BADGER!!!! (aka My Friend's Cat)

I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with the history of dachshunds. They're German, and their name means "badger" hound. They were bred for their long bodies to fit into badger holes and hunt them.

Well the boys' instincts have kicked in, and they have decided to go on a badger hunt in my house. Kool and Swift have been introduced to my friend's cat previously in her home. She mostly stayed away and hid under the bed. They didn't interact much, but my friend has a dog, too, so I didn't think it was going to be a problem if I cat-sat. Oh, how wrong I was...

The first night when Kim dropped Nymphy off, the boys were so excited. They jumped and jumped, trying to get to her in Kim's arms. I put the dogs in my bedroom and let Nymphy explore the house a little. When Kim and I decided it was time to let them be together, I let the boys out. Poor Nymphy...she ran and hid behind my hutch. The dogs kept barking at her and whining. Eventually she got brave and hissed and swiped at them....they yelped and backed away. We thought everything would be fine, so Kim left.

Well, the boys did not want to leave Nymphy alone, and the poor kitty got so scared she pooped!! I locked up the dogs and cleaned her up. I decided that was enough for the night. I let Nymphy have the run of the house and kept the boys in my room. Over the next couple of days, I tried to let Nymphy and Swift and Kool spend some time together. It became a pattern - Nymphy would find a new hiding spot every night, and every morning, the boys would try to find her. They would run to all of her old hiding spots before they found her new one. It would cause a riot, so I would rescue Nymphy and lock her in the bathroom while the dogs had their walk and breakfast. Then they would go in their kennel during the day.

One day, Nymphy had had enough. Swift just would not leave her alone. She was under the couch, and Swift could fit under as well. (Nymphy isn't used to being chased under beds & couches. The dog she lives with is huge!) So Nymphy hissed and scratched at him, but it didn't stop Swift. He'd just yelp and whine and continue barking. I couldn't get to Swift because he was under the couch, but I finally pulled him out. Well, Nymphy got him good! He was bleeding everywhere! I put him in the bathtub to clean him up, and his only wounds were on his snout and on his ear - they just bled a lot.

That was the last straw. If cuts and scratches weren't going to stop the dogs, nothing would. I decided to keep the animals away from each other until Kim came to get Nymphy. I'd take turns letting either the boys or Nymphy out. Of course, the boys knew where Nymphy was when she was locked up. They'd scratch at the door and whine and bark. I couldn't believe how badly they wanted her. I could just hear them thinking, "Mom has a badger locked up in there, and I can't believe she won't let us get her!!!!" :) I'm sure Nymphy was glad when Kim came home!

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It's Always the Quiet Ones

Here is my little sweetheart, Kool. This is a picture of him when I took him home to visit my parents. He wanted to sit on my mom's lap while she was at the computer. I guess he wanted to play on the computer, too. He is usually such a laid-back, sweet little doggie. But, as I said, it's always the quiet ones! My new nickname for Kool is Barky McBarkerson. He won't shut up! It drives me nuts. He barks at everything. He barks at the neighbors walking up the stairs; he barks at the dog in the yard in the next apartment building; he barks at people walking on the sidewalk when my window's open; he barks at everything. Kool's favorite thing is do is to sit by the window and look out and watch everything. For a while, it was pretty cute. Then, all of a sudden, he started barking at everything. Now, it's not so cute.

Sometimes Kool is quite hilarious. Both the doxies usually sleep in my bed with me, but I've been trying to curb that. (Which means convincing myself to sleep alone!) One night, after putting clean sheets on the bed, I decided that the dogs were no longer allowed to sleep with me. Of course, they were upset and whined for a while. They tried jumping up, but their little legs are way too short to get onto the bed - which is why they have a little set of stairs! I moved the stairs away from the bed so they couldn't climb up.

After I had been asleep about an hour, I hear some shuffling noises. I awaken but can't see anything in the dark. I switch on the lamp, and what do I see? Kool. Where is he? On my nightstand, trying to climb into bed with me! Apparently, I left the set of stairs next to my nightstand, and he decided he would have none of this sleeping on the floor thing. He was trying to make his way across all of the books and papers I had on my nightstand, which is what woke me up. I had to admire his creativity and courage. Of course, I then let both dogs sleep in bed with me that night! Kool is just the craziest dog. I love him to death!

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