Today was a lovely warm day and we took the Dackel Princess 4 out in the back yard to play. I hope you enjoy this short video and that it makes you smile, just a little. Have a great weekend everyone!
Category: Anneliese
The Worst Is Over & Other Exciting Things
The worst is over and Hubby and I are on the mend. We both actually ate “real” food today, and started to regain our health. I went out and got my hair done, picked up the mail and Hubby actually got out of bed and put on clothes. He even took care of the puppies while I was gone. Of course he had the help of Fritz and Greta with the puppies so he wasn’t completely alone.
I arrived back from my “dip in the fountain of youth” to find a hungry Hubby and four hungry dogs. I put on my apron and “whipped” up an easy meal for Hubby and then fed all four dogs. Then the fun began as I tried to get the two puppies to do all their business outside.
Anneliese is pretty easy, in that when you bring her out she knows why she is there and will usually perform. Although she will often not perform all her business during one outing. Two, I can handle. Arnie on the other hand is still a bit of a dumb bunny. He will head for the newspapers in the puppy room and I will call to him. I’ll race outside with him and he will then stand there looking at me like I am the one who should be doing something. So we come back in and two seconds later he runs out toward the puppy room. I race after him, and run outside (grabbing my coat, hat and gloves) only to have him stare at me blankly again. I bring him back in and just as my fanny is hitting the seat he runs back to the puppy room.
I jump up as if shot out of a cannon, and race outside with him again. This time I forget my hat and gloves but I have the flashlight and can walk further out into the doggie poop mine field with my puppy. I finally help him find just the right spot and he goes! Woo-hoo!!! Then there are Milk Bones given all around in celebration.
I worry that I am truly insane trying to raise two pups at the same time. Then I look down in my lap at the two faces of the pups sleeping there and I realize that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Rain Came Tumbling Down And Other Things
Our big snow storm of Sunday night, turned into rain while I slept. 3 or 4 or 5 inches of rain! It has washed away all of the snow and created giant puddles in our yard. Puddles so deep that Anneliese and Arnie hate to go outside as the rain water touches their bellies!
I was listening to the news and heard that a mud slide had happened in the southern part of the state, very near my daughter’s condo. My daughter’s home is on a HILL! I called her to make sure she was fine and also her home. She is, and so is her home, although there will be a detour for her to use to get home for a while.
Meanwhile, it rained here all day. The wind blew, the rains poured down and each time I took Anneliese and Arnie out I got soaked. I actually changed my clothes three times before finally giving up on staying dry.
My flu returned and I started to run a fever just as Hubby’s fever broke. I have warned him to stay away from me so we do not keep passing this thing back and forth. We did have a little appetite tonight and had french toast for dinner. (**A short note here, we never eat breakfast for dinner. It’s against Hubby’s religion or something, so this was a first. Me? I could eat breakfast at every meal. I LOVE breakfast!**)
Our little Anneliese is feeling the pains of being the smallest member of our family. I’m not letting her dwell on it and I am encouraging her to see herself as a big dog!
Of course she will, always be, my little baby girl!
Nor’easters, Stomach Flu’s And Pups
Okay, so Hubby and I are just about dead this weekend. Apparently the flu shot we got in October didn’t cover the stomach flu that has spread across New England. Since I am the one without a raging fever, I was sent to the store for the important items like Coca Cola, Ginger Ale, chicken broth, beef broth, bread for cinnamon toast and saltine crackers.
We both have lived on Pepto Bismol tablets and as I also have the incredible good luck of having a migraine, I have been taking Tylenol. I’ve got to tell you that I truly have had better days.
To top off all this “wonderfulness”, we are in the middle of a classic New England Nor’easter! Yes, the snow is coming down heavily, and sticking and well, just making a terrible mess! Nothing like a big snow storm to make you feel good when you have the flu!
This is the great State of New Hampshire. The blue you can see on this radar image is SNOW! The darker the blue the heavier the snow.
My own back yard.
Just when I had given up hope of feeling at all well today, Fritz and the puppies started playing and I was able to snap a few good pictures. You can see how much he loves the puppies and how much they love him.
Anneliese, Fritz and Arnie
Anneliese and Fritz
Arnie, Fritz and Anneliese
Arnie,Anneliese and Fritz
So now I will crawl under a blanket and try to stay warm and get well.
Wish me luck.
18 Weeks (or 4 months old)
Can you believe it? The puppies are 18 weeks old! They’ve grown so much and are becoming proper doggies.
Anneliese is 10 1/2 pounds now and she is 95% house trained. I refuse to say she is 100% house trained because that would simply jinx the entire production! Anneliese is a cuddler. She will climb on top of whomever is my lap, and settle in. She took her first nap with me today and I found out that she was a fantastic little sleeper.
Two week old Anneliese with her head on her brother Arnie.
Anneliese today
Arnie is 13 1/2 pounds and he is probably 65% house trained. I can’t even tell you how much better he is doing (I have stopped calling him a dumb bunny!) but there are times he runs in and uses the news paper in the puppy room before I can scoot him outside. He is gentle and sweet and loves to be cuddled right up next to me in the chair. Each and every day I am thankful that Arnie ended up staying with us.
Arnie at two weeks.
Arnie today
It has gone so quickly and I can’t believe how very much “in love” I am with these two, nor can I believe how different they are in personality.
Today we also had our first family nap. I have a touch of the stomach flu and have not been feeling too well. I lay down on the sofa and one by one I was joined by the dachshund group.
I found that the sofa is a little small for all these bodies, perhaps it’s time to buy a sectional sofa or perhaps one of those extra wide chaise lounges! I have a feeling that this was the first of many naps that we all will enjoy together.
Playtime In Dackel Princess Land
Puppy Pediatrician Day
It was baby day at the Puppy Pediatrician’s today. The puppies went to the Vets for their booster shots and check ups. Arnie weighed in at a whopping 12 pounds and Anneliese was 9 1/2 pounds. She is the petite one.
The puppies were examined by Dr. Chris, who was the Vet who delivered them back in December. For a variety of reasons, we haven’t seen him since then. We usually see his wife, Dr. Julie or their associate, Dr. Rich. He was really happy to see these two and enjoyed the play time during their examinations. Both came through with flying colors, and were given their shots. They got their flea and tick medications for the season and they got their heart worm medications as well, and then we were out of there.
I had to go and get the mail before we came home and naturally I brought the puppies into the Post Office with me. They are mini celebrities in my little home town. It was a light mail day and then I came home. I walked the pups, and when I came in they both went over to their room and wanted to go in. I put them inside and the next thing I knew, they were both sound asleep.
Anneliese
Arnie
The exhaustion lasted about 2 hours and now they are back to their usual puppy selves. It’s great to see them running around having a good time.
PS: Shhhhhh. Don’t tell Arnie, but he actually made my day today when he pooped outside for the first time. I’m so proud!
Rainy Days And Mondays
Rain.
Do you know how tough it is to house train puppies when it is raining? Especially when those very same puppies do not like being wet!
Monday it rained almost all day. I kept taking Anneliese and Arnie out with hopes of great things, and with Anneliese I got pretty good results, but with Arnie, well, not so much. He looks at me with those big raisin eyes, that question me, as if he is saying, “Now what do you want from me?” I try to be patient, I walk around and around, but no luck. I bring him in, put him on the newspaper and immediately he goes. I’m starting to think he enjoys reading while he poops!
I believe Anneliese will be trained long before my boy Arnie. Oh well, he is a sweet boy even if he is a little bit of a dumb bunny! Will someone pass the comic section of the newspaper….
We bought the dachshunds a new bed. The circular one we had before is on it’s last legs. I recently washed the cover and noticed that it was just about thread bare. The puppies aren’t quite sure what to do with the new bed. They dive into it with wild abandon and roll around against the plush cover. Even Greta likes the new bed and currently we are leaving the bed out in the family room for her. After all, being a mother earns her a certain place on the doggy totem pole.
Speaking of Mommy Greta, someone asked me if I intended to show Greta now that she has been a Mommy. I had to laugh and remind them, that although there are many beautiful Mommies out there, after they have had 5 big babies you usually don’t want to enter them in a beauty contest with a swimsuit competition! LOL
Life In A Kennel
Hubby pointed out the other day that now that we are a four dog family, things have become much like life in a kennel. Our days are falling into a pattern of up with the birds (or should I say puppies), and to sleep at dusk.
The puppies are learning how to act and they are getting more and more potty trained each day. They play almost all day and naps are going by the wayside. Shucks. I need my sleep!
Mr. Fritzi is getting used to the babies and I think he actually likes them. He will sit in front of my chair and looks quite at peace. And when they lean down and kiss his nose I think he actually likes it.
Anneliese, Arnie and Mr Fritz.
I think Hubby is enjoying them too. He will sit over on the sofa with all the dogs and talk to them, teach the smaller ones to look out the window and laugh at their antics.
Me? Well, I feel like a new mother. I’m a bit sleep deprived, I am on my feet most of the day and I am trying desperately to keep up with two toddler puppies. Wish I could diaper them, it would save me the carpet cleaning and the rushed trips out to the back yard.
But I am happy. Happy with my little dog family and Hubby. I know once the puppies are house trained, life will become so much easier. In the meantime, I will enjoy the beautiful faces and loving looks.
My Sweet Anneliese
The End Of The Day
Thursday was one of those incredibly busy days. Both Hubby and I had appointments with his knee surgeon. I wanted to have him look over my knee as well as the MRI and get his opinion.
His opinion was that he sees a tear in the meniscus. The MRI was not clear enough to tell how big of a tear, and right now he wants to give it a few more weeks so that the Medial Collateral Ligament has a chance to completely heal. Then we will assess how the meniscus is.
Hubby is the real star patient of our family. Two knee replacements and he is back to skiing and walking everywhere and basically, he is the Poster Child for knee replacement surgery.
We returned to the house to find all the doggies happy to see us, and got them all outside for a nice play session, before bringing them in. And because so many of you asked, here are a few pictures of my beautiful babies.
And his little sister Anneliese
And now as the day ends and I sit down to watch a little TV I thought you would enjoy seeing what my chair looks like a great deal of the time.
