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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