How did you come about adopting/rescuing/purchasing your dogs?

[Anatresia]

I know that some people have mentioned where their puppers came from, but I thought it might be nice to have it all in one place- I love reading the rescue stories. "Take a walk down memory lane with me" (that's from a Tori Amos song) and let's retell the tales.

I was bad and bought Mr. B from a BYB. They owned both parents and, well, "accidents" happen and Mommy had a litter. We wanted a black and tan, but all they had were five red smoothie boys. We were the first parents to arrive and had the pick of the litter. Mr. Fattypants was the one of the five who cried when we put him down and kept coming back to be picked up. How could you resist? I flipped him on his fat little back and he was completely comfortable and in doggie heaven with me. :hearts: Love at first sight.

I had been thinking of a second forever. Did some research and found a better breeder. Begged Paul to just "look at her". Well, the black and tans we went to see were all longhaired! And there were three little red smoothie girls. One was too light. One was too dark. One was Miss Rigby. :hearts: Love at first sight, again. (That's why we don't go "look" anymore.) She seemed nice, then. No way of telling she was really :evilgrin: until we picked her up and she was literally walking all over her siblings and parents. Then we had an idea.

[Jill]

When we started looking for a house I immediately started looking for a dog. We had talked about getting a dog when we moved, and I was dying for a puppy. The day our offer was accepted, I found Bailey. He was itty bitty and wouldn't be ready to go for another 3 weeks. Perfect. Dan said no, it would be too hectic with moving, getting settled etc to have a little puppy. I begged and begged and was so desperate to get this puppy. Nothing was working, and I do have to admit, that a small part of me knew he was right. It was be so crazy. I did go as far as to ask the breeder where he was if they would hold him for a few extra weeks after he was ready to go. And they had said no. I was so sad. I checked the breeders site every week and there were still two puppies there. Finally about 3 weeks after we had moved, I looked at the site again and Bailey was still available. I totally convinced Dan is was meant to be and that we should at least go and look at him. On the way to the breeder I also used my magic powers to convince him that we should go to the atm, JUST in case. We walked in, took Bailey from his mom and that was it. He was all over me, kissing and jumping, without even consulting Dan, I said we'll take him. :hearts:

After we had Bailey for about 6 months I started working, he needs a friend deal. We did the applications with CCDR and DRNA, but at the time, the dogs available in our area were older, and with Bailey not even 1 yet, we wanted a younger dog. We were approved adopters, but were waiting. I kept looking on petfinder etc, and then all of a sudden I saw Bruiser. I filled out another adoption application for an all breed rescue and waited and waited. I followed up a few days later, nothing. His listing said, Adoption Pending. I was so sad. The next day I get a call and the woman is apologizing for taking so long to get back to me, they were swamped with apps for Bruiser - they said there were 17 total apps. They said that out of all of them they thought we were the best fit. If we wanted him, he was ours. I said YES immediately without even meeting him. 3 weeks later, he was home and is our Reese-y pants. :hearts:

[areese]

When my old dog was failing, I was naturally thinking of what I would do after she was gone. My DH wanted another dog, he wanted a puppy cuz he had never had a little puppy-I had Kerby before we were married. So I was at the vet with Kerby one day and we were sitting next to a woman and the CUTEST tiny little red smooth mini boy. I saw his adorable face and thought...maybe that would be a dog I could love.... After Kerby passed Rob started bugging me about another dog...we were missing her so much. I looked at doxies online and got absolutely fixated on a LH black and tan female mini. That was all I wanted. Couldn't find one in the state except pet stores and I wouldn't do that. We were going to Kentucky for Christmas just cuz we were too sad at home without our dog so I looked there and found Laika. I didn't know much about breeders or dogs cuz I had always had a mixed breed from the shelter before. But the woman was nice and answered all my questions so we got our little Laika. She's perfect. I was so happy with her. Still am.
Then after a few years I was thinking of getting another one. Just thinking. People said Laika would benefit from having another dog here. That she took me for granted and was a bit too full of herself. She ONLY likes other dachshunds. So for prob. a year I looked on petfinder almost every night. Thinking if one really grabbed at my heart I'd pursue it. Then lo and behold there was Owen (Zack) at a rescue only 10 miles or so from my house. I wasn't sure.... I wanted a red LH but something about him. I called up and the woman brought him over...he and Laika were fine together. I still wasn't sure though. I didn't feel anything compelling when I was with him. He was so fearful and didn't have so much personality like Laika. And that week my friend who I had been helping take care of was finally losing her struggle with cancer. She was comatose and it just went on and on...I as so miserable. Bad week. On Friday Rob called me from work and said I think you should get that dog. Then my sister called and left a message saying the same thing. So I did. And now I have Owen and I love him SO much. He's just BLOOMED here I believe. I'm so happy with them both. Every single day :)

[Fluffy]

We had adopted Ben when I was in fourth grade. He was four years old at the time and the most relaxed, laid back dog we had ever had. He ended up being "Cara's dog" (most of our pets gravitated towards her). When she left for college, he was my little buddy. Flash forward...Ben was 17. He had suffered from epilepsy most of his life. He had lost all but a couple teeth, had the puppy equivalence to parkinsens, bad cataracts the works. It was time. We made the dreaded decision and helped him to the Bridge. That was in August of '02. Come February I missed having a pupper around SO MUCH!! I couldn't stand it anymore. I called all the pet stores (before I knew better) in the area. One had a dachsie, so I went immediately to "look" at him. He was 9 weeks old and the smallest cutest thing I ever laid eyes on. His name was "Wally" at the time (so did not fit him). I played with him, held him, I knew from the moment he crawled into the sleeve of my coat and fell asleep that we were made for eachother. I left, went and got the money and the boyfriend, went back and brought him home. This photo was taken the night we brought him home.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c12/buddyheidi/buddypup1.jpg

About 6 months later, I got inspired from another board. I had helped w/ a transport for a rescue pupper and wanted to make a difference. I started searching petfinder.com and found Heidi at a local shelter. She had been at the no kill shelter for five months and no one ever showed and ounce of interest in her. Ok so a little but when they called and found out she was an older dog, they lost interest. They had held her so long that they couldn't take in any other dogs, and were about to send her to another shelter...she wouldn't have made it out alive and I just could NOT let her go out like that. I talked with some people from the board and they said if I got her out, they would place her with a rescue. I went to meet her, took Buddy to meet her to see how they'd get along as I had planned on FOSTERING her. I screwed up fostering 101, as I fell in love with her and could not bring myself to give her away. This picture was taken the day she adn Buddy met...notice the "flying ears" I finally found one!!!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c12/buddyheidi/heididay1.jpg

[alfina]

When Rumble started slowing down, Natasha kept trying to play with him and he tried his best to keep her happy. So, we decided to try to find a buddy for Natasha that would allow Rumble be left alone for some time. I started researching breeds that I thought would mix well with Rumble. I also wanted a dog I could train and show. I narrowed my research to Boston Terrier, Pug, French Bulldog. Then I found a show breeder who had a white Frenchie pup ( a mini-me for Rumble).

But hubby kept sulking and whining that dachsies are better, etc. etc. So, I said fine. I found Sabrina. She came to us from a breeder in Georgia. We drove almost 6 hours each way to pick her up. She fell apart as a show prospect and turned Ms. Super Nasty. At one point I was seriously looking for a home for her. But I felt that she was my responsibility and wanted to try working with her. She was quickly spayed. She is still Ms Nasty and we are all trained to avoid situations that can set her off. But she is doing better. Much better.

At the same time as I was looking for Sabrina, I found this breeder in IL. We ended up getting Sabrina and were going to stop at that. But she was high energy and kept bothering Rumble and us. That sort of defied the reason we got her! So, we went back to the IL breeder who had a litter of creams. Sebastian was shipped to us when he was 9 weeks old. Ms Nasty was her true nasty self and set the pack order right away. She did leave Rumble alone more now and concentrated in teaching the pup some tricks.

As Sebastian started growing, he fell apart as a conformation prospect. And all of the sudden a breeder called me up. He heard I was looking for a cream show dog. So, off we went to the mini roundup and we found our show cream girl Sofie. She was just so beautiful. Unfortunately she came down with pneumonia 2 days after we brought her home. For months we were in and out of the hospital. There were nights I truly thought she wouldn't make it. There were days when I considered putting her down as she never could win the battle while taking strong antibiotics. I am happy to say with support of some of you, I stuck with her and she has been healthy and happy for over a year now ( knocking on wood). Due to this experience, she missed out on a lot of socialization and puppy stuff. She is very beautful but very shy around strangers.

[K2]

My ex and I got Penny from a pet store. After doing that, and learning all about Dachshunds and how many need to be rescued...I felt so guilty.

Fast forwarad a few years.......I knew in my heart that my ex and I were not meant to be. What was keeping me there(this is bad)was Penny. I knew that it would be easier if I had my own pup. I had been checking and looking for several weeks before making that decision. And then on Petfinder one day, I saw Pippit(his name was Rusty) He looked so sad!! I emailed his foster mom and filled out the application.

She called me later that day. Seems she had just put her youngest into preschool and when she saw that I was a Preschool Teacher, knew that I would be right for Pippit. They were going on vacation~and were driving through. I went and met them(and brought Pippit a blanket I made for him~which he still has) I totally fell in :love5: He was such a cutie and was so sweet(once he got over his initial fear and barking)

I picked him up three weeks later. I am so glad that he came into my life!!!

[katierose ballerina toes]

one night 2+ yrs. ago a girlfriend went to a party.while there a woman who was way too intoxicated showed up with her tiny dachshund (angel)so proud that she was only 3 lbs. and over a year old.it was probably 2 or 3 am. and my girlfriend showed up w/ this teeny weeny sickly dog.she curled up into my bed and heart and immediately had me scratching head to toe.upon careful inspection i realized she was covered w/ fleas from head to toe.the mom just gave her away as she was too much work.she didn't want any money for her.well 3 months later when i was so in love w/ her the said mom showed up requesting either the dog back or hundreds of dollars for her,the rest is history.i'm proud to say shes no longer a sickly 3 lb. no longer has fleas,she had never been to a vet had 2 sets of teeth,needed to be neutered,shots etc.she has taken over our home,and is truly the love of our life:hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :hearts:

[HotDogMama]

Well, I've never shared Molly's story with any of you, for the fact that I am partly embarrassed, and didn't want to be judged, but here goes......

Last June we moved into our apt. knowing that we could have a small dog or cat 10 lbs. and under. We both wanted a puppy so bad, but had no idea what kind to get or anything. So one Saturday morning in July we were at the flea market down the street, and there was a lady there selling all sorts of puppies, and she had our girl, and 2 of her sisters. I wish I could have them all, but DH picked her out, and that was that. I guess I didn't want to tell because we really didn't go about it in the best way, this lady apparently buys litters and resells them or something because she is not a breeder, I don't know what you call her, but I know I won't be supporting her in the future because I'm thinking what she does is not quite right. We weren't really planning on coming home with her either, but this is the way it happened, and I wouldn't change a thing, but when and if we do get another in the future we will try our best to do a rescue. In a way I consider Molly a rescue because the situation she was in couldn't have been a good one, and we are all lucky that we found each other!

[Rae]

For those of you who already know our story, this is a copy and paste... I just can't write it again - makes me cry. :tissue:

On December 21, 2000, Satan (my ex) was out in the barn getting hay for our bull. It was incredibly cold for KY, below zero, and we had had a major ice storm. God was with my little girl, as Satan chose to use his hands rather than the pitchfork that day. He reached in the middle of the bale and thought he had grabbed a rat (hey they like to keep warm too you know) . Thank goodness he did not have gloves on and felt the cold wet nose and the faint weak lick on the back of the hand.

He later told me that he figured out it was not a rat, and then "I just started pulling and there was this realllllllly long dog- it just kept unwinding"...

He called me at work and told me he had found a Bassett Hound, and it would probably be dead by the time I got home but if I wanted to try and save it I better come home early ... Bassett Hound- he never was too bright.

I got home in record time to find this tiny little dachshund, emaciated to the point of near death, almost frozen, dehydrated, and with little will to live. I immediately put a basket of towels in the dryer and heated them up, then buried her right in the middle. Off to the vet, clothes basket in tow I went. He gave her a 50/50 chance of making it, and home we went. Dr Buddy assured me that if she had spent one more night outside it would have been her last.

I warmed up some (I know, I know) Alpo canned food and she perked right up when I waved it under her snoot. A whole can and a bowl of water later, we were snuggled up on the couch in a blankie with the heating pad on low. She was terrified of Satan, and for years she was scared of most all men.

I found out two days later on our vet checkup that she was about 5 years old ( so we have no firm age or birthday) and had been a puppy mill mommy. The scars and stitches and tattoo on her poor mangled belly told a horrible story. (She doesn't even have the right number of nipples, they did such a horrible job sewing her up....) It seems there had been a mill operating in our general area but no one could find it.

We believe she either escaped or was kicked out, and she has either been spayed (poorly) or had trauma becuase she has not come in heat since I have had her.

OK OK... Wipe your eyes, and fast forward 5 years. HRH The Duchess of Wagoner sleeps on a fluffy pillow in the recliner by the bed (or sometimes in the hoomon bed), she has plenty to eat and drink and all the belly rubbins any one pupper could ask for. Most important of all she is loved and is part of two families, one at home and one here at the DLC. She goes to "Gran and Grandpa's" when Mommy and Daddy go out of town, and she gets presents at Christmas. She is welcome anywhere Mommy goes, or Mommy just doesn't go there anymore.

She has a pink stroller for long walkies or for public situations so she is safe and does not get scared.

She has no fear of her Hoo-daddy Sutton because he tells her she is worthless and not worth the price of a bullet.... in baby talk as her rubs her tummy and gives her a cookie.

We've been through some trauma- June 25 of last year she had a fibrocartilaginous embolism that could have been fatal (doggie stroke) but we got through that, and then I finally made the hard decision to have a rather large hernia fixed, and in the process the vet took out the wire and fishing line that had been used to sew her up inside. (Yes, you read correctly... :curse: ) She is happy and healthy now, runs all over the yard like a puppy and thinks she is big stuff.

She was and continues to be the best Christmas gift I ever received, and I firmly believe she was sent to me straight from heaven, because tinky breaf and all she is Mommy's Girl and dearly dearly loved.

[Rae]

Well, I've never shared Molly's story with any of you, for the fact that I am partly embarrassed, and didn't want to be judged, but here goes......
!


No judging allowed HERE ON THE DLC!! I found my beloved baby in a barn for Pete's sake. I think we have ALL learned about back yard breeders and mills, flea market pups etc, but I totally agree that Molly was rescued from what could have been a horrible life.

Just because the pups start out in less than ideal circumstances does not mean they don't deserve love and a happy home!


I am glad you found each other and are living happily ever after! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

[areese]

OMG, Rae! That is an amazing story! Amazingly sad and amazingly happy too.

[Rae]

OMG, Rae! That is an amazing story! Amazingly sad and amazingly happy too.


I love a happy ending. Funny that Kim brought it up- I was just thinking about it last night- I had a terrible tension headache and Duchie and I were snuggled up in a blankie in the recliner and I was just so THANKFUL to have her. Nothing like a doxie when you are sick. (lick, lick, sad eyes, Mama I looooooooove you ... lick, lick... ) (((((sigh)))))

[katierose ballerina toes]

(not for the faint hearted)we lost our basset hound stanleywigglepants on a dark day in dec.he had fought a very brave fight w/ esophaseasal cancer,and grand mal seizures.i was heartbroken and never ever wanted to get out of bed again!i searched all the rescues in the area but i became 100% disabled 2 yrs. ago after being hit by a drunk driver.unfortunately because of this they were aprehensive in giving me anything under 10 or 12 yrs old.i knew my heart wasn't ready to take on a senior only to lose them .i then went on petfinder and found what i thought was a local rescue.there was a basset listed on there website however he had already found a furever home.i was then told of a dog that had been heartworm positive but now was" healthy as a horse"the transport was going to be in our area on jan 7th so we packed up the car w/ chenille blankets,cookies bones and h20 and were on our way to pick up my newest son.he was supposedly hw. negative and housebroken and they said he didn't really like eating and needed to gain a few pounds loved a bath and loved other dogs and kitties.(sounds perfect no?)i could hardly contain myself!after writing the check for donation 385.00 here came the transport van. after completing the transaction(monitarilly and giving them winter coats,leashes,bowlsetc.the door was opened to the said transport and out came a dog that could barely walk and looked like he should have been on the side of a can for the humane society.i rushed him to the grass and he proceeded to lose blood rectally and otherwise(sorry for the graphics.we finally got him into the car and drove immediately to my vet.the smell from his sick little withered body was almost too intense to deal w/.we carried him in in a blanket and the vet came in immediately.my new basset that was as healthy as a horse was heartworm positive,had colitis,all of his teeth crumbling from malnutrition,he was self mutilating and the vet said he was literally anorexicfull grown @29 lbs.he was stained all the way up to his back and his nails had grown into his pads.he was scratching non stop and bloody because of it.he also had sarcoptic mange and had lost the majority of his hair on his undercoat.w/ tons of medication in hand we took this supposedly sweet ,healthy,pet friendly dog home.he immediately ate everything in sight,drank 4 st. bernard size bowls of water and proceeded to destroy every drop of carpet he came in contact with.katie was terrified.i swear she didn't come near him for the first 4 months.he hates cats,and has food aggression,and has bit me @ least 10 times.1 month after getting him i contacted the said rescue and was told if he was a problem just put him to sleep!can you picture a real rescue offering this alternative?well its been a long hard road but by his 2nd month checkup he was housebroken w/shortnails,well fed mange free,clean as a whistle and you could no longer see his ribs.yet the microfalarae still remained.as i walked him in the vet didn't recognize him,and he had gained 20+ lbs.he went through a very painful session of intermuscular injections and the heartworm is gone.on our recent 4 month visit the vet pulled me aside and said mon,after losing stan i knew you were a mess and was terrified of the road this guy had already taken,i wanted to tell you not to be disappointed if he didn't make it as his future looked bleek.i just smiled as i hugged my 70 lb. smooshie basset that shares my bed every night and washes my face with all his kisses and said w/ love all things are possible.(sorry it was so long,but there are people out there using the word rescue that unfortunately have only their pockets best interest at heart w/ no regard for these desperate animals,i shudder to think what might have happened to him if i didn't find him,the real question now is who was the real rescue?me or him?)thank you for listening!

[Rae]

OMG Monica- that is the tear jerkingest story I have ever heard... I am SOOOO glad you two are having a "happily ever after" ending to such a sad sad story.

Sometimes we find our best friends in the unlikliest places and ways, Huh?

Congratulations on saving one another.

[catstamm]

Wow ...mine will be a novel so I'm going to think of how to shorten it...In the meantime....great thread.
Cat

[Jen]

DH had always had goldens, I never had a dog--my mom is allergic to all with fur or feathers. After DH and I got married in 1990 we talked a lot about a dog, but wanted to wait will we were thru school, as we knew we were going to leave WI, and it would be harder to move with a dog. In 2000 we moved to NYC, but the apartment in Washington Heights we could afford didn't allow dogs. Finally after 4 years in spring 2004 we moved down to Midtown, and I made sure we found a dog friendly apartment and got one dachshund written into the lease.

About a month after we moved in we had a home visit from Almost Home and were approved. But we wanted a red smooth female 2-5 years old and they had nothing for us. We were on the waiting list for several dogs (none red smooth females) and our contact told us to check other rescues and Petfinder. We found a wonderful dog thru another doxie rescue but as it was in OH they said no, it was too far (crazy, knowing what I know now, but perhaps as we'd never owned a doxie and didn't have a yard).

One Saturday am, two days before Memorial Day, I was checking Petfinder and a rescue in NJ had just listed a red smooth mini 2 years old...no picture. It was 8 am and I waited till almost 10 and called the number. The lady described Tasha and I said, yes, we'd love to adopt her, please send me the forms. Within 1/2 an hour I filled out the forms, emailed them to her, along with our approval email from Almost Home. She called back and said she'd had many calls, but we were first, and Tasha was ours!!!! We tried to rent a car for the next day but there weren't any due to the holiday weekend, the soonest we could get one was Memorial Day Monday. We had not driven in 4 years since we moved to NYC but brave DH got behind the wheel, made it thru the Lincoln tunnel and we drove into the wilds of NJ to get her.

We got to the house after getting lost once, and no one was there. I almost burst into tears. We could hear other dogs in the backyard but no one came when we knocked. Finally she heard us, and whew, we set off in her car to go to the kennel where Tasha was being boarded. We pulled up at this outdoor kennel with about 20 huge dogs each in an outdoor run, and then this tiny little doxie barking too. She was so small and so scared, and tinkled when we went to pet her (I'd not heard of submissive peeing before :rolleyes: ). The kennel owners had fallen in love with her and wanted to keep her, but she'd been promised to us, and it was hard to see them say goodbye--but I know now she'd not have been happy around so many big dogs! She was shy and skinny, a mere 12 lbs (she's a muscular 14.5 today) and she slept in Rich's lap as we went to get her things from her former owner's mother's house--the elderly lady Tasha still misses.

So sight unseen we got the lovely Tasha--issues and all. She's come a long way from the dog afraid of all noises, people etc. One week from today is our 2 year gotcha anniversary!

Great thread Tracy!!

[Chris]

I can't talk about my boys before first talking about Heidi.

I met my first dachshund when I was 6 years old. It was the summer between kindergarten and first grade, and we were moving. We rented the house we had been in, and the house was being sold, so my parents bought their first home. It was small, but had a big yard. The lady had two dachshunds...long hairs, one male who was younger about 2-3 years old and a 5 year old female. She was moving to Manhatten (and of course, since they don't allow dogs in NY) she wasn't taking them. She had a home lined up for the boy, but said that no one wanted the girl because she was too old. She said that if she didn't find a home by X time, she would have her PTS! So of course, my parents asked if we could please have her or the deal was off.

Heidi was so scared, because her lady packed all the boxes up, took them up, and left Heidi alone in an empty house, behind a baby gate. Then we came of course with our boxes. Heidi must have thought that the world works in reverse...that people don't get a dog, that a dog gets people.

So that is how a standard female LH became my very, very best buddy 12+ years. I related to her in an additional way, because we were born only 7 months apart so she was just my age.

The next scarey thing for Heidi was when my dad got a job transfer, and the very next summer we sold the house, and packed up and moved to another state. Heidi got very nervous as the boxes started to pile up and the movers came. But you should have seen the look on that girl's face when my mom called her to GET IN THE CAR and going with us!! That she was not going to be let down and left with the boxes ever again. When she was not sleeping (as it was a full day's ride...)she was wagging her tail...or would just interrupt her sleep here and there just to look up to make sure that "we were still there". Maybe she thought she was dreaming. We moved a few more times throughout my childhood and teenhood.

When Heidi died I thought i was going to have a nervous breakdown. She had been failing for months, and had seizures for about a year. It was the hardest decision of my life. A decision that i hope to never make again, and it was especially weighty for someone my age. Perhaps we kept her longer than we should. When she went, she went in one second. It wasn't like they say where they eventually fall asleep. The vet said that they couldn't believe that she trooped along all that time, and it must have just been out of devotion to me. On the way home I was crying and crying to the point that I was practcally laying on the floor of the backseat of the car. It took me many days to pull myself together enough to minimally function.

A few years later, when i was in college, we did get a new family dog and we started fostering. Even though my parents and little sister made the decision on the new dog, Lady's story reminded me about Heidi's in a way. She was tied up in the backyard when her people moved, 9-10 months old and pregnant. She miscarried from being too young a mommy, and the pound called rescue because she was "too nice a dog". She was a Huskie/sheltie X who folded her front legs like a "lady" when she layed down.

ANyway, back to dachsies.

Flash forward a few years later. I am about 26/27 years old. My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) decided that it was time for a dog and that it was going to be a dachshund, preferrably LH like my original one. I looked high and low and found a lady who rescued. She had a cute LH dapple and everything was all set up for us to adopt him. But then at the last minute, a day before i was going to pick him up, she changed her mind about us. DH's father was dying and he was going to be out of state with him when I actually picked him up (we had already met the dog prior). She actually was the type who would never really adopt a dog out too often anyhow so it was not "all us". She decided that because we didn't have multiple dogs and the dog was used to 12 other dogs with him in rescue, that he would be traumatized by being the sole object of attention. I mean, you don't do that to someone at the last minute. You say "needs other dog" ahead of time from the get go.

At any rate, our hearts were broken but we moved on. Through word of mouth, I found out that a very reknowned breeder who only breed mini LH's and mini Wires was in the next state. I did a lot of checking her out, and she seemed like someone who felt about dachshunds that i did. Anyway, we instantly hit it off on the phone and I was thrilled that she had a handful of older (1 1/2 - 4 year old) adults because she keeps her dogs forever if she doesn't find a home she is comfortable with them going to and only breeds a very limited amount of litters. Anyway, it was Halloween when I went to pick my boy up. And I didn't know how i could decide, but then Alex picked me! ANd what was he doing? She had brought them outside, and the only little patch of earth that had mud in it..who made a beeline for it? :)

So Mr. Messy got a bath and a brushing before we left. I got to meet his cousin, and saw the photo "wall of fame" with Alex's other relatives including great great grandpa on down the line.

Anyways, i called DH and said that I got him and we were on our way home.
On the way home, i got a cell phone call with my sister crying, and she had said that Lady had just died! It was very unexepcted. She was only 10/11 years old. A few days ago she had come down with sniffles/a small respiratory problem it seemed. That day she was breathing weird and my mom just "knew". She took her to the vets, but she asked Lady to please hangon until my sister came home from school, and she did. And my mom said to her, that it is her time, it is okay and that they love her and will miss her. And shortly later Lady passed away on her own. Later the vet said that it was a hidden tumor that had exploded in her heart and there was nothing that could have been done. It was a wonder she even hung on for a few hours.

So of course i was driving and pulled over, crying my eyes out. And little Alex who didn't know what was what yet, sat on my lap and kissed my face. A state trooper came by to see if I was okay and the whole story of the day practically made her cry herself.

So anyhow, Alex became the center of our universe and then a few years later we moved to Florida and new that it was time for another dog. Alex especially had been nervous to be left home alone in this big (to him) new house. Because my husband had been in a car accident, Al became especially protective and at night, he would want to sit and protect DH and i had no one to sit with anymore! We searched on petfinder and applied for a smooth mini girl and were in the top 2, but were beat out by another family because their dachshund had died and we already had a dog to love.

And about a month later, we saw that a LH puppy was practically right around the corner from us! We applied and got a call wondering if we would like to meet him. Of Course! We went to the clinic where the rescue also uses for meeting and greeting when a family adopts, and this little 7 lb ball of a ferociously wagging tail, kissing tongue, and wiggly legs was passed over the counter! he immediate threw himself at me and practically licked my face to death! We went outside to the yard to see how Alex would do with him.
All went well so we brought Ollie home. We went for a ride and then took him to show MIL, and it was so funny. he already loved Alex so much because even though they had only been together 2 hours, he cried when Alex got out of his viewing range!!

ANyway, his story was a lady dumped him on the counter. She got a puppy, but couldn't handle the kissing, exploring, etc, that puppies naturally do. Well it was her loss, thats all I can say! And we are happy that we got him instead of that mini girl because we met the most wonderful new friends and do whatever we can to support the rescue (and we are even fostering in June)

And a few months later, Ollie stood up in our wedding as "Best Puppy" (Alex was "Best Dog!").

So anways, thats 4 stories for the price of one.

[Tex]

OK, I think my story will NOT be a tear jerker.....I hope. To state it simply, getting Julie for me was one of the only things my ex did right. I had wanted a puppy for about 2 years, but I wasn't sure what breed. I babysit and dog sit for a family that has 3 doxies. That convinced me. So Feb. 14th of 2003 my ex came home with this tiny puppy. Julie came from a local breeder (he actually did the research on the web and his sister helpped him). I didn't meet the breeder b/c Julie was a surprise (Valentine's day and my b-day Feb. 21), but Julie came with a binder with all her medical info. pics and parent info.

I want to stick my daddy's doxie story in here too. I'll post a pic at the bottom of my post. Ginger is our almost-rescue. She was put in a local shelter about an hour from Austin by h er elderly owners who just couldn't take care of her anymore. She was 10 years old at the time and hard been with the same family since she was a pup. The organizer of our Austin meetup at the time (Christine) went to pick up Ginger with the intention of turning her over to rescue. Well, Christine saw what a hard tie Ginger had adjusting to a new enviornment, she thought she would try to find her a forever home instead of having Ginger be fostered who knows how many times. Well, after reading an e-mail on our meetup board about Ginger, I knew she would be perfect for my daddy. Dad has Multiple Sclerosis and is at home alone all day. He needed a companion. After a few e-mails, I met Christine at our local Walmart (half way between our houses) and she handed me Ginger. That was a Sun. I couldn't go to Houston (where my parents live) until Thurs. By then I was in love with Ginger and almost didn't give her to dad. Ginger just turned 11 in April and is the love of daddy's life. Sometimes I think she may even replace me!!!!

Jax is another story. My fiance John kept feeding Julie people food. I hated this b/c it was making her fat!!! I told him if he wanted to feed a dog, get his own. So he started searching. We didn't know much about rescue then, but knew that we couldn't afford a puppy from a breeder. We found Jax listed in the Austin paper on a Wed. night. Drove an hour to look at Jax's SON ( a beautiful red long hair) and ended up with Jax. His previous name was Winston-just didn't fit. Now we're all one happy family!!!!!!

This is Julie with Ginger the day I took Ginger to Houston.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1230/4737902/9857849/140576765.jpg

[Laurie' s Dachshunds]

My 1st dog was a mixed breed puppy, when I was 4 or 5 yrs old, given to me. I named her Missy and had her until I turned 17.
My next dog I got at 20 yrs old. He was a mixed breed too, given to me by his owner who said she couldn' t take of him as he needed. He was already about 4 or 5 yrs old & named Samson, so I called him Sam. I had him until he died, broke my heart but I still had Teddy Bear who was still about 1-2 yrs. old.

I got Teddy Bear, my Chow my mom got for me for Christmas as a puppy, from a breeder, since Sam was mostly Chow I wanted a pure-bred Chow.

Shadow is my 1st Dachshund, I got for Christmas, from my soon-to-be- DH. We found a breeder and got him from there.
I decided after a few yrs. he needed a buddy. Reesee was a birthday present & we got her 2 yrs ago from a breeder.

Then my family & soon-to-be DH' s family all wanted a puppy from our dogs.
After we discussed it & researched everything about breeding & taking care of pups, then we talked with the breeder we got Reesee from.....
We decided to breed our dogs. Lil' Smokey & Sassy Baby are their puppies.

All of my babies came from happy homes and were taken good care of.
I can' t understand why some people don' t take of dogs or use them to sell puppies! It' s terrible to hear of any animal being mistreated!
And I' m so happy some of you were able to get these babies that needed to be rescued.

[lizzieb38]

Well the Willers man came from a petstore. I know probably not a good thing but we loved him so much. It all started because my son's best friend got a wienie dog pup. Ky fell in love with Oscar, and vowed he would have one of his own someday. Then my daughter saw a little dapple down in Loveland CO, and said momma it looked just like Ozzie:shocked: So last year when we went to Cheyenne to buy school clothes, the kids went in to the petshop, and there he was. The whole two pounds of him. My mom saw how happy he made the kids, so she broke down and bought him:shocked: He had only been at the store since the night before, so I sometimes think he was meant to be with us. The only reason we were at the mall is because my sis needed to pick up a bracelet that had been repaired!

[quavec]

Great stories. :appl: And no one here will be judged on where they got their furbabies. I have a story, and if there were to be judgement, well, I guess I'd be one of the judgees.

DH had been harping on getting a dog for some time. Our youngest was just about to turn one and wasn't walking and I was about to go in for surgery which would have be laid up for 6 to 8 weeks. I so did not want something else I had to take care of. Our daughter was almost 5 and our house was brand spanking new - it was hard enough to keep it that way with only humans in it, ya know?

One day, DH comes to my cubicle (we worked for the same company) and tells me that a coworker (wonderful lady) had a dacshund that she was being told to give up. Well, she wasn't going to just hand him over to anyone and had already been asking around to those that she knew. I immediately said 'no' - for reasons listed above and because I knew about their back issues. He went on and on and had the coworker bring me pics of Cricket with her grandkids. She explained that she had two older doxies from the same breeder and several birds. There seemed to be some temperment issues going on w/the addition of Cricket over the year that they had him. So, that made me cave. Along comes Cricket.

I could not stand this dog. He peed whenever I tried to touch him or even when we raised out voices. He was constantly underfoot and would only let the kids near him w/o peeing. I was tired of having to clean his piddles. I mean, he was housebroken so he must be doing this out of spite or something, right? He must not like ME!

I had my surgery and was stuck at home. I could not lift anything or bend down much and was laid up doing nothing. I had human help come by but for the most part it was Cricket, my son and me during the day. Cricket knew I wasn't well and helped me out. Truly. He would follow me into the bathroom and sit with me until I was done. He'd walk in front of me (not underfoot anymore) and I swear he wanted me to follow his path so I wouldn't fall on toys. He kept his own toys in his crate (didnt do this before) and would not beg to go potty. Instead, he seemed to wait until I was getting up for something and then going to the door. He even seemed to keep me amused by playing with his toys on his own or allowing my son to sit with him and 'play'. In all, he was great and I fell in love.

So, I went to a board and asked what to do about his peeing thing. I found it wasn't uncommon and the family collectively took measures to deal with it. We changed to suit his needs. Now, he is great, very few of those incidents and we can look at the rare ones with humor. He's a member of our family. He's one of our kids.

[Jen]

They're all great stories. I love the way Cricket worked his way into your heart Carrol. Sounds like he's a good nurse!

Tasha now has a rep as the peepee dog in the hood with the elderly who like to sit on the sidewalk in their lawnchairs. :rolleyes:

[Alex's Mom]

Jeez! Not a thread to read while at work :sad3:

When I was a kid, we got a standard dachsie named Rani. she was a great dog, and very protective of me (being the baby and all! :rolleyes:) Growing up in the airforce meant moving a lot, and she came with us, even to Europe and the US. She died of a stroke when she was 13, and I was 16.

I was 25 when I bought my first house, and I'd always said that when I bought a house I'd get a dachsie. A guy at work had just gotten a puppy from a breeder in Ontario and highly recommended her, so I gave her a call and bought Maxe sight unseen. She was a terrific breeder, one of those asking more questions of me than I had of her, and her dogs were (and are!) extremely healthy. Maxe, 4 months old, arrived by plane, arriving the same day I moved into the new house. Now I know what a bad idea that was, but at the time, I was pretty uninformed!!! and she certainly rolled with the punches, that little girl! I REALLY wanted another dog to keep her company, but couldn't afford two, so two days after she arrived, I picked a cat (the original Alex) from the SPCA. Maxe and Alex I were absolute best buds!!! They'd play and do zoomies and hop in and out of paper bags (their favourite thing!) and we all just had a really good time. Sadly, I had to move to PEI with the CBC when the two of them were about a year old, and Alex was hit by a car. One of the saddest things I've ever seen was Maxe, tail wagging and wanting to play, nudging her little lifeless body. :sosad: The next day, we went out and picked Djinn the cat, but she and Maxe were never that close.

When Maxe was 9, a friend asked me if I could look after a friend of her's little mini dachsie for a couple of weeks while she finished the course she was doing and found a job and got settled. I'd been thinking about getting another puppy anyway, so thought this would be a good chance to see how Maxe would react to another dog in the house. Poor little Chelsea arrived...the most misshapen, bow-legged, crooked excuse for a dachsie you've ever seen...yes, a pet store purchase. At first everything was OK, but Chelsea decided that she was going to be alpha in the house, including over me. I got a very quick education in animal behaviour :)!!! However, her owner wasn't willing to pay for training, and I really didn't know very much about problem dogs at that point in my life, so I did what I could, but I still cringe when I think of the mistakes I made with her. Two weeks turned into 3 months, then 6 months, and I finally just asked the owner if I could keep her since Maxe was used to her now. Nope. she started taking her on weekends, and bringing her back during the week; her partner hated dogs, and didn't want her, and the poor little thing spent her whole time with them in the back porch, which of course didn't help with the behaviours. But they still refused to rehome her :mad: Finally I said that Chelsea had to go, and she agreed to take her back on the July long weekend. So I contacted a breeder on PEI and bought Alex (again, sight unseen....where was my head????). I picked her up on July 1, 1993, the same day that Chelsea was supposed to go back to her owner..except that they called me that night and asked if I could keep her. :mad4: Well, 3 dogs were just 1 dog too many for my life at the time. I ended up with her for another couple of weeks while everyone tried to find her a home. She bullied Alex unmercifully, and I attribute a lot of Alex's dog aggression to Chelsea. I did find her a good home with an elderly couple, but the idiots that owned her decided that they wanted $300 for her....$300 for a dog with a ton of health issues due to bad breeding and behaviour problems to boot! They finally sold her to a family with 2 young kids, and I have no doubt that she ended up either dumped or dead. Chelsea is one of the reasons I got into rescue, because I still feel that I let her down and sent her to her death.

So then there were 2, plus the cat and the horse. Maxe and Alex were ok together, but never particularly close, although when Maxe died 6 years later, Alex certainly missed her! The cat died not long before Maxe, and my boy Dax is still going strong. But here at home now there's just her, the dog of my heart. I loved Maxe, but Alex is my soulmate, warts and all!

[Frzframe]

Let's see I wanted a small dog so I started looking then one day while with my parents I saw a tiny puppy. My dad pulled over I jumped out and asked what he was. The people weren't very friendly but I found out he was a l/h dachshund. So then my search really began for a l/h b/t mini dachshund. I found an ad on yahoo pets so I called and yep she had two. So I got directions drove 2.5 hours with my mom to "see" the puppies. I didn't realize that the lady was a puppy broker and that I wouldn't get to see the parents. In fact the puppies were from two different places. So out of this carrier came a little wild child - zooooom. She was so full of energy and so independent. The other one had to be coaxed out and was dull from her coat to her eyes. Poor little thing. :( Well the first one ignored me pretty much because she was so happy to be out of that carrier and she wanted to play with the other small puppy that was owned by the broker. She was bright eyed and her coat was so shiny. She was the one for me. I should've known from that moment I set her down outside to go potty and she took off on me (we almost lost her the little bugger).

With Dudley he was on of Beckie's babies. I was to get the little girl from his litter but sadly she didn't make it. So, Dud came home with me instead. :)

[Bella's Mom]

DH and I wanted a dog and had been researching breeds and talking with his mother (used to breed/show mini dachsies). I found a breeder that was willing to let me come visit, visit her dachsies, see the property, parent's, etc. Bella's mom, Blondie was pregnant at the time and I fell in love with her and wanted to wait for her litter. I met Bella when she was 3 days old. She was this little, white thing laying on top of the puppy pile and would lift her head towards me whenever I would talk. She kept scooting towards me and would settle down when I held her. Needless to say I fell in love and she was ours. The breeder would let us visit whenever we wanted and we did so every couple of weeks. She was the sweetest thing and had DH wrapped the moment he met her as well. We brought her home at 8 weeks and she has been a joy for us ever since (even when she's being naughty)! She took care of mommy when daddy was in Iraq, she greeted daddy with lots of kisses when he came home and has been an endless amount of amusement and love.:hearts: :hearts:

[Mama S.]

12 yrs ago I met a guy named PJ - fell in love and married him. Shortly thereafter we decided we needs a puppy. Searched the newspaper and found an ad for a free doxie mix. Called the vet who placed the ad and got the info. Went and found what looked to be black long haired doxies. Mama was a cocker/daddy was a doxie. PJ fell inlove and Miss Stinker came home.
A yera goes by and she is lonely - needs a playmate. One of my employees had a litter of puppies - terrior mixes. Went to see them - Pete was solid black with a white tip on his tail - he weighed a whole 9 ounces! Looked like a poodle puppy. Home he came. Dog #2
Fast forward to 2001. One of my co-workers came in to tell me that his wife had found 2 litters of puppies who had been dumped in the woods. a male and female doxie/ and another litter of some kind of terriors. We visted them the next weekend and I fell in love with Snoopy.Told my co-worker that if my purse wiggled when I left to ignore it Following week he came into my office and asked if I truly wanted Snoopy. They just had too many dogs????? PJ went that THursday evening while I was at a meeting and got him. We renamed him Oscar cuz he was My weiner! Jamie & I were sick all weekend so couldn't get him to Doc Carroll. Had planned to take him MOnday. Monday morning he started throwing up - was diagnosed with the dreaded PARVO - $700 later he came home . dog #3
I was an idiot - I wanted puppies so started looking for a female to mate with Oscar. Started hunting petstores - had no clue how bad that was at the time. Was called at work on Friday morning new litter of puppies in. Went home asked PJ if we could go just to look! Yeah right. He told me to make sure I grabbed my checkbook!! She chose us - the friendliest just waddled right up and wanted kisses!! Happy Valentines Day 2002 to me!! Dog #4
Christmas 2003 - I'm at the dollar store getting stuff for work Christmas party - petstore across the street - just go look. No harm in that right? WRONG... There was Hershey bar with his sister and brother. I fell in love instantly. Call PJ - NO MORE DOGS. OK, tuck tail and go home. Next weekend gotta get a new chair for PJ - while we're out can we go to pet store and just look? NOOOOOOOOO more puppies. DAMN. Next Friday pop in just to see if he is still there - yep. Jamie PUULLEEEZZZEEEEEE. OK we'll go look. One look at him in that miserable cage crying his eyes out - PJ tears up tells me to buy him - hell buy both of them. Sister was gone brother & the bar were still there. Offer for both - they refuse to come down on the price. Oh well - I got me a little (what I thought was a choc dapple - now I know he's a weird brown red) Hershey bar!! Dog #5
Jadaa goes into heat for the 2nd time - I still am an idiot - know nothing about BYB's - just think wouldn't it be cute to have puppies?? Breed her and Oscar and she gives us 7 gorgeous babies. Shadow was one of 2 B&T's. PJ declares that fenale is MINE and her name is Shadow. Dog #6.
Knowing better this go round but money a major issue - Jadaa still not fixed - Heat and Hershey produce litter number 2 - 6 little babies. The teeniest lil girl in the group Michael decides is his -Aurora dog #7
Seinfeld gets picked by a girl in the park. Then I find out that she is a druggie and cannot afford to take care of him so PJ decides that he needs to just be with us - rename him Sam dog #8.
Since then - everyone is fixed except Hershey & Sam. THey were scheduled then PJ had his ER surgery - money got reaallly bad so had to put it off. Females are all fixed - NO MORE PUPPIES> Guys will be fixed hopefully this summer - am checking into low cost neuter since PJ is back out of work until December.
Have now thoroughly educated myself on petstore puppies - will not go near one that sells animals. I try very hard to educate my tenants about spaying/nuetering. A former place - not to be mentioned made me feel sooooo bad about how I had gotten my guys that I lied about the last litter.
Just one more reason I LOVE THE DLC> Can come clean with my dirty little secret knowing that although not smart judgements - I'll still be loved and so will all my babies!
and they lived happily ever after!!
mama