Oscar

Vince really wants to change his name to Roscoe. We used to call the little rooster named Roscoe “Houdini” because no matter which coop we put him in, he escaped. Little Oscar is about as bad.

We have a folding wooden “fence” that we had bought to put at the top of the stairs. We knew it wasn’t real secure but it was mostly to keep Rita from accidentally falling down the stairs. When she bumps into things, she goes around them. Of course, Oscar can see what’s on the other side and he’s determined to bull doze his way through.

Yesterday we sat down at the breakfast room table to eat. I had my back to the open area and Vince said “There he is!” It was Oscar. He had moved the fence and came up the stairs to be with us. I wish I could have seen him going up the stairs. He’s still so small. He had to hop up onto each step, one at a time. Stairs and dachshund backs do not mix well so the stairs will always be off limits for him so we’ll have to use a regular puppy gate. I had hoped not to have to do that because often I’m going up and down the stairs with an armload of stuff and cannot stop to unlatch a gate whereas I could just bump the other one and move it so I could pass but . . so could Oscar!

I told Vince I’d get a little stand and put there at the base of the stairs against the wall and I can sit my load on that and open the gate to go down or up, then retrieve my load.

I talk a lot about how much trouble puppies are but the joy . . the trouble is nothing compared to the joy of having him. This is the scene ever night. Oscar gets sleepy and while Vince is still downstairs, he ends up holding Oscar. Once Vince goes to bed, Oscar flips over his bed and crawls on top of it.

All day he will get in that bed with it right side up but at night, he wants it upside down. Funny.