I love dachshunds! Speck is my third dachshund and by far, he’s my best one. When Vince and I met I didn’t have a dachshund. Not long after Vince and I started talking about getting married, I explained to him that I MUST have a dachshund in order to be happy. Hmmm . . that might be a big problem because Vince said he would never-ever-in-a-million-years have a dog in the house! No how . . no way! I figured that was a small hurdle and eventually he’d come around to my way of thinking.
There was a pet store next to the Chinese restaurant in Owensboro. We ate Chinese at least once a week until I threatened to do something serious if we didn’t stop eating Chinese food. Every time we’d go to eat Chinese food, I’d insist we walk through the pet store. The lady in the pet store knew how badly I wanted a dachshund and when she would happen to have one, she’d grab him and meet us at the door. But no . . never could convince Vince that we needed a dachshund. This went on for years!
In 2001 I had gone to the Quilt Odyssey show in Gettysburg, PA. I came home and Vince was so happy to see me that one of the first things he said was “Do you want a dachshund?” You can’t imagine how thrilled I was! He had even found some for sale in the county south of us and he wanted us to go look at them. I had cash left over that I hadn’t spent at the quilt show (I must’ve been kinda sick!) so I even offered to pay for the dog with that money. They had three puppies and I actually wanted a different one but Vince liked Speck. I figured I’d be happy with whichever one we got so I let him choose.
Vince had never ever had an inside dog and I was so afraid he would see Speck have an accident in the house. You know puppies have accidents in the house! I can’t tell you how many times I grabbed a pile of dog poop in my hand to run to the bathroom with it before Vince saw it. Pretty gross, huh? But I wasn’t at all sure how he would handle knowing that those little accidents happen.
One thing Vince told me from Day #1 was that a dog was never sleeping in our bed. We got a crate/wire kennel type thing and Speck slept in there. We spoiled him right off the bat by putting his sheet in the dryer at bed time, getting it real warm, then tossing it in the crate. He loved it! Even now, when I get clothes out of the dryer, Speck will stand there and beg and beg for something warm.
I’m not even sure how it happened that Speck began sleeping with us but it happened. When it gets to be about 10:00, someone has to go to bed with Speck. He’s tired and grumpy and he just drives us nuts til someone goes to bed with him. The other night I had turned the covers back, picked him up and put him in the bed and before I could even get the pillows off the bed, he perched up on one of them and was waiting patiently for me to get in the bed. I had to run get the camera because he’s just so darned cute!
We’ve come a long way since I was told there’d never be a dog in the house!
Vicky says
Dachshunds just burrow into your heart, don’t they?
Jacqueline Wouters says
This make me smile, My DH loves big dogs, German shepperd, and he did not want a little dog, and cats no way, now whe have a west higland white, and 3 cats.
pdudgeon says
lol he looks so cute and innocent…
Nancy W. says
This morning when I got up, my husband said,” You need to read Judys blog and no we are not getting a dachshund”. He knows I want one. We have 2 dogs anyway. We have a britney and a small fluffy thing we call “DNA gone wrong”, They can be work but they add so much to your life. Speck looks very cute…I would warm his sheet in the dryer too.
Dawn says
hahahahaha lucky dog!!
dawn
Dawn says
You’re not going to believe this but I checked out the daily cute animal photo’s on another site and today they have a dachshund! Here is the site……so cute!!
http://www.dailypets.co.uk/2008/09/05/buster-the-dachshund/
dawn
Linda (Petey) says
Oh, he is so-o-o cute!
We have two doxies…Lady and Freckles (her son that we kept from her litter of 5).
They go everywhere with because they are so spoiled no one can keep them for us. On our last try, Lady upchucked on DD’s sofa and wet on SIL. She has NOT been invited back (?) so we just keep loving them AND sleeping with them!
Judy says
Have you seen the dachshund quilt? It’s amazing how little critters worm their way into your heart and then can get away with anything, isn’t it? Speck is a cutie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a multi-colored dachshund before.
Gwen says
How do all dachshunds know when it’s 10 PM? Everyone we have had has been ready for someone to go to bed with them right then! LOL, Gwen
Ms. Jan says
I love dogs, but way back when I knew some people who let their dog sleep in bed with them and I was grossed out. Then I met my hubby, whose Mini Schnauzer slept with him, and eventually me. Now, 13 years later, nobody is sure who owns the bed and when they are ready to go to bed, it is danged well time and we better step lively.
Love your stories Judy!
Jane Ann says
I’m a recovering dachsie owner. Over the years my family and I have owned 8 between us–red, black & tan, and long-haired. But I finally realized they bark incessantly, aren’t always the friendliest of pets, and are the biggest beggars this side of the rescue mission! (Mine were especially fond of the adorable sitting-up on the hind legs stance.) But I can love Speck from afar, can’t I?
meggie says
I was the one who said no dog would sleep on or in, my bed. Hah! How much did I know?
Mary says
I know another spoiled fella and boy is he glad to be home tonight. He’s been sleeping in his crate since his surgery and I’ve had to spend many nights on the floor beside him because he was so unhappy about not being in the bed. Tonight, he’s sleeping quietly and I hope he stays that way!