Lots And Lots of Snow - December 18, 2008

Holy cow, snow in Seattle. Well we get it sometimes, but not usually in feet. We have at least 10 inches in our Bellevue back yard and more up at island house. It started last Saturday. We were at island house and got about 5 inches there. It was very cold outside and when we weren't running in the yard getting it all over our fur, we were piled on the couch in front of the wood stove, trying to stay warm.


I love to tunnel in the stuff and see if there's anything under there that I need to catch. Mom's been bugging me because I like to bring what I find into the house. I guess I still don't get the
inside and outside toy thing yet. But hey, I think
I should get better soon. Today's my one year
birthday and we're going back up to island house tomorrow. I hope there's cake.

Dad had to run up on Tuesday because our friend
Kathy (you know, Dolly's mom) said the water wasn't running right. There was nothing frozen but we think the pump is messed up. Hopefully we can get it fixed. Mom can't live without her showers.

We were up there a couple of weeks ago for Thanksgiving. The weather was cool, but not freezing. Here's Dolly in her little tie died coat. It's cotton though, so I don't thinks it's very warm.
Mom took gobs of pictures of everything with snow all over it. So here are some pics of the pond and ducks. I gotta run so I can pack and get ready to leave tomorrow.
















Merry Christmas,
Dash

Another Island Weekend - November 1, 2008

Well Kate and I wanted to make sure we didn't get left behind, so we sat on the pillows and crates waiting for mom to load them in the car. We sure love our island weekends, even if they are way too short. Mom and dad ordered a new dog door and made a new area for us just off the car port so we can be out of the rain and have a bigger area to play with our friends, like Dolly here. Mom loves to give her raspberries on her belly and we run and play all day long, inside and outside. She's almost a part of our family it seems, we are sad when she has to go home.




We have a new flock of ducks that are making the pond their home. Mom loves ducks so she won't let us chase them like we did the geese. They don't make as big of a mess in the field and they never come up by the house. The rains have started and we are hoping the pond will fill up more now, it has dropped almost four feet since we bought this new place and I'm worried about the fish. Mom says it's plenty deep in the middle, but you never know.



The quiet is so peaceful and we had a wonderful visitor this weekend. Our neighbors, two properties to the west, have a nesting eagle, and he (she) stopped in to check out the fishing. Mom got some great pictures. He just landed with his feet in the water at the edge of the pond and surveyed the quiet surface - just waiting for anything to jump. Nothing did. I think our fish are too smart. But he sat there for quite a while, then quietly lifted off the waters edge and flew around the field, checking for mice. The resident hawks chased him away, but it was fun to watch him hunt. My ophthalmologist says they have such good eyesight because they have two maculas. That's the area of the interior eye where the optic nerve comes through. I wonder if they have two of those as well. Hmm. I'll have to ask.









Well, I will leave you with another wonderful island sunset. We sure love to sit on the deck and watch old Sol go down. I'm actually staying with my uncle Fred this week, since Elektra's in season. She is my dog mom after all. I'll update you when I get back.

Later,
Dash

October 23, 2008 - My First Swim

You read it right, I took my first swim. I don't know what I was thinking. Dad took us all out in a boat on the pond for the first time. Elektra didn't like it, so dad had to drop her and mom off at the dock. I guess I was just trying to get to them or something. I'm a puppy and sometimes I don't know why I do things, I just do. It wasn't that bad, but it sure was a surprise. It's a good thing it was a sunny day.

We came up a couple weeks ago to work on the dirt and mom was so excited because the geese are gone. No more goose poo on the carport or the yard. They were fun to chase though and I sort of miss their squawking. Apparently uncle Bert just told a bunch of people and they decided to come collect their Christmas goose early. Anyway, the Canada goose is still there, all alone, but who knows how long he will stay.

We had this cool looking crane stop in on Saturday morning, but dad was glad he didn't stay too long. I guess he likes fish in a big way, so it would have messed up our fishing time if he had eaten too many of them. There were loads of red wing blackbirds as well, flitting about in the reeds and playing tag with one another. The ducks are still in residence as well, and mom is glad about that. She has a special place in her heart for ducks, but don't ask me why. They don't fetch and you can't pet them.

I was really cold when we woke up in the mornings and we all wore coats. Mom had a bunch specially made for us by Designer Doggie Wear in Kirkland. I don't have one yet, but I think I will soon, the weather is starting to get nippy.

Friday and Saturday were "dirt days". First the grader guy came in and made everything flat and even. Then uncle Ber came over the top of it and used his rock picker to get a bunch of the rocks up. You ought to see the piles he made all over the place. If you want rocks, feel free to come by island house and get them. We have lots.




After the grading and rock picking, dad and Tim went around with the push seeder and seeded the whole thing. This was followed by ripping apart hay bales and tossing hay over the top to keep the seed on the ground and help keep it moist. We are going back up there tonight so it will be interesting to see if any of the little grass has sprouted. It was about 2 acres when all was said and done. Mom and dad were sore all week after.














The whole weekend was topped off by my leap into the pond and aunt Lilly jumping out of the boat with her leash on. Of course she ran for the blackberry brambles where all the bunnies hang out so that she could get them.
Unfortunately all she did was chase them out, then got caught in the bramble. It took mom and dad an hour to cut her out, beating with sticks and using the big weed eater. Dad broke the line and the plastic blades before the job was all done. In spite of the cut on her tail, she wanted to go back in after the bunnies as soon as they got her out. I don't get it, it's all pickery in there. Mom was all scratched up too, from climbing in after her. Then there was the combing and shaving part to get the pickers out of Lilly's fur. She hates to be groomed, but I bet it won't stop her from trying to go back in there.

Well, I gotta run. We have a little more house cleaning to do in Bellevue house before we can leave. I'll just leave you with a great picture of Mount Baker. Snow has already fallen for this year. Looks like the skiers will have a great time.

See ya,
Dash

Busy Busy - September 22, 2008

We have been way too busy, and I don't like it. Mom and dad are working hard to get our Bellevue house to sell, and there hasn't been any time to play or go out to the island. They emptied out the attic this last weekend - talk about a load of stuff. They made two trips to the dump - over 200 lbs. Yikes. People sure collect alot of stuff.

A couple of weeks ago the Cascade Dachshund club had thier fall Earthdog test. Dad and granny Mitzi ran with auntie Jean and Phinney in the Master class on Sunday. Mitzi didn't do so well on that day, but the day before - her first time ever, she passed and got her first Master leg - it takes 4 to get title.

We all had lots of fun hanging out at the island house and chasing the geese when we weren't at the trial. I sure hope I get to hunt the rats some day. I liked chasing the geese off the lawn, so I'm sure I'll like the tunnel and sniffing for the rats. We're supposed to go to a Field Trial in a couple of weeks, but with all the busyness, I don't know if it will happen. I want to learn how to track bunnies too.









Well, I guess this one's going to be a short post. I just wanted to let you know, that we work lots on training. Learning how to be good dogs and not mess in the house. The potty thing is a challenge right now because the weather's changed and Dachshunds hate to get their feet wet - unless they're hunting something - so sometimes I'm bad and don't go outside. Mom has lots of resources for that sort of thing and the links are in the side bar to the right if you want to check them out. Me? I just want to have fun. Well, I gotta run. Here's a great sunset picture from our island house.

Se you later,
Dash

September 1, 2008 - Montana

We just returned from a fun trip to Montana. Before that it was dog shows galore and mom never had any time to tell you what we've been up to. I was so glad when I found out we were going to get 4 whole days to be off somewhere new, without a judge checking my boy parts. I still got petted and snuggled lots. I met my dad's sister, Peg. She came all the way out to our friends, the Hodges' place in Montana to pick up a puppy and hang out with my human pack. Maine is where my granny Mitzi and auntie Lilly were born and where the best lobster in the world comes from - at least that's what mom says. I never got to eat any of it. I also met lots of new dog friends, this is Elektra - she has the same name as my dog mom, but her face is all bristly. She was lots of fun to play with. We drove most of the night last Thursday and got there at 2:00 in the morning - Montana time. Boy is it dark out there, you can see the whole Milky Way without any interference from city lights.

In the morning we got up way too early - that's what mom said anyway - and went for a long walk with a bunch more of our new friends. This is a typical morning ritual at Teckelwood Farm and the process is repeated several times with different bunches of dogs. You can see, it's a major wiener fest, but the neighbors love to wave and honk when they see us all in the road.
Granny Mitzi and auntie Lilly love this part of our stay the best because the smells are so interesting and there's lots of things to hunt in the long grass in the ditches. Also, there's so much activity around the pond and the streams - geese, ducks, swallows and pollywogs (whatever those are).

The other thing there are lots of, besides Dachshunds, is the cows. That's the main reason we went, so mom and dad could get some cow meat. We pulled a trailer behind the van with a freezer on it to keep the 162 lbs of beef and some Montana Huckleberry ice cream, frozen on the trip home. Mom, dad and auntie Peg helped uncle Rae with his fall round-up and moved the herd out to another pasture way far away. That was nice because then they didn't wake me up with all their mooing so early in the morning. Auntie Jennifer from our Dachshund club came along too and they all rode the horses every day, which makes me really glad I'm a dog.

Dad took granny Mitzi with him in the mule a couple of times. The mule is sort of an upscale golf cart with an small pick-up like back end. It worked great for rounding up the horses every morning, hauling mineral blocks out to the cows and going ahead of the riders to open gates. Then dad would close them behind and nobody had to get off the horses. Did I tell you I'm really glad I'm a dog. Anyway, granny Mitzi got to have a short ride with mom on a nice horse named Lady. She was a little unsure about the whole thing and when Lady started tossing her head, granny Mitzi just grabbed chunks of her main and pulled on it to tell her to stop. Mom said it didn't really work much but it was worth a try.

We sure had lots of fun with our Montana friends at Teckelwood Farm, but I'm glad we've had a day to rest up before mom and dad go back to work. Kate and I are helping with laundry so I gotta go.

Later,
Dash

July 27, 2008 - An Island Weekend

Well, mom's way behind in writing for me again. You just can't get good help these days. Last week we left on Thursday after the humans got home from work, and headed up to our "Island House" on Whidbey. We are really starting to like it there and hope our Bellevue house sells soon so we can be there all the time. We had gotten as far as the "Res", where dad stopped for gas. Mom looked out her window and screamed, "Oh my God!" Then ran off with her camera.

I guess the "Man In The Moon" was making his arrival ever present, with an awesome show over the Cascade mountains. She took way too many pictures. Dad kept telling her to stop and get back in the car but she said, "I can't. Look at the light, it just keeps changing." Anyway here are a few shots for you to look at as it rose in it's pinky-golden light above the peaks.

Too bad it was getting dark or the detail would have been better. As it was, mom was using the telephoto and a slower shutter speed to capture this event. By the time we got to the house, it was pretty much pitch black, but mom wanted to see if she could take some pictures down by the pond. They were neat, but it was so dark that the moon detail was non-existent, but the clouds looked way cool and she even got some lens flare from the moon light.

The next morning a flock of geese decided to wake everyone up at the crack of dawn. We all started barking when we heard them, which didn't help the mood in the house. I think it was only about 5:00 and we hadn't gotten to bed until after 11:00.

But these are pretty fun creatures to watch. They nest in the fields at night and during the day (wish mom would let us chase them) and then come down to the pond in the early morning and at dusk to swim and eat bugs. We couldn't quite figure out why there was a Canada goose with this bunch, but I guess geese don't discriminate, so there you go. Too bad humans aren't more like them.






Our friends Marti and Tessa came along too, so that was lots of fun. Tessa spoiled Cedar a ton, I don't think her feet touched the ground much all weekend. Marti makes a great fouton and let us pile with her on the couch when we were just hanging out and doing nothing - which wasn't very
much of the time.


















Dad put a new dog door in the front and we ran in and out all weekend watching Marti mow the lawn - she loves the riding mower and it's good training for when she gets a car. Dad says he's glad he doesn't have to teach her to drive. I can't believe how fast she could get the mower going - she had it on the rabbit setting I'm sure. Dad and our friend uncle Mike built a brand new display box for picture taking at the Dachshund specialty on August 15th. I hope I do well enough in the show to get my picture taken on it.

The other thing we did was go fishing. The mosquitos were not nice, but we managed. Mom caught a small blue gill, but she threw it back as it was too small to eat. We all went for a walk around the pond on Sunday before we left and my dog mom, Elektra fell in. Luckily Marty was quick to pull her out. She didn't get too wet and didn't even smell bad afterwards. Well, it's dinner time, so I gotta run.

See you later,
Dash

My First Show - July 1, 2008

Well, here I am at my first ever AKC show this past weekend. As you can see, I was a bit nervous about the strange man checking out my butt. I guess they want to make sure you have all your "boy parts" for use later on - whatever that means. It was way hot and we laid around in our cages under the awning to stay cool in between classes. I got a 3rd place on Saturday and a 2nd place on Sunday.





Here's my uncle Fred with Marti - he beat me and got Winner's Dog on Saturday, getting his first points toward his championship. Mom and auntie Tamara were so excited they cried. On Sunday, my uncle BJ won the class so at least we are keeping it all in the family. BJ is my daddy dog's brother and lives with Nana Kathy an Papa Mike in Lynnwood.


The best part was staying at our soon to be, new home out on Whidbey Island. Mom and dad bought 15 acres for us to run and hunt on. It has a huge 3 acre pond with fish and everything. There's an older modular home there, but we will be building a new house on this spot with a great view of the pond and the Olympic mountains. There's lots of bunnies to track too.

When we got home we all ran in the big yard then came inside and passed out on the couch. So did mom and dad come to think of it.

Well, gotta run. We're going up to Whidbey again for the 4th of July and I have lots of napping to do before we go - I never get much of that done up there. It's way too exciting.

Later,
Dash

Sun Bathing - June 15, 2008

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood - I heard that somewhere. Sunny Seattle - huh? Well it happens on occasion and today is one of those days. It's Father's Day and my daddy dog is with his family up north. I've not really seen much of him, but should in the near future. His name's Tucker and he lives with our friends, Mike and Kathy in Lynnwood. I hear that we may go head to head in the show ring and Nana Kathy says I look better than him - we'll see what the judges think. Anyway, back to the sun. Woohoo, here I am with granny Mitzi, basking in the yard. It's so warm and we love to roll in the grass and get all dirty.



My momma dog, Elektra takes sun bathing very seriously. She likes to lay near the fence to get the warming effect off the boards. And here's Cedar. Remember when you were a kid and you'd jump out of the pool and head for the warm cement to lay and dry off? That's Cedar - she likes the warmth and reflective powers of the tops on the septic tank. Go figure.




Then there's auntie Lilly and cousin Kaitlyn.
They hang out indoors on the comfy bed in the
computer room with mom. I think it's just because they want to be closer to any food that might appear on the desk if mom goes for a snack. They don't know what they're missing.


Well, I gotta run. Dad's gonna mow and I love to help.

See ya,
Dash

Show Time - June 13, 2008

Well it's been a fun couple of weeks. Last weekend, my uncle Fred and my aunt Kaitlyn were at the Puyallup dog show. Our friend Marti was doing the showing and I got to go along to watch how it's done and get lots of treats. Here's Marti with Fred - they got Reserve Winners in the Bred By Exhibitor class.

Just today, they took me, Elektra (my dog mom), and granny Mitzi to the Sirius Dog Festival in Seattle. There was a fun match there, just like a show but it's really just practice for the real thing. It was my turn today, and since I'm still not 6 months old until Thursday, mom showed me in the under age puppy class. I guess the judges liked me because I got first in my class, Best of Breed and first place in the Hound group for puppies. Here's me with mom, my friend Tessa and all the toys I got. The best part was the treats though.

Well, I'm going to cut this short because I've been up all day and missed my naps.

See ya,
Dash