Miniature Dachshunds | Chloe | Odie | Molly

One reader recently asked asked “How big do Doxens Get?”

Miniature Dachshunds are smaller than the standard Dachshund and typically do not exceed 11 lbs. Standard Dachshunds weigh in at at hefty 20 lbs all the way up to 32 lbs.

There are also Tweeny Dachshunds which are between the mini and standard breed. I really believe that these dogs are just overweight minis.

Our three Dachshunds are minis. Both Molly and Chloe are the same physical size, and both overweight at 15 and 12 lbs. They’re about 18 inches long and about 8 inches tall.

Odie weighs in at 14 lbs and is the same height as the girls, but is about 2 inches longer.

For the second time within a month, one of our Dachshunds had an infected anal glad. This time, Chloe’s abscessed and nearly ruptured.

Unlike Odie, it was a complete surprise since she was acting normal until late Sunday night where she started hiding behind the downstairs toilet.

I knew exactly what it was from Odie’s recent problem, so all I could do is hope that it wouldn’t burst until the morning when I could get her to the Vet.

She had to stay the day at the Vet Monday to let Dr. Thomas drain the abscess and recover from the anesthesia.

Chloe happy to come home, was not too happy about the hood she has to wear for a few days until her butt sore heals. The antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory really seems to be doing the job!

I asked Dr. Thomas if there was a relationship between Odie and Chloe anal gland infections and he said no. This is good since I sure don’t want Molly to go thru the same experience.

Molly is having a bad hair week. Now she runs away when I try to take her picture.

It started last Saturday with her bath. She needed the loose strands of her baby-fine hair around her ears trimmed so they would stop tangling and getting into knots.

But she kept wiggling and got a bad hair cut. I told her to stop moving but she insisted on watching my every move. Now she’s got lopsided bowl cut, but at least she smells good, at least until she goes outside and rolls in the dirt.

This year we’re prepared for the postage increase to 41 cents, effective May 14, 2007.

Of course we decided to splurge a bit and spread the cheer around to make our favorite mailman and friends happy with a cute picture of Molly custom printed by stamps.com.

We’re reserving these cute stamps for special occasions, for that extra smile on a birthday card or thank you note. (I’m sorry Visa, you’re not going to get one of my stamps when I pay my bill.)

And that’s my 0.02, truly first class!

I was out walking Odie the other day and noticed a car driving around the dog pound (neighborhood, in case yo don’t listen to Snoop Dogg).

The elderly couple was obviously lost.  They pulled over, rolled down window and asked,

“Is your dog’s name Oscar?”

I didn’t understand the question since I was expected them to ask for directions. So I simply answered, “no, his name is Odie!”

They pull away laughing.  Puzzled, I didn’t see the humor in what I said.

It took a few moments later understood the hot dog pun.

This has to be one of the best expressions I’ve ever seen. Such beautiful eyes!

Are you a little stressed out? Perhaps a Sqush is just the thing you need. It’s about the size of a tennis ball … perfect for a Dachshund to rip to shreds.

I picked up one Saturday to relieve some stress and pain I’ve been having in my wrists. It actually reduces the pain two ways: squeezing the sqush flexes the muscles around the wrist plus you can use it as a mouse pad to get that correct ergonimic position.

I just can’t leave the sqush out unattended. After using as mouse pad or squeezing the sqush, I’ll leave in on top of the desk. If I walk away for a moment, Molly or Odie will hop up on my chair and grab it.

Of course they think it’s just a toy. Can’t they read yet? It clearly says it’s not a toy for children under the age of 5…

The Barkslope wrote an interesting blog post on how the Brits are naming their dogs after Celebrities. Two of our Dachshunds are named after a celebrity of some sort. Chloe is named after the prize winning Dachshund in the Disney film The Ugly Dachshund.

Odie really started out as “Brutus” the Great Dane in the same movie. Our son kept calling Brutus “Odie” since he behaved just like the Odie in the Garfield comic strip.

Molly, started out as “Paris Hilton” but we like all our dog names to end in “y” or “ie” so that they all come when we call one.

Someday if my wife would ever let me get a RV, we could take all three Dachshunds on vacation with us. Here’s the first Website I would visit to find some Dachshund friendly campgrounds:

RV enthusiasts who travel with dogs have a new online resource in RVingWithDogs.com. The Website includes daily commentary by editors Julee and Jack Meltzer, authors of the popular guidebook “Camping and RVing with Dogs,” as well as a directory of “dog-friendly” campgrounds.

Dachshunds are very resilient dogs. I’m reminded of this every time Odie lifts his hind leg to pee. Something so common to a male dog brings tears to my eyes only thinking that 7 months ago Odie was paralyzed and could not walk.

The three-legged stance is a testimony to his courage, strength and recovery from his injury. During the day, we keep Odie in a running pen to minimize jumping and horse playing with Molly and Chloe. Can I find the strength to let him be a Dachshund again?