My Dogs - an Analysis

I love my dogs. Let me just get that out if the way. They each bring something to us we love...they also bring things to us we want nothing to do with. But part of owning pets, like raising children, is taking the good with the bad. So to name some pros, I will start with unconditional love. It's sad when people do not care for their dogs, neglect them, beat them, or abuse them in some way. the amazing thing is, those dogs will still love on that abusive owner, if given the chance. My dogs love me to death. They will cuddle with all day long if I let them. They cuddle with me at night, they cuddle with my son, if they can get close enough. If I forget to feed them one morning, they hold no grudge. When they have to be in the kennel for 3 hours while I am out...they are very happy to see me when I let them out. There is a joke that states "if you want to know who loves you more, your wife or your dog, lock them both in the car for 5 hours and see which one is happy to see you when you let them out." This is true. If Casey locked me up for 5 hours I would not be happy to see him, but the dogs would. The second thing I like about the dog is the comedy factor. I have dachshunds, which I think are the funniest looking animal on the face of the planet, next to the platypus. I laugh at them when I see them, just because they look so comical. Their personalties match their bodies...they are short tempered and a bit unbalanced. They love to "weenie roast" as we call it...lay in the sun that is shining in through the windows. The third thing I love about my dogs is that they are protective. I will not lie, the barking drives me crazy, but I always remind my self that they are just protecting the family and home. You make laugh and as me what 3 mini doxies are going to do if someone breaks into my house. Well...they will not do much damage to the individual (well they might...Dachshunds are considered a vicious breed), but if someone is in my house uninvited, I will know about before they even get in the window/door. They hear things I cannot even register. They may bark at it all things both good and bad, but at least I know about it. So watch your ankles burglars. Every dog here is different, they have a personality:

Miri Star: Bless this dogs heart, she is stupid. She also has a bit of weight issue that we cannot get under control...might be all the "snacks" she eats, but I get into that later. Some days she more resembles a seal with ears, not a dachshund. I am sure she has an IQ, and I am pretty sure it falls with in the "box of rocks" range. I guess she could just be stubborn, which I am sure is part of it, but I blame most of it on a short memory span and just being generally obtuse. She will commit the same infraction 12 times a day, no matter who is watching and still looks just as baffled when Casey says, "really dog!? I am RIGHT HERE!" when she tries to eat Elvis's poop. Speaking of, thats the other thing. She eats poop. The other two do not do this, but we hear it's normal. She does not eat her own poop. Just the other dog's; she does have standards after all. She sure does like to break free of the cage though. If she gets outside with out a leash...the race is on. We are not sure what causes this. She is fixed, so it cannot be a reproduction thing, she is well taken care of so it cannot be she wants a better life. I just take it to mean she has an adventurous spirit. Maybe I am too hard on Miri. I grew up with a black lab, arguably one of the smartest breeds out there. I used to just think she was a normal Doxie, until we got Elvis. Then it became clear...she was dumb. But that's OK too. Miri is loyal and loving, and I don't need a Einstein to keep me company.

Elvis - This is the best looking dog we own. He is sleek, shiny, the right weight, has great markings, and the attitude to match. When I think of Elvis as a person, I see a classy man is a great suit, ready to take on the world. He does not over eat, in fact he will rarely eat unless you are feeding him something that actually tastes good. He is the most vocal of the bunch, and prances (litteraly...he prances, tail up in the air and everything) around the house like he owns it. Even with him seeming to be the head honcho around here, he is very even tempered and kind of reminds me of my Uncle Royce. Just cool, calm and collected all the time. Till he barks. He is always the first to bark and the last. And if one of the other dogs barks first for some reason he starts right in, even if he doesn't know what he is barking at. He is the one I am telling to be quiet most the time, but he honestly is the calmest dog we own. I have a soft spot for Elvis right now. With the addition of another (non-fixed) male in the house, he has become slightly withdrawn. He has always done his own thing, but Miri usually followed suit and now she is not doing that anymore as she is off with the new male. Maybe he doesn't even notice, but he used to wrestle and play with Miri a lot and not he sits and watches (and whines) while Miri and the new male play. Because of this I have been giving him special attention because I think he feels left out...do dogs even feel left out? Elvis is defiantly my dog. Miri has always gravitated to Casey...Elvis prefers me over anyone. And I kind of like it.

Motley: Mottles is our new addition. He is not fixed...and so he follows Miri around the house most of the day. Doxies and are VERY hard to train...and more difficult to house break, but we knew it was coming. He is certainly a puppy. He has the puppy look to him which means I usually assume (incorrectly) that he is innocent of all wrong doing. Chew a hole in the couch? Me? NEVER. Steal Xavie's pig toy? NEVER. Pee on your leg? That COULD NOT have been me. I don't know if he is just highly attached right now, or if he is worried he will be abandoned again (he was not abandoned....but we did take him away from a owner that could not take care of him anymore), but he pretty much follows me everywhere right now. He sleeps right next to me and prefers to have his nose buried in my shirt or pants or whatever...I am not sure how he breathes that way but that's the way he likes it. He is also always under foot. I don't think I realized how well we had trained Miri and Elvis to not be under our feet (or maybe they were just kicked a lot by accident and figured it out themselves) but they are really good about it. Motley is not. I trip over him about 6 times a day. He also gets stepped on. He likes to lick faces which drives me crazy, but I think it bothers Xavie more because he can't stand up to get away from it. That is another thing we have done well with the other two. They will lick your face sometimes, but not consistently 24/7. Mottles has yet to really let his personalty show, though I think he will be more like Miri....but I could be wrong! Maybe we will get something all different and fantastic.

How can I not be thrilled to have these little buddies in my life?