For the past year I cook the Dachshunds chicken and pumpkin dog food.  It is extremely healthy for them and has enough fiber to help with the anal glads which Odie has a problem with.

It is a real simple recipe where I place two frozen chicken breasts purchased in bulk from Costco and add in a half-pound of frozen squash and cook on high for about 15 minutes.

The food comes out steaming hot and takes about 5 minutes for it to cool of before the dogs can eat it.  So I prepare it and leave it out on the counter top to cool but Chloe starts barking and Odie starts whining and Molly eventually chimes in.

It’s not too bad of a dish if you add some salt and pepper for yourself.

Odie decided to try his “ear” at painting today.  Somehow he dipped his right ear into a can of latex paint and decided to paint the carpet and couch and my wife.  My wife didn’t know about it cause she was taking a nap on the couch and of course the paint got all over her too.

Odie is simply a fantastic artist for a dog!

At the Vet yesterday, I was reminded with a pamphlet that some of the plants in our garden are not safe for our Dachshunds.   Many of the plants are very toxic to dogs and some are toxic to cats.  While we don’t have a cat anymore, the neighborhood cats do visit our yard even if it is a short time before our dogs chase them away.

Oleander

We have many Oleander bushes/trees around the house and we’re always cleaning up after flowers and leafs that continually fall off.  When we play outside with the dogs, we throw the ball in the opposite direction of the Oleanders towards the Sago Palm.  Some symptoms that your dog may have eating parts of an Oleander are:

• Severe vomiting
• Abnormal heart rate
• Weakness
• Shock
• Death

Sago Palm

Our single Sago Palm lies at the end path where the ball lands.  I didn’t even know that this plant was dangerous to our Dachshunds.  Sago Palm toxicity may include:

• Vomiting
• Bloody stools
• Liver failure
• Stomach lining damage
• Death

Tulip and Daffodil Bulbs

The Dachshund is a good digger with strong front legs that were breed to root out Badgers in Germany.  I often worried that our dogs would dig a hole and get out under the fence.  But they never have and have not “rooted” in our Tulip and Daffodil patch.   Lucky for us, these bulbs are toxic to dogs and may cause:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Abnormal heart rate
• Changes in respiration

Azalea

Odie and Molly always eat the grass/weeds around one of our many Azalea bushes.  Who knows if they’re eating part of the Azalea while chomping down on a leaf?  At least they don’t have these symptoms:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Neurological signs
• Heart arrhythmias

We often wonder why our dogs occasionally get sick.  Perhaps our yard is not “pet safe” as we thought it was.  You may want to check around your house to see just how safe it is for your pet.  Please visit http://petpoisonhelpline.com or talk to your Vet for more information.

I really love the convenience of Dog Waste Bags!  They are packaged in a small roll of 15 bags that you can place in your back jeans pocket or just carry them.  They even have holders that you can insert the bags into and clip them onto your dog’s collar or leash.

I’m reluctant to buy a dog poop bag dispenser simply because if I attach it to one of my Dachshunds, the dispenser would over power the little dogs and they would end up dragging it on the ground.

If you remember a while back, I found some cheap dog poop bags and Tuesday Morning.  I believe that I got 60 bags for about $3 or about a nickle a bag. Each roll tends to last about a month and I was able to make the bags last into January.

During January, I had to resort to the zip lock bags, so our dachshunds didn’t get to go on very many walks.  (It’s been a cold wet winter here in Southern Calif. so we didn’t need to use them to often anyway.)   But with spring arriving, the somewhat warmer weather, I had to go out and buy some more bags.

I’ve gotta admit that I’m cheap or perhaps thrifty, but I don’t like to pay full price for anything especially at pet stores.  So I started shopping around for some bargains and found that eBay was about the best place to buy bags.

But you have to realize that you sometimes have to buy in bulk to get really good prices. So I bid on some 28 rolls of bags and ended up paying around $12.  The seller had free shipping and didn’t charge tax so it was a good buy.  Now we have 28 rolls of dog waste bags that should last a few years.

612 DOG WASTE PICK UP POOP CLEAN BAGS/REFILLS&DISPENSER US $20.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:33:46 PDT Add to watch list

1800 BIO. PET DOG WASTE POOP BAGS & REFILLS + DISPENSER US $41.79 End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:33:26 PDT Add to watch list

2020 BIO.DOG WASTE POOP BAGS & REFILLS + FREE DISPENSER US $47.25 End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:55:30 PDT Add to watch list

1520 BIO.PET DOG WASTE POOP BAGS & FREE DISPENSER blue US $39.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 1:31:15 PDT Add to watch list

2 Rolls Pet Dog Waste Clean Pick Up Poop Bags - Blue US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 5:38:42 PDT Add to watch list

Clean Go Pet Replacement Dog Waste Bags 3pk Purple Dots US $3.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 5:45:09 PDT Add to watch list

Dog Waste Bags Carrier Don't Hold Poop. Doody Dangler R US $5.49 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 7:03:49 PDT Add to watch list

My wife and I are always popping our head into pet stores to see if they have Dachshund Puppies.   They’re always cute at that age and we can only imagine what it is like if we got a fourth puppy in the house.

You are probably thinking that we’re crazy, but I’m afraid you are wrong and that after our three go onto their happy hunting ground to chase kitties in the life after, we won’t be getting any more puppies.

It’s not like we don’t like Dachshunds, we just want to enjoy our later years without the companionship only a Dachshund can give you — lots of love and puppy kisses.  Plus, if our Dachshunds live up to their full potential of 25 years, we’ll be into our retirement age.  It’s just getting a little late in our life to get another dog.

I believe the root of the problem is that, like children, they’re sort of tied to you.  With three of them, it makes it difficult to get away on a vacation without adequate planning or having a house sitter over for a week or two.

Once we get down to one or two, I believe that we will take an extended vacation with our lucky dogs, whichever are the last two surviving.  I know that is kind of grim, but traveling with three of them is nearly impossible and I don’t even want to think about which two are the lucky dogs.

So I can only imagine what life would be like without our Dachshunds.  Pretty sad since they are fantastic companions.  But at some point in time future we are going to see some cute Dachshund puppies and have to remind ourselves that he is for another nice young family who can give him a good home.

It’s been raining here in Dachshund land for the past four days… and you need to make every effort to find the right time to let your dogs out to potty…

Their usuual schedule is right when we wake up — or when they wake us up — right before we go off to work and the many times during the evening when we’re home.

But what about when it’s raining. Schedules are all messed up and dachshunds are afraid of getting wet and simply run outside to get muddy paws and not do the business they’re suppose to.   I end up wet ’cause I have to go outside with them to make sure that they actually did something.  Multiply that x3 and I get the wettest because you know they have to go out one-by-one…

So how do you know when it’s time to let your dogs out when it’s raining?  It’s so simple, you just check the WunderMap Radar Weather Map for the 3doxies and you just wait until it’s not raining over your house.

Today it was 5:18AM when there was a large pocket of blue-gray skys with a slight mist that the radar was not picking up.  We had to move fast and Miss Sleepy Head Chloe was not going to get out of bed.  No way.  Odie who was up 1/2 hour early did the in and out thing since he was just at the tail end of the rain.   He managed to hold it until the front passed by.

I cannot vouch for Molly but she can hold on for a while… and for the looks of it, she’ll have to wait for a least another hour to potty until this next front passes by…

If you happen to own Dachshunds and you were wondering about buying a Snuggie for your dog, you may want to read the Snuggie for Dogs Review.  The review examines the Snuggie featuring Odie as the test subject and model.

I don’t want to spoil the review, but Odie likes his Snuggie.  Because he is a typical skinny short hair dachshund, the Snuggie works really well for him.

However, I don’t think I would get one for the girls since they are long haired and don’t really need the extra warmth in our mild Southern California weather.

But if you happen to have a long-haired dog, look at the next size up or at least measure your Dachshund first to get the proper sizing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the review as much as Odie enjoys his Snuggie!

If this is a true statement – “Small Dog Beds are for Dachshunds” – why do our dogs chose to sleep in the largest bed in the house?  It’s because, it their bed and not our bed. So, this year, we’re planning to “wiener” our Dachshunds from our King sized bed into their own individual small dog beds.

What makes a really good bed for dogs to sleep in?

Dogs naturally sleep in a curled position with their nose tucked between their legs for warmth and security, so a round bed should provide the most comfort for them.  They also like to lay with their back next to something for the additional snuggly warmth and security.

This is why Odie loves to sleep under the covers of our bed curled up in a ball behind the back of our legs.  It is truly wonderful for him, but literally a pain in the back for us.   We had to banish Chloe from our bed because she sleeps on top of the covers next to the edge and I’ve pushed her off the side more than once with my restless sleeping habits.

Keeping this in mind, which beds – besides our bed – do our dogs like?

Donut Dog Beds

If you don’t know what a Donut Dog Bed is, it’s simply a big round pillow shaped like a donut.  The donut forms a circular pillow rim with an attached bottom.  The “donut hole” is a rounded pillow that lies in the center of donut.

We purchased one of these for Odie after he injured his back and was recovering from his paralysis.  The low soft rim was easy for him to get in and out of even when he had little use of his hind legs. We keep it nearby the fireplace and all three our dogs routinely sleep in it during the day.

Lounger Dog Beds

The Lounger Dog Bed is an oval with sides that are about 8” high.  We place a blanket on top of it and they curl up under the covers.  Some Loungers come with pillows but our Dachshunds have no preference and will sleep on top and under the pillow depending on how silly they are.

As part of our 2010 “get the dogs out of our bed” resolution, we bought two new loungers from Costco.  For about $20 each, the Kirkland Signature brand is one of the better dog beds that we’ve found.   Molly loves her new comfy bed and prefers it to sleeping on the couch.

Dirty Clothes Laundry Basket

Yes, Chloe loves to sleep in the dirty clothes laundry basket.  We use a grey laundry basket to carry our dirty clothes downstairs to the laundry room which Chloe promptly hops into and falls asleep.  She’s been doing this since she was a puppy, but now that she’s older, she has trouble getting into it and starts whimpering for someone to pick her up and put her into “bed.”

We placed one of Lounger Beds next to the laundry basket and now she uses it as a foot stool to hop into her bed.  So much for retraining her…

The main problem is Odie. Getting him to sleep in his new bed will become a chore.  Even if we remove the stairs from the bed to help our dogs get up into it, he can still jump up where Molly and Chloe cannot.   I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of crying, but that’s how they ended up in our bed in the first place.

An avid Three Dachshund’s reader commented on how nice our off-white carpets look and wondered how we keep our carpets clean and what the best vacuum for Dachshund hair is.  First off, vacuuming your carpet can become a taxing chore especially when you have three Dachshunds that shed and have a tendency track in outside dirt. The weekly chore can be cut down to about 15 minutes with the right kind of equipment.

Over the ten years that we’ve had our dogs, we’ve tried just about every vacuum on the market and the only two that have survived the test of time are the Oreck and Dyson Vacuum cleaners.  The amount of money we wasted on the cheaper (well known named) brands easily would have paid for our more expensive vacuums we own today.

We fell in love with our Dyson canister from the moment we got it home.  It has incredible suction and keeps the dirt and dust inside the canister instead of spreading though out the house as you vacuum.  The only problem is that the air driven bush does not work well for pet hair on our medium pile carpet.  The power cord was too short making it difficult to cover some of the rooms in our house.  Eventually we gave it away to my mother who lives in a small apartment and suffers with COPD making it a perfect vacuum for her.

We didn’t know how dirty our carpets were until we cleaned them with the Oreck XL.  The hypo-allergenic filtration system keeps the dust and dirt in the bag so it doesn’t go spewing back out into the room.  The bags hold an incredible amount of dirt so you don’t have to empty it so often like you do in bagless systems.

The light-weight design is perfect for the stairs, but again, it is designed to work on low pile carpeting.   You can get a really good workout on your biceps and triceps with this vacuum.  Even though this is probably the best vacuum for dog hair – and we continue to use it to clean our stairs — the upper body strength it takes to clean our caused us switch back to Dyson.

The Dyson Animal upright is what we use to clean our carpets every week.  The short comings of the canister were eliminated with a 25’ power cord and a motorized brush that even picks up the baby-fine fur that Molly sheds.  The large wheels make vacuuming nearly effortless and are the main reason we can vacuum our house in less than fifteen minutes.

The main problem is with Dyson is that it is a bagless system and you have to empty the canister outside.  (Remember to stand up wind when you drop the contents into the trash.)   But other than that, it is a really good vacuum for our carpet.

So which vacuum is best for cleaning pet hair?  The Dyson Animal and Oreck XL are the best vacuums that we’ve ever owned for cleaning up after our Dachshunds.  Unlike cheaper vacuums, the exceptional quality of these brands will last for many years even though the prices are substantially higher.  But do you really want to sacrifice when buying the best vacuum for pet hair?

Dyson Ball DC25 Animal Vaccum cleaner No Reserve!!!!!!! US $275.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 7:23:53 PDT Add to watch list

BRAND NEW SEALED BOX DYSON DC 25 DC 25 ANIMAL VACUUM US $370.00 (25 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 7:25:47 PDT Add to watch list

Battery for Dyson DC16 Root 6 Animal ISSEY MIYAKE RBE US $57.95 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:18:39 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC15 Animal US $190.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:28:18 PDT Add to watch list

HQRP Battery for Dyson DC16 Root Animal ISSEY MIYAKE US $57.98 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 9:16:01 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC14 Animal Upright Cleaner US $41.00 (3 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 9:33:46 PDT Add to watch list

Dyson DC15 The Ball Animal Upright Vacuum US $499.00 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 10:03:05 PDT Add to watch list

We receive an email from a reader with a Dachshund that shivers:

Is it normal for a dashund to shiver? Not only when it is cold outside but when he’s on your lap.  I heard it’s a sign of back problems. Thank you in advance.

Thanks for the question! First off, I’m not a Vet, and if you have any medical questions about your pet, you should seek the advice of a Veterinarian.  Your Dachshund may have injured himself or may need other medical attention.   Your Vet will perform an examination with perhaps an x-ray to determine if your pet has back problems.

However, from my experience with my Three Dachshunds, shivering is often an indication of pain or distress.  It may or may not be related to a back problem.

Odie is a short-haired and the girls are long-haired.  Odie frequently sleeps underneath a blanket because he is cold.  It could be the middle of the summer and he still requires that extra warmth to keep from shivering.  This is why we buy dog sweaters for him.

One hot summer night, Odie came out of the covers to lie on top of my chest shivering as if it was the middle of winter.  It turned out that his stomach was upset because his dog food didn’t agree with him.  After I took him outside to potty, he was back to normal.

Odie also shivers when he goes for a ride.  He seems a little nervous and insecure.  Most of his rides have ended up at the Vet due to his back problems so he tends to get scared when riding in a car.

On the other hand, when Chloe injured her back in the past, she shivered when you gently pressed along the side of her spine.  She also gets very tense and tightens her back muscles when you pick her up.  She does not shiver despite her problems when laying on my lap.

So is there a definitive answer why Dachshunds shiver?  The most common cause is to illness or injury. But the only way to tell is to have your Vet examine your pet for the distress that is causing your dog to shiver.

We added “Roxie Doxie” to our Dachshund Figurine collection last weekend during our shopping spree the little Danish tourist town of Solvang.  Solvang is about the only place where you can shop and find glass and porcelain dog figurines of all sorts of breeds.

Of course, we are biased towards the Dachshund since we have three of them.  Plus we sorta miss our dogs when were away from home and always find one that looks like Chole or Odie to keep us company during the trip.  I’ve never seen one that looks like Molly since she is by far prettier than most long red haired Dachshund figurines (even with her knots and tangles in her fur).

From the looks of it, the great recession hit the local economy real hard and most stores were having sales on everything.  The typical comment a store owner would state was “20% off store-wide sale.”

Unfortunately at Rasmussen’s, where we picked up “Roxie,” they were not having a sale. But she was cute an my wife liked her.  (Now Roxie is in my office instead of my wife’s full curio cabinet.)

At Berengaria, they didn’t have the normal Dachshund gifts and only had Pug and Chiwawa things to buy.  We’ve purchase the most unusual and unique Doxie things from there and I recommend stopping by just to see what they have or even if it is to say “hello.”

It’s hard to tell when the next time we’re heading up there but you never know, Christmas is just around the corner and there is always someone in my family that likes Dachshund figurines.

NIB Mini Red Dachshund Figurine (515R) US $5.95 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 4:15:14 PDT Add to watch list

VINTAGE BLACK DACHSHUND DOG FIGURINE ORIGINAL FUR TOYS US $19.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 8:36:53 PDT Add to watch list

NIB Dachshund Black Pen Set Statue Figurine US $20.95 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 11:17:12 PDT Add to watch list

NIB Dachshund Red Pen Set Statue Figurine US $20.95 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 11:20:26 PDT Add to watch list

Dachshund Figurine Gingham Estate Sale Floral Print US $9.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 12:57:36 PDT Add to watch list

DACHSHUND WEINER DOG CERAMIC FIGURINE HOME DECOR US $19.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 13:27:58 PDT Add to watch list

7" Long Hot Chili Dog ~ Dachshund Dog Figurine ~ LQQK!! US $14.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 14:20:33 PDT Add to watch list

It’s a few months to Christmas, and I’ve decided that we’re going to send out Dachshund Christmas Cards.   Doesn’t this sound like a great idea?

It’s really simple; just group your three Dachshunds together, take a family picture of the puppies, upload the photo and order the cards.

Simple. About as simple as herding cats.

Chloe likes to sleep all day; Odie likes to play all day; Molly likes to hide behind my desk where she come out for air.

I can trick them all together for that once-in-a-lifetime Christmas pose by blowing through a squeaker from one of their dog balls, but all I get is a bunch of scattered brained Dachshunds looking for a stupid ball.

They know it’s coming from my mouth and they think I’m chewing on their ball.  But when I get down to shoot picture, they lick the camera or worse, my mouth.

Not a pretty sight or a picture that I can print for the Christmas Cards I’m planning to send out.

NEW Pkg of 6 Red Dachshund Christmas Cards US $9.96 End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:22:20 PDT Add to watch list

12 DACHSHUND LYNCH WEINER DOG ART CHRISTMAS CARDS US $13.99 End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 16:05:39 PDT Add to watch list

Avanti CHRISTMAS CARD Jingle the Dachshund Snow US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Sunday Sep-05-2010 15:36:27 PDT Add to watch list

VINTAGE DACHSHUND DOG CHRISTMAS 3 CARD LOT IRIBERRY US $23.99 End Date: Sunday Sep-05-2010 18:19:24 PDT Add to watch list

Paint&Ink Dog Art,Dachshund Christmas Cards,byP K Ufnal US $12.00 End Date: Sunday Sep-05-2010 18:51:46 PDT Add to watch list

16 Embossed Boxed Dog Christmas Cards Dachshund Puppy US $16.99 End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 13:41:46 PDT Add to watch list

♥ DACHSHUND DOXIE SAUSAGE DACKEL DOG CHRISTMAS CARDS ♥ US $4.62 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 6:43:00 PDT Add to watch list

Molly likes to eat dryer sheets.  I usually find out about it that day when she barfs it up or a few days later when she poops it out.

Last night, she had the remaining evidence hanging from the corner of her mouth stuck by a thread between her teeth.  Now I would like to teach her good hygiene by having her brush her floss teeth, but doing it with a dryer sheet is overkill.  Three-quarters of the sheet went somewhere…

Since she didn’t barf it out, I guess it’s coming out the other end.  I gave her extra pumpkin with her chicken last night for extra fiber in her diet to help ease it out.

I’m not looking forward to the next few days cause I’m sure that something is going to get plugged — and dryer sheets make a really good dachshund butt plug — which I have to extract with one swift yank.  It’s unpleasant for both of us, but I’m sure that Molly gets the worst of it.

Will she ever learn not to eat things?  Will we ever learn to quickly pick them up and remove them from the laundry?  The answer to this is of course is no.  I guess we’ll have to live with our Dachshund dryer sheet butt plugs for now.

It was difficult to bend over today with my sore back and I wish I had a pooper scooper to pick up Odie’s poop.  But alas, no such luck and I had to resort to going down on one knee to scoop up the mess.  It was fresh an warm — if you wanted to know — which is something pooper scoopers do reasonably well at masking that gushy feeling you get when you use the old inside-out hand in the dog poop bag trick.

Dog Waste Bags to the Rescue

I ran out of my favorite dog waste bags, aka Ralphs 1 gallon bread bags, and been reusing the plastic grocery bags.  Besides only able to recycle grocery bags once, they’re pretty useless and you might as well use a paper towel instead.  They catch the wind and you end up getting crap all over your hand from the little holes and tears in the bag.

I finally gave up looking for the cheap bread bags — which you can get 75 for about two-bucks — since no one is buying them or Ralphs is pushing the more expensive zip-lock type bags.

I really didn’t want to start buying dog poop bags since they’re priced in about same range as zip-locks, but my ever so friendly neighbor with the “keep your dog off my grass” sign gave me a dirty look indicating that I better have one or else.

Sorry for the regression, but I managed to find some really good biodegradable dog waste bags at Tuesday Morning which sells Pet Zone’s Pik-Up-Bags for about half the price you would get in a pet store.  I don’t know if they carry them all the time, but I got a month’s supply until I can go back to my regular bags.

I’ve been reluctant in buying a pooper scooper, but with my back out of wack, it’s been hard to go outside and pick up the mounds of Dachshund mess that is starting to pile up.  After all, I’m only a dog pooper scooper!

It seems that our Dachshunds go through a lot of dog balls.  Perhaps it the constant chewing on the yummy plastic or latex that makes them only last a few days, but the real culprit is Molly.  She simply destroys the ball trying to get that little squeaker out.

I always bought a pair of dog balls when we only had Chloe and Odie, but now with the third one, I usually end up getting three balls.  Of course, they all want the same ball regardless if there are two or three new balls to play with, so now I only get one for them to fight over.

Since these toys do not last very long, I buy the cheapest ball from PetSmart.  The 99 cent plastic ball is very durable and lasts longer than more expensive latex balls.   Plus, Molly does not rip the plastic balls to shreds.

We have to be really careful with latex balls since Molly will eat the pieces of rubber that she chewed off to get to the squeaky center.

This means that we have to supervise her when she is playing with latex dog balls.  No more than a few minutes or so and the ball goes back up on the shelf until it’s playtime again.

This makes the ball last about a week while the plastic ones are ignored lying on the carpet.

I’m somewhat surprised that they don’t like to play with tennis balls.  Tennis balls are a little harder to handle with a smaller mouth and don’t have that squeaky factor.

Occasionally, they get a rubber dog ball to play with but those don’t last very long with Dachshunds.  A couple of chews and they split down the middle or a huge chunk of rubber vanishes or is left behind on the carpet to clean up.

Now if I can train our dogs on how to use a dog ball launcher like “Jerry the Dachshund,” I could get more work done.  But where’s the fun in that?

You never know what’s going to happen when you’re minding your business and all of a sudden you’re broadsided by a SUV and its rear bumper is crunching down on the top of your hood.  Miss June bug was lucky she was not hurt — other than her cute Lexus IS Station Wagon — but it hit close to home since Chloe usually has her head hanging out the window while we take our weekly ride traversing the same path MJB took.

The pleasant ride down Olsen Road, left onto Moorpark and through windy Norwegian Grade to get some fresh country air.  (I know MJB is wondering how I safely navigate the Grade with a dog on my lap with its head out the window.  Let’s just say it takes a lot of practice and slow driving.)  You never would expect that an accident would occur in the peaceful suburbs of Thousand Oaks.

Chloe, our “riding dog,” truly is accustomed to and an expert at sitting on your left leg while taking in the 40 MPH breeze with her dog goggles on.  The countless rides she enjoyed to her favorite Fast Food — always friendly to the Mc Donald’s cashier — may have to end because she just won’t ride buckled up.

We have a dog seat belt harness — somewhere — purchase because Odie was constantly jumping back and forth from the passenger seat to my lap when he was going to his weekly obedience training at PetSmart.  Somehow he would manage to wiggle out of it by the time we were speeding along on the freeway making it impossible to readjust the belt before hopping onto me.

Odie is somewhat better now that he’s more obedient, but he still hates riding in the passenger seat.  Molly simply likes to ride in the back seat running back and forth from window to window barking at every stranger.  These two Dachshunds are not riding dogs.

But all you have to say is “are you a riding dog?” and she gets more excited than, well, you know what.   I know that a seat belt may save her life someday, but I don’t think she will understand why.

Dog Pet Adjustable Belt Safety Lead Clip for Car Seat US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:02:22 PDT Add to watch list

Red Universal Fit Car Dog Seat Safety Belt Harness M US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:14:08 PDT Add to watch list

UNIVERSAL CAR DOG PET SEAT SAFETY BELT HARNESS S NEW US $0.77 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:20:38 PDT Add to watch list

NWT DOG CAR HARNESS SEAT BELT PET SAFETY TRAVEL BLACK US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:27:38 PDT Add to watch list

PRO DOG CAR SEAT BELT Pet Cat Safety Clip HARNESS US $5.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:45:19 PDT Add to watch list

UNIVERSAL FIT SAFETY DOG PET SEAT BELT CAR HARNESS XL C US $12.90 End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 23:05:33 PDT Add to watch list

UNIVERSAL CAR DOG PET SEAT SAFETY BELT HARNESS S NEW US $0.77 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 23:09:58 PDT Add to watch list

One of these days I need to compose and sing a Dachshund Song … after all I do sing to my doxies everyday.  But for now, you can enjoy a really good song about dogs:

Chloe is doing much better after taking her 1/2 dosage of Deramaxx 25mg. Last night I gave her the same dosage of Deramaxx after she twisted her back trying to jump onto the couch.

According to Chloe’s Vet, Dr. T., Deramaxx is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory pain medication which reduces the swelling and pain.  Since Dachshunds are a small dogs, about 12mg is the approximate dosage.

Typically, Deramaxx is used to relief arthritis problems in older dogs, but it has been working quite well for our Dachshunds with back problems.

We’re still observing Chloe for a few days to make sure that she didn’t rupture a disk, but for now the Deramaxx is working and she’s a happy camper cause she’s getting all the special attention for being sick.

Yesterday we celebrated Chloe’s 10th birthday.  Despite the grey showing around her muzzle, she is still young for a dachshund.

She started off the day by trying to onto the couch only to bounce backwards twisting her back and hitting her head on the coffee table.

She was well enough to go to PetSmart to get a new ball where she managed to play with it in the car until we got home.  Then her little sister took the ball away…

By night time, Chloe was hunched up in pain.  She had one more Dermaxx which seem to get her through the night.  She’s still having some problems this morning and is going to the Vet.