to go potty, then tell them to go back into the kitchen...and they'd listen! They didn't even knock down the gate. (I think I just need to do some readjusting on the gate because her doorway is slightly smaller than mine.)

But Kim doesn't love on them or let them lick her. When I came home, they had escaped from my kitchen (of course) and attacked me as I walked in the door. We cuddled and hugged and played and licked (well, they licked and I got licked). I didn't even bother to close the door before getting down on the floor to greet them. It was so nice to sleep in my own bed with my boys.

I can't believe how much I missed them. I just hugged them and cuddled with them and loved on them. Swift's tail didn't stop moving, and Kool wouldn't stop licking me. What a nice way to know I am loved....

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Top Ten

Top 10 Random Quirky Things My Dogs do:

1. Swift puts his ball in his food dish when he's hungry.

2. Kool sometimes refuses to eat unless his food has been soaked. Even then, he looks at me like, "Really? I have to eat this?"

3. Swift likes to show me he's eating by carrying one piece of food into the living room where I am, chewing it, going back to the kitchen and getting another piece of food. He repeats this process until I pay attention to him.

4. Sometimes Swift brings his ball to bed. If I happen to roll over it in the middle of the night or it falls off the bed (even with no squeak), apparently that means it's time to play fetch - even at 3 a.m.

5. Swift and Kool wait for me to get out of the shower. I guess I'm not allowed to have alone time.

6. Swift likes to walk along the back of the couch. Sometimes he's klutzy and stumbles. It's funny.

7. Kool always instigates play-time between himself and Swift by grabbing Swift's foot. Swift doesn't always appreciate it.

8. After coming in from a rainy walk, Kool loves to be dried off with the towel. Swift hates it.

9. The boys can sleep! I often have to wake them up (especially Kool) in the morning to go potty. This morning, I got up early and turned on the lamp, which woke them up. We had cuddle-time in bed.

10. Swift burrows under blankets, and sometimes I can't find him on my bed. He's a true badger-hound!

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Puppy Love

Just a short little post today. Swift likes to hide under my bed or under the covers on my bed while I'm getting ready. Kool, however, follows me around. Apparently, when I'm putting on stockings and shoes, that means it's time to play. He'll sit and stare at me. Sometimes he makes a little growly noise to say, "Pay attention to me!" This morning, he jumped up on the couch next to me. He stared at me with such love in his eyes and wagged his tail. I couldn't help but pick him up and cuddle with him. That's Kool-and-Amy time - in the morning, right before I leave for work. That waggy tail got me this morning. What a cutie.

I imagine that is how parents must feel when they look at their children, and how God must feel when he looks at us. I have never felt more love in my heart than when I look at my boys.

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Keepin' Yer Kool

Today is all about Kool. I realize that Swift often gets most of the attention in my blog. That's mostly because he's much more outgoing than Kool. Even though Swift is 5 years old, he still acts like a puppy. But enough about Swift...

Kool is my long-haired dachshund. He's 7 years old and has a cute little face with black-rimmed eyes, so he has a "pretty" look to him. Everyone thinks he's a girl. Kool always appears sweet and cute to people, but watch out! If there's another dog around and either Kool or the dog is on a leash, Kool's evil side appears. He barks and growls and tries to attack.

I think Kool's meanness stems from his attack about a year and half ago. I was on vacation at my mom's house in Ohio, and my roommate at the time was watching the boys. A mean pitbull got loose from her owners and attacked Kool. Kool had to get stitches and staples and take medicine and wear a cone for a few weeks. I don't think he's quite gotten over that.

Kool can be pretty stubborn sometimes. He's almost impossible to housetrain. We have our good days and our bad days. He also likes to bark a lot. He's worn out two batteries on the bark-less machine I have. It doesn't seem to work.

But Kool is the world's biggest sweetheart to me. He will look at me with those big black eyes, and I can't help but melt. He loves to cuddle, and he loves to look out the window. During the winter, his favorite spot is to sit on the back of the couch staring out the window. In the summer, he likes to sit in the sun on the patio.

Kool's Favorite Spot

Such a Pretty Boy

How Can You Not Love This Face?

Kool can be pretty weird, though. He likes to jump into the bathtub at night, climb up onto my nightstand to try to get into bed with me, and stand on top of tall kennels.

Kool is So Weird

My favorite image of Kool is when I call him, he looks at me and just stares. I'll call him again, and all of a sudden, he just takes off running towards me. He looks like he's grinning and he's so happy to be coming to his mama. Kool is the best (long-haired) doxie ever! I love him so much!

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Swift is Getting Smarter

When I first got the boys, their previous owner told me that they were crate-trained. I was excited because I didn't really want them running all over my house. It was my first place on my own, and I loved how clean it was.

Well, while they may have technically been crate-trained, I apparently didn't keep it up, because they hated being in their crate. I mean hated. Kool seemed to be okay with it, but Swift refused to get in his kennel. I tried all sorts of things. I put blankets in there (which Swift proceeded to shred); I put in toys, food, water, anything I could think of. I tried switching which crate they went in; I tried putting them in one crate together. Nothing worked. Swift would throw his little body up against the side of the crate to move it, and I would come home to find his crate rotated 180°. Twice, he moved his crate to the side of the couch and pulled in the edge of the couch cover through the door and proceeded to chew it up. One time he pulled it in so far, it took me a good five minutes to get it out. Oooh, he made me so mad that day!

I decided to try to put them in the kitchen. I felt better knowing that they would have access to water all day and that they would be able to walk around a bit. Again, no luck. I used the baby gates that I had gotten from the previous owner, but Swift knocked those down no problem. I tried putting different objects (chairs, couch, etc) in front of the doorway, but Swift was just able to push them away or jump over them. I was at my wits' end. I gave up and just put them in their kennels and tried not to let their whining and howling pull at my heartstrings.

Eventually it bothered me too much, so I bought a new baby gate. This one was stronger and had a locking mechanism. It kept the boys in the kitchen for several months. One day, Swift discovered that he could actually knock this one down, too, and then it was on! They never stayed in the kitchen again. I tried to use 2 gates together - the newer, locking one, and one of the older wooden ones. It was a 50/50 chance whether Swift would be able to get out. I never knew what I would come home to. And when he did get out, he always left Kool behind. Poor Kool was stuck in the kitchen while Swift had the run of the house. Swift eventually chewed a hole in the wooden gate, so I gave up on the kitchen idea.

Escape Artists

When I started fostering dogs for the Seattle Humane Society, they gave me a large crate for the dogs I was fostering. Apparently Swift and Kool loved this new, bigger kennel. I remember one of the first nights I had Elsie - I found all 3 dogs sleeping in the kennel. It was so adorable. However, by the next morning, the boys had kicked Elsie out and had taken over the crate. So I
tried to keep them away from it. But after the gate-chewing incident, I decided to try to use that kennel for them. It was a miracle! Swift actually wanted to get in the kennel every morning. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it. I just counted my blessings and hoped it would last.

It lasted a few months, and then one day, Swift decided he didn't like that crate any more. And ever since, it's been a constant battle. He hides under my bed, and when I pick him up to put him in the kennel, he shakes his little body as if he is terrified. I tried filling the hole under my bed where he hides, and it works for a while, but he eventually pushes everything aside to burrow deeper. I can usually coax him out by squeezing orange squeaky, but now he's caught on to that game. So now I have to squeak orange squeaky, then throw orange squeaky. Once Swift hears orange squeaky bouncing, he'll take off after it. However, this morning, Swift decided that he was smarter than that. So I threw orange squeaky about three times, but Swift only came out halfway from under the bed. The last time I threw it, Swift went after it, but once he saw me, he raced back under the bed. I yelled at him, "I don't have time for this!" and grabbed him from under the bed. Then he pulled his "I'm so scared" look and started trembling. It didn't bother me! Into the crate with Kool he went, and I left for work.

I just don't know what to do with that dog. Sometimes I swear he's smarter than me.

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I File My Nails - Why Don't I File the Boys'??

I've been a bad mommy. Swift's and Kool's toenails have gotten so long. Kool's are harder to see because of his long hair, but Swift's are so obvious. I've tried to clip them myself, but the boys will have none of it. I've taken them to the groomer to get them clipped (well, okay, Petco), but it's $10 per dog, and the boys are so wriggly, the groomer has a tough time getting them short enough. And Swift is almost impossible to hold down.

I'm such a sucker for infomercials and these make-your-life-wonderful gadgets in the As-Seen-on-TV section in the store. So I bought a PediPaws. I tried to use it on the dogs, but they just did not cooperate. I followed the instructions on how to acclimate them, but I'm not very patient and didn't want to take days to use this thing. So I gave up.

Until Swift's nails got so long that his blanket got caught on one of them. I couldn't get the blanket off because the nail had gotten so long, it was peeling. A thread from the blanket got stuck underneath part of the nail. That was it. I decided my boys were no longer going to have talons on their feet.

So I took a couple of days to let Swift and Kool get used to the PediPaws again. I rubbed their belly with it. I held it while I was petting them. I brushed it over their paws. Then I turned it on, and they ran. I took a couple more days to let them get used to the vibration, and Swift even seemed to like it. It was time for my attack.

My first goal was to shorten Swift's nails just enough so they wouldn't peel or break off. I held Swift gently like the instructions said, and he escaped. So I lay down on the floor with him and pretty much put my whole weight on him. I was able to get all his front nails trimmed so no more peeling. I let him go and gave him a nice big doggie treat. Kool was next. I was able to hold him in my lap and not have to lay down with him. His nails were so thick that I was only able to shorten just a couple before I decided he needed a break. (Don't worry - he got a treat, too.)

I've been trying to do at least one paw a night for Swift to get them down to where they really should be. Kool's a little more tougher because it takes so long to get one nail shortened enough. But a side effect I wasn't expecting was that Swift no longer scratches me every time he jumps on my lap.

Now it's time to brush their teeth!

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Silly Stories with Amy

I don't know why I wait so long in-between posts. I have decided that I am going to post weekly, even if it's just a silly little story about the boys. I want to get into the habit of blogging more regulary.

So this week's silly story...

I came home last week, fed the dogs, took them outside, and ran downstairs for about a half an hour to hang out with my neighbor. Apparently, my absence of 30 minutes after being gone the whole day was just too much for the boys. They dragged my bag off of the coffee table and proceeded to chew up a bag of cough drops, rip off the cap of a bottle of mints, and destroy my MAKEUP BRUSH THAT COST $30!!! I was upset, of course, but what can you do? It was my fault for leaving the bag where they could reach it.

And as if that weren't enough, a few days later, I came back from working out, dropped my phone and headphones onto the coffee table (hmmm...I'm sensing a theme here), and played on the computer for a bit. When I came back into the living room, they had destroyed my headphones! (Second pair they've eaten, actually, not including a Bluetooth.)

Oh, and if that weren't enough, they got into the trash the next day and drug dried up beet skins, greens, and eggshells through the living room. Great, boys. Great. Thanks bunches.

I think I need to spend more time with the doxies. And hope they don't poop electronics.

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Camping

Kim's boyfriend, Clay, has a great (and huge!) group of friends. They do all sorts of stuff together, and people come if they can, so there's always different people there. This past weekend, Clay invited me to a birthday party being held at Kurt's house. Kurt has a pretty big property next to a creek, with a stone gazebo with a fireplace (and electricity!), an outhouse (with a running toilet!), and a few other fun things. Everyone brought tents and camping gear, so we had a big campout in Kurt's backyard. There were probably 30-40 people there, and about 20 stayed the night.

Kurt owns Hans, a German shepherd. Kim and Clay brought Lenny, their pit bull mix, and Sonya, a collie, was there, too. I brought Swift and Kool and took Elsie along, too. 6 dogs running around with 30 people was pretty crazy.

I was a little nervous letting Elsie off her leash, since she's not technically my dog. However, I did it and am glad I did! She had a blast, running through the weeds, splashing in the creek, and playing with the other big dogs.

Swift and Kool were in their element, too! Everyone thought they were the cutest things, and of course, they took full advantage of that. The boys had a good time pretending to be big dogs, too. They'd take off running after the other dogs, and everyone got along quite well. I think it was good for Elsie to be exposed to many different people and to be able to run and play. I also think that she bonded a bit with the boys. They seem much more comfortable with her at home now.

It got a little chilly that night, so I was thankful I had 3 dogs to snuggle with. Swift likes to crawl inside my sleeping bag, and he makes a nice little heater. Kool, however, likes to wander around the tent and doesn't settle down. He may or may not have gone in and out of the tent all night - who knows?! My tent is a 6-person, so I usually put up the divider and Kim and Clay sleep on one side with Lenny, and I sleep on the other side with my two guys. Kool likes to go over to the other side and bother Clay when he's sleeping. :) I have no idea where Elsie slept. I brought her into the tent when I first went to bed, but I didn't see her the rest of the night. Kim thinks she slept outside.

Apparently, none of the dogs slept really well, since when we all woke up the next morning, they were dead tired. While we were waiting for breakfast, Kool curled up in my lap and slept for about an hour. After packing up and going home, all 3 dogs slept the rest of the day. It was a very nice, quiet Sunday.

My dogs do so well camping. We should go more often.

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New Dog

At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted to do some volunteer work. I chose the Seattle Humane Society. Unfortunately, my schedule did not match up with any of the available shifts they had. They contacted me and asked if I would be interested in fostering a dog. I said, "Sure!" So they signed me up for orientation, and a few days later, I brought home Elsie!

Elsie

At first, Elsie was quite shy. She just lay on the floor, taking it all in. The first evening, I kept the boys separate so Elsie could settle in. The boys did not appreciate this large dog invading their house. They barked and whined. When I finally introduced them, they tried to lunge at her. I felt so bad for her. Luckily, no one was hurt.

Over the next fews days, Elsie opened up quite a bit. She loves to go outside, so I try to keep the patio door open for her so she can wander in and out. She discovered the stash of toys, and now every night, almost every single toy is out. Swift does not appreciate Elsie playing with his toys. So far, she's left orange squeaky alone, so hopefully, we won't have any fights. Elsie has tried to play tug-of-war with Swift and Kool, and she had Kool going for a few seconds.

Elsie is only two-years-old, so I think it's bit different for the boys. Swift is used to playing by himself because Kool is an old grumpy man (he's 6), and Elsie is just so playful. The boys are slowly getting used to her, though.

Swift actually joined Elsie on the couch

It's been really hot the past few days, so I let the boys and Elsie have free run of the house one night. I got up after a bit to get a glass of water, and all 3 of them were in Elsie's kennel. It was adorable. However, when I got up the next morning, Swift and Kool had kicked Elsie out and were sleeping in her kennel and she was sleeping on the couch! No fair, boys!

Elsie has a big kennel that the boys love

It's been a little difficult with the three of them, especially potty breaks. But it's worth it.

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Dachshunds on Parade

Every year, the town of Ellensburg, WA, hosts Dachshunds on Parade. This year was their 8th annual event. I decided to take the boys with me and drive the two hours. It was so much fun!

It was a pretty warm day, perfectly sunny for a day at the fair. When we arrived, I wanted to dress up the boys, but they were sick and tired of being in the car for two hours that they escaped while I was trying to put on their clothes! I was worried that they would be hit by a car in the parking lot, but luckily, there was a nice gentleman who caught Swift, and I was able to get Kool before he got too far away.

We walked into the fair, and there were wiener dogs everywhere! There were all kinds of doxies - all colors, shapes, and sizes. Some were dressed up. We saw a hot dog, the Three Musketeers, Princess Leia with Yoda and Chewbacca, a hippie, and lots of other adorable costumes. There was a costume contest, stupid pet tricks, and a parade. And, of course, no dachshund event would be complete without wiener dog races!

Swift and Kool at the Parade

I just so happened to run into a couple of friends from my dachshund meetup, Amber and Anna. Amber owns Dobby and Baxter, and Anna just got Moose, who is a mini-version of Swift! Dobby is quite famous for his running. He's won several races and always runs at the Seahawks game for doxies.

The dachshund races are always the most exciting part, and it took a couple of hours to get through all of the heats so all of the dogs could participate that wanted. Dobby ended up placing 4th in the mini-doxie race! Good job, Dobby!

Amber's other dog, Baxter, loves to play in the pool at their house. He runs around in circles, chasing after the waves that's he makes with his feet. There was a shallow kiddie pool to help the doxies keep cool at the fair, and Baxter had a blast.

We will definitely be going again next year!!

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McDonald's

Now if you've been following my Twitter updates, you know that I've been working on losing weight and staying away from fast food. So even though this post is about McDonald's, I swear I've been sticking to my goals! This story is from a little while ago, so that's why it's about McDonald's.

Whenever I run out on the weekends for a quick errand, like to go grab some fast food lunch, go to the ATM, or pick up some groceries, I like to bring the boys along with me. My weekends are my time with the guys, so I like to keep them with me as much as possible. The dogs loooove going through the drive through - they sniff and sniff at the scents wafting through the open windows. They also love the attention they get from the drive through staff.

Kool and Swift usually get a french fry on the drive home, and if they're really lucky, I'll buy a 4-piece McNugget just for them. On this particular instance, I was feeling really generous, so I bought McNuggets for them. I break them into smaller pieces because the boys just swallow them without chewing. We got home, I fed them their McNuggets, and I ate my burger. I was cleaning up and decided to take the trash out. However, I forgot my McDonald's trash. In the few minutes, it took me to walk downstairs to throw away the garbage, the dogs had managed to get onto the TV tray and pull down the McDonald's bag with all of the wrappers. When I opened the door and caught them in the act, Kool stopped immediately and just stared at me. Swift, however, must not have heard me come in, because his entire head was inside the McDonald's bag. I got really close to him and just waited. He pulled out the McNuggets carton, and just as his eyes were far enough out of the bag, he saw me. He stopped, with the carton still in his mouth, halfway out of the bag. I could tell he was thinking, "Uh-oh. I've been caught." He slowly dropped the carton and backed away. Then, of course, he rolled over onto this back, so I could rub his tummy, like he always does, when he's been bad. What a silly dog!! I had to laugh at him - I couldn't even punish him because he looked so cute!

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Grandma!!

My mom came to visit for a weekend. She had met Kool before, but she hadn't met Swift. Of course, I talk about the dogs all the time, so she hears all about them. And she's seen tons of pictures and videos of them. The boys were their normal, adorable selves the whole time she was here.

Both of the boys love company. Swift's tail just wouldn't wagging, and he was just obsessed with his ball. I got a little jealous, because Kool and Swift paid more attention to my mom than they did to me. (I'm just kidding - halfway.) One day we came home, and I let them out of their kennels. Normally, Kool jumps all over me, while Swift does his "check" of the house and then comes up to kiss me. Well, they both shot right past me and ran right up to my mom! They completely ignored me. Talk about jealousy.

My mom slept in the guest bedroom/office/storage room on an air mattress. One morning, I let them in the room to wake my mom up. As I've mentioned before, Kool loves to kiss, and Swift loves to lick. They attacked her with kisses. She did the same thing I always do - pretended she hated it and "tried" to push them away. But I knew she really loved it.

I don't have any kids, so the boys are my mom's substitute grandbabies.

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