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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Doughnut Dogs

When I sleep, I tend to curl up slightly. I like to sleep on my side, and I usually hold a pillow or my panda (yes, I still sleep with a stuffed animal) in my arms. My knees bend slightly, so I'm in the shape of a zig-zag.

Well, apparently, the space just behind my knees is the perfect size for Kool, and my belly is the perfect shape for Swift. I know this because that is how we sleep...every single night.

We don't usually start out that way. Kool will fall asleep at the end of the bed on top of the covers, and depending on the day, Swift will crawl his way under the comforter or fall asleep on the pillow next to my head. Sometime in the middle of the night, they migrate to their positions - Kool behind my knees, and Swift smushed up against my stomach - both under the covers.

I set my alarm for about 20 minutes before I normally get up - I need that extra snooze to help me wake up. So this is how my morning goes:
Alarm
Get out of bed
Snooze alarm
Climb back in bed, lying on the other side
Swift and Kool re-arrange themselves to be in their appropriate spots
Wait for Swift and Kool to settle down
Sleep for 1 minute
Alarm
Get out of bed
Snooze alarm
Climb back in bed, turning over again
Swift and Kool re-arrange themselves
Wait for Swift and Kool to settle down
etc
etc
etc

This happens every morning. I think I should just set the alarm for when I need to wake up, and then I won't have to worry about the dogs re-arranging their positions all the time and keeping me from my precious sleep.

Swift's body is so hot sometimes that I have to push him away from me. I don't know how he generates so much heat! You would think Kool would be the warm one with his long hair, but maybe because Swift has short hair, his body has to work harder to keep him warm. Of course he doesn't like it when I have to push him away; he'd rather lie right up against me. But I tell him, "I'm the human. I'm in charge. MOVE!" :)

Anyway, to explain why I titled this post, "Doughnut Dogs," when the boys sleep, they curl up. Since their bodies are so long, they can curl up completely into a little round ball and they look like doughnuts! I have doughnut dachshunds! They're absolutely adorable when they're sleeping. It makes me remember why I love them so much.

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Kool Kisses

Kool is a kisser. He loves to kiss me. While both doxies love to lick, Kool is definitely more of a kisser. Whenever I come home after a long day and let them out of their kennels, Kool puts his front paws on my leg until I lean down or pick him up. He goes crazy kissing my face. It tickles! And he doesn't just kiss...he nips a little. When I've been gone for an especially long time, he pretty much just nips...no kissing. I think he is just so excited to see me, he can't help himself!!

When I came back from vacation and picked the boys up from Carme's house, Kool went insane! He just kissed and nipped and bit and kissed. It was quite funny.

And it's not just me who thinks he's adorable at this. I took him home to Ohio with me in February of 2008. My mom and I took him to Petco for a Valentine's Pet Party. There was a kissing contest. I knew Kool was a little kisser, but I wasn't sure if he'd do it on command or if he would even kiss the employee judging. Well, it was just perfect. As soon as she picked him up, he gave her a little peck on her cheek! What a sweetie! He won 2nd place! So proud of my little boy...

So I know it's not just me that he likes to kiss. He kisses my boyfriend, he kisses Kim when we walk together, he kisses everybody. Kool is just a kissing fool!

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Krazy Kool

Kool always seems like such a quiet little guy. He's pretty relaxed and laid-back. I mean, yes, he gets excited when he sees people and other dogs, but for the most part, he embodies his name...just cool.

However (and there is almost always an "however"), there are times when I cannot believe he is the same dog! He cracks me up with the crazy stunts he pulls. I think I've told you about the time he climbed up on my nightstand in the middle of the night. Well, this is just as weird...

Kool likes to hang out in the bathtub. Not when he's getting a bath (although he's a pretty good boy when it comes to that) or when I'm in the shower. Just to hang out.... At first I didn't really realize what he was doing. But I've caught him twice now. I hear these weird noises coming from my bathroom, like toenails on porcelain. Yes. Kool has jumped into the tub and is inspecting all of my soap and shampoo. I have no idea why he does it. One night, he woke me up with being noisy in the tub. What a weirdo.

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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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The Boys on Vacation

I took a business trip to Denver a couple of weeks ago. I left the boys at my friend, Carme's house. She and her husband have owned dachshunds for years, and now they have one long-haired dachshund named Rocky and a cute little mutt named Chewy. Rocky is a bit older than my guys (probably around 8 or 9), and he is definitely the alpha dog at his house. It's quite interesting to see Swift (who is the alpha at our house) interact with Rocky. Of course, Swift brought his new orange squeaky. Well, Rocky loves squeakies, too, and since it was his house, he decided that orange squeaky must be his toy. I think Swift was a little taken aback that another dog would dare take his squeaky. Kool just lets Swift do whatever, so Swift is not used to having to share toys. But it all seemed to go all right. Swift stayed with Carme and Jerry a little over a year ago, and he and Rocky got into a little fight over the ball. Rocky got him good and ripped a little patch of hair off of his snout. Swift looked pretty funny for a while, but it grew back. This time there were no fights; I think Swift is learning to give in a bit, which is definitely good for him!

One of the nice things about Carme and Jerry's house is that it's a house! They have a huge fenced-in backyard so all 4 boys can run and play. It took Swift and Kool a little getting used to running free with no leashes. I felt bad when I had to bring them back to the apartment, and they were limited to leash-only walks. :( That's all right. Gives me more motivation to take them to Marymoor!

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but Swift has quite the crazy tail. It never stops moving! When I went to pick up the boys, of course, all the dogs had to come say hi to me...except Chewy. He stayed pretty far away. Jerry told me that apparently Chewy's face is the exact same height at Swift's tail, and poor Chewy kept getting hit in the face! He learned to keep his distance from Swift. Awww...poor Chewy!

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