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

Tally Ho! - June 2, 2008

This last weekend, mom and dad loaded us all up in the RV and we sat in the window watching big trucks and cars go by for 3 hours on the way to Castle Rock. It was a long trip, but I liked it.



"It's All About The Bunny" or at least, that's what I'm told. I attended my first field trial this last weekend. It's actually interesting to watch grown adults wander around with sticks, whack the bushes and shout "Tally Ho" at the top of their lungs. That means they've sited a rabbit, BTW. Then the person who saw it, tells the judges where it went and they bring up two dogs that track the bunny off leash. The dog that stays truest to the line is the winner of that brace. It takes awhile to do a whole group of dogs so I got to experience nature and eat bunny poop.



This is what mom got to look at as we walked along.










This is what I saw, but it was OK.










My Auntie Lilly got second place in the Field Champion class and cousin Kaitlyn got 4th in the girl's class. We all got really dirty and had lots of fun. Some day I hope to be a hunter too.

Oh, speaking of Hunter, he finally went to his forever home with our friends Amy and Greg in Redmond. He's really happy there.

Well, I gotta cut this short, because mom's calling us for dinner and I never skip a meal.

Later,
Dash

WooHoo - May 18, 2008

Did you know Dachshunds do Agility? OMG, it's amazing. I went to a trial yesterday to watch my granny, Mitzi. It was like 90 degrees and we hung out in an X-pen under this awning. Mom and auntie Tamara hosed us down every so often - I really didn't like that part. We saw so many dogs playing around on these really big toys. Everything from huge labs to a tiny little Papillion named Tigger - boy could he run. My granny Mitzi wasn't quite as fast, but it was only her second trial and she got 1st in her Jumps With Weaves class. That means she qualified and has one leg - she needs three for a title. Here she is with my dad and also practicing at Argus Ranch.

Well it's another gorgeous day here in Seattle, so I gotta run and nap in the sun.

Later,
Dash

May 16, 2008

It's been a bit since I posted. We went to an Earthdog test a couple weeks ago and my granny Mitzi earned her Senior Earthdog Title.


For those of you who don't know what that is I'll tell you. Dachshunds were basically bred to "go to ground" after badgers. I know they're bigger, but we don't know we're smaller, so there you are. The Dachshund chases the badger into his tunnel, corners him and barks loudly (that's the fun part) until the dog's owner digs him (and the badger) up. Earthdog is the closest approximation to that. The test consists of a 30 foot tunnel, with two 90 degree bends, that is 10 inches or so underground. The dog is timed as he navigates the tunnel, and finds the end where there are rats in a cage, behind thick dowels. We bark at the rats or dig for a specified amount of time depending on the level. There are thee levels in Earthdog - Junior, Senior and Master. You can learn more from my friends at the Puget Sound Earthdog Club




My aunt Lilly is a Master, but she'd really rather track bunnies.

My cousin Archer went to his new home yesterday and has a new friend, Roscoe, that he hangs out with. So here's Hunter all by himself -we play as much as possible. He hopes to find a new home soon though.






Hey, the sun's out! Perfect time to bask on the deck with the pack. See ya later.

Dash