Just Me Copper

25 things about me ...

2009-01-27T22:47:00.006-05:00

While I try hard to think about things that start with F, I want to try another game that is going around on facebook. My Mom is on facebook and she wishes she could play the game there but no one has asked her to play. How sad is my boring mother ... she has friends but no one will play with her.

Ok, here goes.

1. I am a dachshund. That is the most important thing about me.
2. I am a long haired dachsund, something a little different.
3. I pee on blankets or towels when I am left alone in the house. I will not tell you why I do this and nothing my mother does can make me stop. I just do it. That is why I have to stay in the kitchen when I am left alone.
4. I sleep between my parents in the big bed.
5. I do not eat people food unless it drops on the floor accidentally.
6. I do get to lick ice cream bowls. This is the only exception to #5.
7. Ok, sometimes Mom gives me bits of her apple. But that's it.
8. Ok, cheese. I know the sound of the cheese drawer and take my medicine in cheese, when I take medicine, so I do get cheese occasionally. But that's it.
9. I have a best friend names Hershey. He lives far away in Richmond, Virginia. Fortunately he comes to visit me pretty often. I let Hershey win when we are together. It's just not worth it to me to try to win. That makes him alpha dog. I don't care if he is alpha dog.

10. I tinkle like a girl. Hershey tinkles like a boy. We're both fixed. Go figure.
11. My Mom thinks I need a little sister. See #3.
12. I am allergic to fleas.
13. I like to take sunbaths but my house faces the wrong way and is surrounded my big trees so I have to go to my Granddaddy's house to take sunbaths.
14. I like to stick by my Mom all of the time. Dad will do. See #3.
15. My granddaddy is here visiting me. I wish he lived here all of the time because he likes to walk and he would take me for walks. He is 80 years old and walked 410 miles in 2008. My mother wishes she could say she walked 410 miles last year.
16. Come to think of it, if my granddaddy walked me, he would never walk very far. I am a slow walker. I sniff a lot. This frustrates my Mom.
17. I do not bark or scratch at the door when I need to go out. I just sit there. This makes it hard on my folks because they cannot see me when I go to the door unless they are sitting on the stairs. They just wonder where I am and go look and I am patiently waiting at the door.
18. I will not bark on command. See #17
19. My favorite trick is 'roll over'. If my folks had a video camera, I would show you.
20. I can jump on beds, even tall beds.
21. My tail has a curl in it which is wierd for dachshunds.
22. I tolerate my nails being trimmed, but I don't love it. I hate baths.
23. I love riding in the car. I especially love making nose prints on the windows.
24. I am very itchy. I have dry skin and allergies. See #12.
25. I love my Mom very much, except when she scolds me for #3.

There, that wasn't so hard.

S is for .....

2009-01-20T21:06:00.006-05:00

Hi dogfriends. It's me Copper.... the dog that almost never has anything interesting to blog about. Well, today I have something to blog about.

Roxie, Sammy and Andy, my doxie friends from Houston, have recently redone their blog and they just blogged about the letter S. I wrote to them and asked for a letter to blog about and they gave me 'F'. I am still trying to come up with some things that begin with the letter 'F' but before I do, I would like to share with you and them, something that is on my mind regarding the letter 'S.' Right now, in fact, my mother and I can only think of this one S thing. Indeed, my mother would love to stop thinking about this S thing. But before I show you the thing that is on my mind and my mother's mind, I want to show you some pictures of my house.

This is my lovely front dog yard with my white picket fence and my stone border around my flowerbed.

This is my front porch and my rose bush that is so pretty in the spring. This is where I guard my house and bark at squirrels and people that walk past my house. In fact you can see me guarding my house in the picture.

This is Mom's new dining room furniture. She had set the table for Christmas dinner.

This is my new bed .... oh, I mean my Mom's new bed. (Oh, and Dad's too.)

I show you all these pictures so that you know my Mom and Dad and I do not get the wrong idea about my Mom or Dad or my house when you see the S pictures.

My Mom is reluctantly letting me show you the S pictures. Mom and Dad found the S pictures this weekend when they went down under the house to close so vents in the crawl space under the house so that the house would stay warmer when the weather dipped into the teens, as it did this weekend. My mother who likes a clean house, beds that are made, things in their place, and decorating magazines found this thing that begins with the letter S.

Snakes skins! S is for ..... snakes and snake skins.

Mom and Dad found lots of creepy snake skins under house. They found them on the ground and on the walls of the crawl space. They did not know the creepy snakes or creepy snake skins were under the house because they don't go down there very much. And now my Mother will probably never go down there ever again.

Mom called their exterminator (yes we have one) and the exterminator recommended a trapping service that specializes in snakes. The snake man is going to come out soon and see if he can find the snakes, wake them up and send them away on a long vacation. He says he should be able to find out why they are under there and how they are getting in and make sure they don't come back. He was going to come today until it snowed.

Yes, S is also for Snow. Meeshka, I told you I had never seen snow. Well, today it snowed. None of it stuck ... but it snowed.

S ... snakes, skin, snow, stuck. That all start with S. So does sleep, which is something my Mother is not able to do very well lately because of these letter S things.

But at least now I have something to blog about.

More on squirrels....

2009-01-12T22:23:00.004-05:00

This is from Bill Kirby of the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga

Quote: A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit. -- actress Sarah Jessica Parker

"Your squirrel tales continue.
I know. I know. They chew through electric power lines. They slip into our attics and leave nut collections. They bully the birds from our backyard feeders.

The latter seems to particularly provoke many of you, but that problem has also inspired solutions, which I am happy to share.

Walter Kendrick writes: "To keep squirrels out of bird feeders, I put a piece of ductlike tin material around the object. You can buy it at home improvement stores. It comes in a small roll and can be cut with tin snips. They cannot climb it."

Paul Shivers , of Waynesboro, says: "Purchase three 'joints' of stove pipe, snap it in place around the pole supporting your bird feeder, resting on the ground, and you will be rid of your squirrel problem. Be sure the feeder is located so the animals cannot jump to it from a structure or tree."

Judy Davidson writes: "We were feeding all the neighborhood squirrels from our bird feeder until my husband Jim found the 'baffle' at Wild Birds Unlimited. "The apparatus is a cylinder with one closed end that fits on the pole. The squirrels go up, reach a dead end short of the feeder, and come back down. "Most of the squirrels don't even try anymore, but occasionally we see a rookie go up and make the U-turn. I suspect the other squirrels are on nearby limbs pointing and chattering."

Joyce Quinn , of Aiken, puts it simply: "I bought a squirrel-proof bird feeder at Birds and Butterflies in Aiken."

Howard Battle apparently thinks outside the box. He suggests: "Place an old-time Slinky around the pole that holds your bird feeder and have a lot of fun watching the squirrels trying to climb the pole."

Lynn and Jim Herrmann , of Evans, say: "Take a 41/2-inch (I measured from one side of the circle to the other, which hopefully is correct as my beloved husband was out golfing when I did this) white PVC pipe and put over the bird feeder pole. "My husband lathered the bird feeder pole with Vaseline, which worked for a while and ... well, you get the picture."

Thank you all for your squirrel suggestions, but I'll leave you with another squirrel tale, as reported last week in The New York Times.

The British, The Times reports, are getting rid of squirrels by eating them.

"These days ... in farmers' markets, butcher shops, village pubs and elegant restaurants, squirrel is selling as fast as gamekeepers and hunters can bring it in," the newspaper said.
There are several reasons, most importantly because there are millions of squirrels "rampaging throughout England, Scotland and Wales."

Added to the problem is that the gray squirrels introduced from North America over the past century are crowding out Britain's beloved red squirrels. In 2006, an SOS group (Save Our Squirrels) began its campaign to devour the competition with its motto: "Save a red, eat a gray!"
The next thing you know, everybody's eating squirrels. Among them is Nichola Fletcher , a food writer, who held a squirrel tasting for Britain's Guild of Food Writers. She found "their lovely flavor tasted of the nuts they nibbled."

(Ms. Fletcher, I say: Keep nibbling!)"

A red letter day ....

2009-01-10T15:09:00.005-05:00

You wouldn't believe what happened to me today! What a bonanza!

Mom decided I still look very thin and so she decided to weigh me this morning. This is how she weighs me .... she picks me up and steps on her scale and then puts me down and weighs herself and then she does math. She told me I still weight 12.5 pounds and that is why I seems so skinny. So she went for a car ride (alas .. without me) and came home with a 20 pound bag of dog food ... the kind with no holes.

While she was at the pet food store she saw a full blooded male red long haired dachshund, up for adoption. Mom just happened to see him as the man brought him into the store in a kennel. He was red with black on his ears and he was a little bigger than me. Mom has been praying about a companion for me for a while so she began to wonder if maybe her unscheduled trip to the pet food store was , in fact, a divine appointment. Mom was the first person to get the ladies attention as she came into the store and she asked about him. Mom wanted to have the first opportunity to be considered to adopt the dog. The lady told Mom right away that he needed to be an only dog and that he was very dominant and would bite young children. Mom was very dissapointed because this meant she could not adopt this dog. She was startled with how forthcoming this lady was with this information and wonders who will ever adopt him? (Personally Mom feels that dog adoption people would prefer to adopt out dogs to petless married adult couples who do not work, have 20 foot tell fences, never travel or leave home for short periods of time. But that is another story.) So poor Docker, the aggressive dachshund who bites children did not get adopted to be my brother today. I hope he got another forever home.

When Mom got home, my Dad went out to the car and got it and put in in my dogfood can. In order to mix it up with the other dogfood in the can, he picked up the can and shook it and this happened.

This is not a picture of my dog food or my house. It is a picture of some other lucky dog's kitchen. My Mom did not take a picture of my food all over the floor, because she and Dad were too buy trying to CLEAN IT UP before I could eat it all!!! I was helping and was eating it as fast as I possibly could, trying to gain some of my weight back, but would they let me help? Nooooooo! I had to go in the living room while they finished. Dad said I had eaten a full dinner's worth alredyand that I'd still expect dinner tonight.

Well, of course I will!

Taking care of my house ...

2009-01-09T22:18:00.002-05:00

I guarded my house today again. Mom and Dad were at work. I chewed on a rawhide and pulled my bed out of my doghouse. I barked at a squirrel and chased him away. I napped on the loveseat. I'm glad it's bedtime. I'm tired.

I have to help alot ...

2009-01-06T23:53:00.002-05:00

My Mom is redecorating the bedroom. Yesterday she took these pictures to show Hershey's Mom and I had to help her take the pictures. I helped by getting on the bed and being in the picture. You know the pictures are more interesting because I am in them.

This is the bed. Hershey's Mom painted these pictures (over the bed) to match the pillow.

This is my 'side leg kicked out' pose.

This is my 'no rear legs at all' pose.

This is my 'What?! You called my name?' pose.

Food with holes ...

2009-01-03T23:18:00.005-05:00

My Mom went to the grocery store today and stressed over what to buy. Eggs have something called cholesterol, oatmeal has carbs and cereal has sugar. Mom does not know what to eat anymore. I don't know why but it seems like people everywhere get all stressed out in January and try to lose weight. Are your people doing that? Sometimes they even try to exercise.

A year ago at my yearly check up I weighed 16 pounds and Miss Cindy told my Mom she didn't want me to gain another ounce! Mom listened to Miss Cindy and went out and bought me some new food. The new food had smaller pieces and each piece of food had a hole it it. I ate the new food .... it was good. One day recently the boy that used to live here before I came to live here, came to visit me. He had not seen me in a long time and he said I was skin and bones. (Yes, it hurt my feelings.) He even called me "Auschwich dog" whatever that means.

This got my Mom to thinking and she decided it was time for me to go see Miss Cindy again. This time we went in the car to her office .... instead of walking next door to her house. At the office, she has this short table that you have to step on and then you have to 'stay' and then you can get off. It told Miss Cindy that I weighed 12.5 pounds. I had lost 3.5 pounds of me somewhere! My Daddy, who is good with math, said I had lost nearly 22% of me eating the food with holes in it and he needed to go on that food. Miss Cindy said I looked GREAT at first and then she said maybe Mom should give me a little more of the food with holes in it each time she feeds me.

Meanwhile, Mom went out and bought me some food with bigger pieces and no holes. I am eating it. But the boy, who was here at Christmas, still calles me Auschwich dog.

Before

After

Happy New Year ...

2008-12-31T21:42:00.002-05:00

You can stay up till midnight if you want Hershey, but I am going to bed. Goodnight. Happy New Year everydog.

Merry Christmas a little late ...

2008-12-27T10:00:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas dog friends. I've been too busy cleaning up things off the floor to blog. Plus, Hershey and I have spent a lot of time outside.

Yesterday my Mom got the camera out to take my picture. Well, at least I thought she was going to take my picture. This is what I found on the camera.

Hi Hershey!

Hello!! Can we come in now??? We're still out here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hershey's HERE!

2008-12-21T18:25:00.006-05:00

They were right. Hershey came!! I was taking a nap on the couch in preparation for bedtime and I heard Something and I went to the door and Hershey was THERE! I'm so glad to see him. We have been busy going in and out and in and out and in and out because that is why my Mom is on vacation. I don't have any pictures of us yet. Maybe I'll get Mom to take some.

For now I will show you some pictures from my last walk to the canal. This fall my Mom took me on a flea collecting adventure ... I mean walk ... to the canal. She likes to walk there and take pictures. I walk and stand around while she takes pictures and I meet other dogs who share their fleas with me. I personally have a BIG problem with fleas. I seem to be highly allergic to them, or at least that is Mom's theory. Mom uses Frontline on me every month and it supposedly kills the fleas that bite me, but fleas make me itch something crazy and start this cycle of itchy flaky skin and scratching ... it makes me itch just THINKING about it. So Mom tries to keep them from getting on me period. This is the reason we don't go to the canal very often or go for many walks, she tells me. Ugh!

Anyway, here are some of the pictures we took that day.

I tried to introduce myself to this dog but he wouldn't talk to me. He said his tongue hurt.

No, I will NOT look at the camera Mom! I have too many other things to look at!

Please let me smell this! No, I won't jump over the wall, I promise. I wonder where these steps go anyway ....

This is a wall.

She has dozens of pictures like this. Just boring old leaves and water.

This is poison ivy. Why she did she take a picture of poison ivy? I don't know.

This is Fifi. We exchanged phone numbers.

Can we go home now, it's getting dark and I itch?

Hello dog friends ...

2008-12-19T20:23:00.003-05:00

It's me again. I haven't blogged in so long, I am sure you have all forgotten me. Me thinks my secretary is

1) too busy?

2) unispired?

3) out of ideas (isn't that the same as uninspired?)

4) depressed?

5) lonely?

6) uninterested in me?

Ok, let's go with busy and out of ideas.

These pictures were taken at my Boppie's house. I stayed with him a couple night recently while my Mom and her brothers and sisters threw him an 80th Birthday Party. Mom and Dad stayed in a hotel so I had to stay at my Boppie's house. But that is ok because he fed me breakfast AND dinner. Usually I just get dinner. It was fun.

My Mom has been thinking of quitting my blog. She has also considered changing it to a blog that she can share with me. Something like a decorating, journaling, photography, dog blog. She still hasn't decided yet.

Meanwhile, it is almost Christmas and Mom and Dad have used to word "Hershey" twice tonight. I wonder if he is coming to see me. Stay tuned and I'll let you know.

PS Please write and tell me Mom that people have wrecks occasionally. She was in a small wreck today, but is absolutely fine. Her car bumpers are not so pretty anymore, front and back. She says she is thankful no one was hurt and that it was not very bad and that she is off all next week to deal with it and that she was not at fault. But she is still sad about it.

It's those Richmond squirrels ...

2008-11-02T13:37:00.005-05:00

I interupt my blacation (that's vacation from blogging) to warn my one or two readers about suicidal terrrorist squirrels. I learned from Meeshka's post today that a whole lot of people had to slurp up warm soupy ice cream in Richmond, Virginia. Apparently, Richmond is home to more than one suicidal terrorist squirrel as evidenced by these pictures.

I recently went to Richmond and visited my best buddy Hershey and he told me about this squirrel that hung from the electrical wires near his house for three weeks. I had to show my Daddy these pictures to find out what happened to the bad squirrel. I will spare you the scientific explanation that involves phases and electricity and surges ... and will instead simplify my explaination by saying ... he shouldn't have done what he did on the wires and he got hurt really bad. I do not know if this particular squirrel caused a decrease in cool air coming out of vents or warm ice cream, but he sure did have a bad day.

The stage is not for me ...

2008-10-10T20:58:00.004-04:00

Not for me, not for me, not for me. Kennels are not for me and the stage is not for me. No, no, no, no!

This week my Mom took me to church. She works are the church and she takes me there sometimes on Fridays but this time she took me to church to be on a STAGE. The Children' s Ministry at the church was doing a skit on Wednesday night like they always do only this time it was about a girl that rescued a bunch of animals from an animal shelter that was being flooded. The wanted animals to sit in kennels on the stage while they did the skit. So my Mom took me.

Mom came home from work early and fed me and brushed me and took me up to church to be in the skit. She even stuffed peanut butter in a Kong for me to eat while I was up on stage, thinking it would make me happy. It was so exciting ... I saw all kind of children who wanted to pet me and I got treats and lots of loving and then SLAM .... I got put in a kennel and he light was in my eyes! I could see my Mom too and she WASN'T COMING TO GET ME. It was awful. I didn't even want to lick my Kong. The pretty girl that runs the skit had to come up on stage in the middle of the performance, well ... actually in the beginning of the performance ... and take me off stage because I was making such a racket yelping to get out of that kennel and off the stage and go see my Mom!! My Mom was so embarrassed she wanted to die. But not as embarrassed as a bunch of other times when she embarrassed her own self and she REALLY wanted to die.

My friend Mac was in the play too. But like the distinguished older gentleman that he is, hs sat in his kennel and just looked around and even laid down at one time and tried to take a nap. Boy did he make me look bad!! I hope I never have to go though that again but I don't think I will because my Mom is still embarrassed about it.

The skit was about DETERMINATION! The girl in the skit was determined to save all of the animals from the flood.

Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.” No ifs, ands, or buts. You will face sickness, death, divorce, temptations, failures, rejection, peer pressure. You will have trouble that you won’t see coming. And no one is exempt. Not the young, not the old, not the good. Even Jesus had trouble. He was tempted, persecuted, beaten, crucified. He could’ve taken an easy way out, given up, and gone back to heaven. Instead, He decided it was worth it to stay and finish what He’d started. That’s what Determination is all about–deciding it’s worth it to stay and finish what you start.

Too bad Mom didn't tell me that before she put me on the stage or I might have been determined to stay up there. Determination sounds like a virtue I need to learn huh?

and This is a mouse ...

2008-09-24T18:19:00.002-04:00

on top of a frog. How cute is this picture?

This is a mole ...

2008-09-23T22:45:00.004-04:00

And this is a mole. Look at those claws! He is made for digging!

This is a vole....

2008-09-22T22:45:00.003-04:00

This is a vole. He kind of looks like a mouse only he has a shorter tail and tiny ears. At least that is what the internet says. Mom didn't know she knew what a vole was either until she say it and the word just popped into her head. It sort of looked like a mouse. It may have been a mouse. It was not in the best of shape when Mom saw it .. and it smelled vile. The vile vole. Hershey and I liked rolling on it. Too bad Mom made it go away.

I'm awake ...

2008-09-21T22:44:00.004-04:00

Sorry for that long vacation friends. Mom stays busy and uninspired to help me blog. She sometimes wonders if I have anything else to say. This is what I have been doing lately ...

Hershey came to visit me a couple of weeks ago. He brought the baby and Nixon and stayed for four days. The baby is at an awesome stage. She carries this orange snack cup around sometimes and sometimes she lays it down. A couple of times I was quick enough to grab it and I scored some cool snacks. You can see me sticking my nose in it in this picture below. She is trying to give me my kong but I know there is nothing in it!

She discovered my porch water and played in it a little and here I am licking her hands dry. ... I try to be helpful.

I let her try out my doghouse. She fits in it really well.

And here she is playing on this big rock I have in my yard and watching Hershey smell something.

After Hershey left, Mom found a dead vole in my yard. She thinks it was a vole but it could have been a mouse. It was not a mole because my Mom looked at pictures of moles and voles and mice on the internet and moles have big feet and this creature didn't. Mom says she will spare showing you intenet pictures of voles and moles because she knows you can go look at them yourself if you want to. Anyway, this vole was just laying in my yard near where Hershey and I had been "studying" and rolling around alot. Mom didn't take a picture of it because he was dead and well .... very unattractive. But she thinks Hershey may have killed it because he is quite the hunter. Mom threw the dead critter over my fence so I can't roll on him now. Isn't she mean?

Since Hershey left, Mom has been looking at adoptable doggies on the internet again. Why is it that dog people think a dog that hates kids and cats and isn't housebroken and has heartworms will make a great pet? I guess everydog deserves a good home but Mom wants just the right one if it is going to live at my house for 10 + years. I really love it when Hershey is here. He is my very best friend and if he wasn't so attached to his Mom and his baby and his Daddy, we'd invite him to come live with me. But he has an important job taking care of his family up in Virginia. He has a mailman that attacks his home six days a week and he has dogs and people that threaten to walk past his house every day. He has to keep his cat brother Nixon in line and he has to clean up all of those dropped snacks. It's a hard life.

So, I am awake and maybe Mom will post more often now.

Mom ... enough with the camera!

2008-08-30T20:33:00.002-04:00

Mom ... honestly ... I know you are trying to learn to take better pictures and your grandaughter lives far away and isn't here to take pictures of. But do you have to take pictures of me when I am sleeping? Gheesh. Go away!

This dog rocks ...

2008-08-26T22:27:00.001-04:00

I could do this. But I didn't ........ and neither did you. That's why he's in the news and we're not.

A walking squeaky toy that drops snacks ...

2008-08-24T17:39:00.001-04:00

I just want to show you why Hershey never blogs anymore. For those of you that don't know, Hershey is my bext friend. He moved far away and got a baby. Now she drops snacks and does this. Go here to find out what.

I'm still alive ...

2008-08-15T21:04:00.005-04:00

Hi dogfriends ... I am still alive. My mother has not been willing to help me blog lately... she says she has been busy .. whatever that means. I do not know what she has been busy doing because she is hardly ever home. I did see some strange blue pictures on her camera and I heard her say she is taking a photography class. This place below looks like a place I would like to go for a walk and snif things. I could walk on this path and snif all the smells.

I have started walking at night with Mom. We walk and she brings treats and I get a treat when I walk fast and don't dilly dally and snif every single leaf or flower along the way. Mom says the exercise is good for us and she does let me snif some.

I have been itching a LOT lately and so Miss Cindy tried me on some medicine that rhymes with 'fred ne zone' and it instantly made the itching go away. Because of this, Miss Cindy says I am allergic to something and I get to get cheese medicine all summer! Rock on! Mom likes it that I am not as itchy because it means she can sleep at night. Like I loved scratching all night, ugh!

Mom also made another blog for her neighborhood and it has messed up my blog alot and so she has not wanted to post with all of the neighborhood information on my blog. It as taken her a while to get it straightened out and she is not sure it is straight even yet.

So, I am still alive.

Dog saves woman from bad kangaroo ...

2008-07-19T19:48:00.003-04:00

Golly, I thought they were cute jumpy animals that carried their babies around in a convenient pocket .... but apparently they can hurt you. Read this. One again, dogs rock!

It's BIG ...

2008-07-16T19:08:00.002-04:00

My tomato plant .... Mom and Dad don't know what fertilizer they used but they think it was the wrong kind. They have lots of leaves and not very many tomatoes. It's creeping across the yard to get me. Help!

Photography 101 ...

2008-07-15T23:10:00.004-04:00

On Thursday my Mom is starting a photography class at the local college here. She is excited about it. As you can see from this picture, she desperately needs some help. She didn't get a good shot of Hershey's baby, the flash is all wrong and even worse .. I look like a zombie! So, I think it is good that she is going to a class, even though it will mean I have to rest on the couch alone for a while on Thursday nights. Maybe there will be a whole lot more pictures of me around here soon.

Meanwhile, I have little news to report from the home front except that the giant tomato plant is taking over my yard. I'll try to take some pictures myself tomorrow. My pictures are better than Mom's.

It's a tough job but somebody has to do it....

2008-07-06T22:18:00.004-04:00

You get the fruit and I get the bread. Ok, Hershey?

But we were just starting to have fun!

2008-07-05T19:39:00.002-04:00

Goodbye Hershey! Have a nice drive home and be a good boy. Take care of your baby. I'll miss you.

A bath on the 4th?!?!

2008-07-04T20:55:00.003-04:00

Hershey - Hey Copper, I'm all wet!

Copper - Yeah, I know we got a bath. I hate baths.

Hershey - Why did we get a bath?

Copper - I don't know ... sometimes when my Mom has a day off she gets in a cleaning mood and one of the things she cleans is me.

Hershey - And me too if I am visiting?

Copper - Yes, like I said ... she cleans things when she's in these moods.

Hershey - I thought we were supposed to eat hotdogs and watch fireworks today?

Copper - Hershey, I never get to eat people food unless it drops accidentally.

Hershey - Oh, well you need to come live with ME! I have a BABY!

Copper - Yeah, I've met your baby. Where did she go? I sure miss those bagels and bits of banana.

Hershey - I don't know where she is. She must be with my Mom and Dad cause they're gone too. Does that mean you are dog sitting me?

Copper - Yeah, I guess so Hersh. Let's go roll on the carpet and dry off. I'm still wet.

I've always wanted a canopy bed ....

2008-07-03T19:55:00.001-04:00

I sooo need this bed!!! Don't you think it would look nice in my little white picket fenced dog yard? I've always liked Pottery Barn's taste.

His breath is fresher ...

2008-07-02T17:36:00.002-04:00

Hershey got his teeth cleaned today. He went to see Miss Cindy at the vet's office and he got his teeth cleaned and his nails and feet trimmed. Now you can see that he HAS feet. And his breath is fresher. He will be easier to sleep with tonight. He is very sleepy tonight though.

This is his baby's pink chair. She lets him sleep in it.

They drop food ...

2008-07-01T23:09:00.005-04:00

Dogfriends, I have been really busy this weekend baby watching. It seems that all that cleaning and cooking was because Hershey and his baby were coming. Hershey and I have been really busy baby watching. We watch her because she drops food. Wow, does Hershey have a great deal going with this baby thing! I really have to get me one. I will write more later when she leaves and I don't have to watch so much.

Take your dog to work day ...

2008-06-27T22:14:00.004-04:00

Hello dogfriends. There has been a flurry of activity here tonight ... lots of vacuuming and washing and cleaning ... an unusual activity for a Friday night. Then, Mom brought in a laundry basket full of toys.... and they aren't dog toys. I sense something is up but I don't know what it could be. Any ideas, dogfirends?

I had another very busy day today. I got to go to work again. I like going to work with Mom. People pet me and say hi to me and Mom's boss gives me treats all day and scratches my neck. Here I am helping Mom out with some email.

And my side pose. The other day was National Take Your Dog to Work Day and I participated!!!!! My Mom didn't even know there was such a day, but I was at work that day anyway.

This is what I do all day. Lay here and watch the world go by. Can we go home now Mom?

I don't want to talk about it ...

2008-06-23T21:26:00.002-04:00

Hi everydog and cat and everyone else (except you creepy people that leave weird comments on my blog) ... I had a great day. Well .... it was great till I got a spanking for ... well, I don't want to talk about it. I know, I know ... I am knew I wasn't supposed to do it and I have been scolded before for doing it .... but ......no one was at home so .... I just did. So shoot me.. or scold me ... oh wait, that's what you did. I remember now. Oh well, I guess you have forgiven me because you fed me dinner and you are letting me sit on the couch with you. I promise I will never do it again. Promise.

Dog friends ... I know you don't know what I am talking about but Mom does and so well ... I don't want to talk about it. And no, I did not take pictures!!

Use CAUTION when approaching this plant ...

2008-06-18T23:04:00.005-04:00

Blogger was uncooperative the other day when I was trying to upload my tomato plant pictures so here are the rest of them. It's still growing. Here you can see it is growing over the fence towards my 'car ride' car.

This is a picture of me sniffing a bug. "Hey bug, stay away from Mom's tomato plant!"

And this is what Mom hopes happens soon ... lots of red ripe tomatoes.

(She painted these on with the computer.)

Sigh..... I am so bored.

It's going to get me ....

2008-06-16T19:20:00.003-04:00

Surely everydog has heard about the evil salmonella laced tomato epidemic that is plaguing America ... or is it the world? The one that is forcing restaurants everywhere to post little signs saying they aren't serving them.

Well, while your people are doing without tomatoes, mine are growing them and are just starting to get some red ones.

They started this tomato plant as a teeny slip of a thing way back in March and now look at it. It has taken over the flower bed that it calls home and threatens to take over my little yard. If you click on the picture, you can see it better.

Here I am posing in front of it (Mom made me) at great peril.

Mom and Dad do not remember what they used for fertilizer but they think they may have used too much.

Happy Father's Day ...

2008-06-16T10:08:00.003-04:00

This is my Daddy. Today is his special day. I actually am not sure it was a very special one for him, but I did all I could do, I took a nap with him today.

He is a wonderful Dad to me. He always feeds me at 5 o'clock if Mom is not home or if she has not fed me yet. (Mom feeds me anytime I ask after 4, pretty much .. she is much more of a softie in that area.) Dad lets me leave my fenced in yard and go through the garage into the house. Mom doesn't. He scratches me a lot ... Mom doesn't. Dad never gives me baths of trims my nails, which I hate to have done. He is a good dad. No you can't have him, he is mine.

Yes, dogs do this ....

2008-06-05T20:04:00.003-04:00

I'm not commenting on these pages in Mom's book except to say that I don't have to pull a tab to do this either.

More on the snake .... my Dad leaves for work early and it was not really light out yet. He moved my Mom's car out from behind his car and that is when he ran over the snake. When he walked back to get in his car, he saw the snake and thought it was a rattlesnake. He put the snake in the trashcan and called my Mom to warn her in case she decided to put anything in the trash can. It was trash day and the can was at the curb. Mom naturally had to go LOOK in the trash can and SEE the snake and she took it OUT of the trash can and put in in the bushes outside my pretty fence. Then she looked it up when she got to work and discovered it was a Copperhead. All this snake moving was done with gloves and while it was dead. Mom was kinda freaked out that I had a Copperhead in my yard. When she told me, I told her I was SURE it was on it's way to attack me just like Roxie, Sammy and Andy's Copperhead tried to do. Gheesh, a dog isn't safe in his own yard. I do not like snakes.

More about Mom's book ..... and A SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-04T19:40:00.004-04:00

Mom must have been thinking about me when she bought this book. I am doing a lot of ear shaking and scratching lately. When someone with opposable thumbs pulls the tabs on the end of the pages, the dogs shake and scratch. ............ I do it without opposable thumbs.

But my big news of the day is my Daddy killed a baby Copperhead snake in my driveway today when he backed out of the driveway this morning!!!!!!! The copperhead was surely on his way to get me I bet. Yikes!!!

2008-06-03T22:36:00.002-04:00

What do you blog about when you have nothing to blog about? My life is so boring sometimes. I did go for a walk tonight. Mom has started taking me for walks but this is the second time she went on a loooonnnnggg walk. I tell you, I nearly died! I told her I wanted to go back home several times but she told me that if we kept going, we'd get home faster. I don't know what in the heck THAT means! I do know that I hate to walk in tall grass and on rocky ground so a couple of times Mom carried me. Yes ... she carried me. I think I need a stroller. Sorry I don't have any pictures of Mom carrying me.

Mom went to buy a present for Hershey's baby the other day and she found this book.

She just had to have it so she bought it for herself. (She justifies buying it because she says that someday she'll be able to read it to her grandchildren ... that is if they ever come visit her.) Anywho, it is about dogs. Mom is collecting books about dogs. I'll have to show you the others. But here are a few pages from this book. I'll post the other ones soon... drag it out, ya know.

These pages are about dachsunds. Naturally Mom is partial to dachshunds.

Uhh ... can you move over please?

2008-05-30T22:05:00.007-04:00

Everydog knows that beds are very important. People like them too. I am really good and share my bed with my people. Here I am sharing it with Hershey. See how big it is? It's plenty big enough for Hershey and I to nap in. Notice we are just napping here because the sheets are not not turned down. Us dachshunds like to sleep UNDER the covers at night. But to remain ever vigilant during the day, sometimes we sleep on TOP of the covers so we can hear danger coming.

Sometimes I nap in actual "DOG BEDS." I hesitate to admit it but I do. They are soft and cozy and easy to get into for quick naps and best of all, they are ALL MINE. I never have to share them with my Mom or my Dad. Here I am sharing one with Hershey. We weren't napping here because a treat was coming, as you can see by our faces. But we have napped together in this bed ...believe it or not. These little dog beds also make great teeth sharpeners/stress relievers/chew toys.

Hershey has his own dog bed in the kitchen of his house. Sometimes he has to relinquish it to Nixon unfortunately. At least he got to sleep on a nice fluffy towel, I guess.

Why am I writing about beds? Well it seems that my Mom and Dad are thinking about getting me a new bed. And I don't mean a dog bed. I can sleep in it at night but I will have to share it with them. They say my people bed is old and worn out and I need a new one and since I like to sleep between them up by the pillows, they think I need a KING size people bed. Everydog, I am not sure what that means. Does that mean I will be a king? Will it look like this? Because I think this looks kinda sissy-fied.

I have seen pictures of this other bed on my Mom's computer. I wonder if this is what she is talking about? It looks comfy and I think there is room enough for me .... AND Mom and Dad. It comes in black and cream but Mom says it is wishful thinking.

I don't really care what color she gets ... as long as she doesn't hog the covers. Ahhhh .... bye for now, I have to take a nap.

Wow, and I just got to take a Heartworm pill ...

2008-05-27T19:33:00.003-04:00

My Mom has a new friend at work and her dog got out of the yard this weekend. She drove around in her car looking for him and put up signs and even posted something on the internet. (My Mom is now curious how and where you do that.) She went to the pound today and didn't find him there and just as she was leaving the pound, a lady called. He had been at a neighbors house playing with her dogs and her kids all weekend. She was so happy to have him back. Here is her note:

I would like to thank everyone for their many
prayers that brought Reese home! He decided
to take a Memorial Day Weekend off and visit
some neighbors. They ate pizza, played fetch,
watched tv and even took a bath! He was
mad that he had to come home.

I asked God to take care of my dog and he
got treated better than at my own house.

Thank you to all my friends. You are such
a blessing to me.

Many Blessings Back to You!,

Wow, the highlight of my weekend was I got to take my Heartguard. I love that stuff. Where is that hole in the fence again?

Adventures with wildlife ...

2008-05-23T21:52:00.003-04:00

Tonight I read Roxie, Sammy and Andy's blog and discovered that they had a huge adventure. They defended their household form a vicious snake named Copperhead! They risked their very lives to take care of their family! What brave dachsies they are! It was so serious, they had to go to the Texas A&M doggie hospital!!! They are ok though.

Their terrific tale reminded me of the vicious animal I killed in my yard the other day. According to my mother's research, it was a Five Lined Skink or a Blue-tailed Skink. This is what he looked like before I killed him.

This is what he looked like after I killed him. Notice he doesn't have that blue tail anymore!! Bwa haha. I ate it!!

This is a picture of me. Don't I look brave?

Wrestling chapter 2 ....

2008-05-14T17:57:00.003-04:00

When I was at Hershey's house this weekend, I found a toy under his cabinet. I smelled it and I did the limbo to get under the cabinet to get it for myself. I found out it is "sleepy bear" and was a baby toy until Hershey's parents gave it to him. But it was lost under a cabinet and I found it! Well, as soon as I found it, Hershey said I couldn't have it and he tried to take it away from me. I would not let him. We tugged

and tugged

and tugged.

Finally Hershey started to fall asleep!! But, he woke up when everyone laughed at him. He finally won the tug and took the toy for himself. On well, it is his house.....

Wrestling on many levels ...

2008-05-13T22:23:00.005-04:00

With a lot of effort, I have wrestled my blog away from Hershey's baby. Sure she's really cute AND my Mom is totally in love with her. Sure she misses her and doesn't get to see her often enough but I AM RIGHT HERE MOM! Right in front of you!!!! Pay attention to meeee please!

I had an awesome weekend. I went on a car ride to see Hershey! (and his baby.) Mom and Dad took me and Grandaddy on a long car ride. We drove and drove and when it was way past my bed time we got to Hershey's house. Mom and Dad stopped the car and handed me out the window to Hershey's family and DROVE AWAY! Yes, they drove away!! I forgot about them really quickly because, of course, there was running and humping to be done. Hershey and I ran and chased and did zoomies all around the house in the dark until Hershey's Mom and Dad grabbed us and wrestled us still in bed and told us it was 2:30 in the morning and time to sleep. So we slept.

We had a great weekend. We slept together and chased and barked and chased and barked. Every now and then, Mom and Dad came by and ate or played with the baby, or watched tv. But I stayed with Hershey. Hershey and I also did high chair watch. This is high chair watch.

Hershey has a great gig going here. Three times a day he gets to do high chair watch. This is what you do.... you stand and watch the baby eat and wish that she will not like what her Mom gives her to eat. If she does not like it, she whisks it off her chair and SHAZAM, you get to eat it!!! Ham, cheese, bananas, strawberries, sweet potatoes, peas, bagels, crackers ... you name it .. it's a veritable smorgasbord.

The only problem is ... Hershey's mother is very strict and the minute the baby throws her food on the floor, she gets it taken away from her, so we only got a little bit and it is only one shot. But it is still way more food than I ever get at my house.

Wrestling chapter 2 .. tomorrow.

at least he's teaching her ...

2008-05-06T22:02:00.005-04:00

Hershey sent me this picture of his baby. He has taught her to walk on all fours like a dog. My Mom just adores this picture. It makes her smile every time she sees it. Hershey tells me she is pretty obsessed with dogs. She calls them "doddy" and she barks like a dog in baby talk. Pretty cute huh!

Thermal nutron fraction increases over core life ....

2008-05-02T21:45:00.005-04:00

I ran across this article on the internet the other day. It starts out as a question from a 'reader':

"Our family is finally ready for a dog, but we want to have a really smart one. Which breeds are the smartest and which should we avoid?"

A really smart one? What about a really LOVING one, or a really DEVOTED one, or an extremely SWEET one? Nooooooooooooo, this family wants a S M A R T dog. Do they want a dog that can do help with homework? or remodel their kitchen? or maybe they want a dog that can answer the phone? Oh, please ....

Mom says I am a smart dog. She thinks I am not as smart as Holly was (the previous dachshund that owned my family) because Holly was 'allowed' to go outside when there was no cute little fence and she did not run away. I on the other hand, given half a chance, would be in Kansas in a heartbeat. But I say to you ... who is smarter.... a dog that comes right back or one that likes road trips and adventure!?

"I wonder what's out there?"

Speaking of smart ... I went to work again today and I stayed the whole day... 8:30 to 5. I got treats from Mom's boss, and I got a treat from Mom and I got a treat from the nice lady in the office. NOW, who is smart!

I have signs in my little yard?

2008-04-25T22:15:00.003-04:00

I promised you a tour of my little front yard. Last week my Mom was cleaning out a cabinet and she came across these little plaques that Hershey's Mom made in college.

They are ceramic and Hershey's Mom did not want them. But they have verses from the Bible on them and my Mom just could not throw them away. She decided that since they were ceramic, they would hold up to the weather outside so she threaded wire through their holes and put them on sticks in the garden.

You can also see the tacky netting and white fencing Mom and Dad put up to make "my lot secure" like the verse says. It's ugly but I cannot get out of my yard anymore.

Mom likes the Bible verses and thinks they look cute in her garden. At least they aren't pink.

Do you like pink?

2008-04-24T20:13:00.004-04:00

Peepol think us dogs are color blind .. at least that is what I have read. Well, little do they know, we see colors just fine thank you very much! Dogs, I ask you ... what color are these flowers? Yes, you're all right ... pink.

You would think pink is the only color flowers come in if you came to my little yard. I guess you can say my mother likes pink flowers. Just look at this rose bush in my yard! Pink everywhere. Mom says this rose bush makes her happy everytime she sees it. Me .. not so much.

Can you see me in the above picture? What is wrong with this woman? Taking a picture of flowers and not me?!

If you look very carefully, you can see a trash can down the street. I bet it has some cool smelling stuff in it. Mom was really excited to see how well the trash can showed up in her picture.

In my next entry I will show you more of my little yard.

I still don't like it ....

2008-04-20T15:06:00.002-04:00

Something got into my folks yesterday. They stained my dog house. They stained it brown. It was ALREADY brown. I didn't like it before and I don't like it now. They seem to think it will last longer now that they have put a protective brown stain on it and fixed a couple of boards on the top.

Mom even made a sign with my name on it to make it look pretty. She also hid treats in it so I would have possitive associations with it ... whatever than means. I do like the sign. (See how the wind blows my ears?)

Can I come out of this doghouse now?

Did any treats drop on the ground? Hmm, let me check ...

Do you have any treats? Do I REALLY need a dog house?

It's like I'm in jail ....

2008-04-14T11:25:00.004-04:00

I just want to point out how much my parents don't trust me. This is me looking, or TRYING TO LOOK, at the world from the end of my porch. Mom and Dad put extra pickets between the existing pickets so that I could not jump off or FALL off the end of the porch. You can tell the extra pickets because the paint is peeling off of the extra pickets.

Mom says they are going to paint the porch and paint these things but I will believe it when I see it. She is having a hard time deciding on a color to replace the blue. She thinks that she might like to have the porch and the shutters and the door a different color for a change ..... different than dark blue. If you want to suggest a color, it might help her hurry up. Here is a very bad picture of my house. The new roof is gray and the siding is a creamy beige. >p>

Anyway, I can barely get my nose in between the pickets and everydog knows you need to be able to do that.

They may not trust me for a while after my adventure last night. You see we went on a car ride at 9 pm to the drug store. They had to buy something that my Mom had forgotten at the grocery store. I smelled it and it smelled like they do when they get out of the shower, only stronger.... the stuff was in a box and made me sneeze. When we got back, they let me out of the car and I sniffed around a little bit in the front yard, where I never get to go without a leash. The next thing I know, they are freaking out and looking for me up and down the street with flashlights and calling COPPPPEEERRR!!!!! It was like I was a criminal or something. I think they might have called in the helicopters except it was night time. They found me right where I was, sniffing on my next door porch ... I THINK that is part of my yard .... where I smelled another dog. Sheesh ... parents ..... Weird thing is though ... I got scolded AND I got a cookie. I am not sure if I was in trouble or they were glad to find me.

The bunny I did not catch ....

2008-04-10T21:38:00.003-04:00

Hershey has bunnies at his house. When I was visiting him this weekend, I saw one on the side of his house out in some tall grass where he thought no one could see him. Of course, Hershey and I could NOT see him because Hershey's windows are only for cats. They are too tall for dogs, especially height challenged dogs like dachshunds. Anyway, Hershey's Daddy took Mr. Bunny's picture. Isn't he cute? I really wanted to chase him.

Dagels ....

2008-04-07T21:38:00.005-04:00

Hey dogfriends ....

It's me Copper.

This weekend I went on a car ride to Hershey's house! Yes, I was a surprised as you! Mom and Dad never tell me when they are going to take me on a big car ride. I just see suitcases out and if I am lucky, I see my soft dog kennel. I ride in a soft sided dog kennel on long car rides ... or at least I do when they won't let me ride in Mom's lap. But I digress ...

So we went to Hershey's house and I see why he never blogs anymore. He is too busy cleaning up food his baby drops from her high chair!!!!!!!!!! What a gig he has!!!! Five times a day he gets to clean up food!!! Breakfast, lunch, dinner and a morning and afternoon snack!! He has this awesome baby that drops food on the floor on purpose ... and not accidentally like sometimes happens at my house. Some times she even hands you the food!!! This morning she handed me a bagel from her hugh chair!!!!!!!! Yeah, it totally dissapointed Hershey because I got it and he didn't, but she HANDED IT TO ME!!! What is a dog to do???? It was awesome!

She calls bagels 'dagels' but I don't care what she calls them, they're yummy.

I'm home now .... and I want a baby.

My trip to the spa ...

2008-04-01T20:22:00.007-04:00

Hello dogfriends ...

Remember how I said I was going to the spa today? Well, my Mom played an April Fool's joke on me. It wasn't exactly the spa. It didn't look like this

or this

it looked more like this

it wasn't terrible because I was with Miss Cindy, my wonderful next door neighbor who is a vet. She takes such good care of me. She took me to work with her in her car. (I am glad we didn't go on her motorcycle.) She cleaned my teeth and flossed the polar bear fur out from between my front teeth. (I guess I should not rip up polar bear fur anymore.) She also trimmed my nails and the fur between my pads. She said my blood was PERFECT! (Mom is so glad.) My Mom noticed that I weighed a half of a pound more than I did last time I went to see Miss Cindy and so she says I need to exercise more. I wonder what that means.

The people in the office are all very nice. They petted me and they were nice to my Mom when she called and asked about me. It was ok ....

But .....I have to go now. I ....don't feel like this. ....

I feel like this.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .....

Polar bears ...... and owls?

2008-03-30T20:37:00.009-04:00

All that worry about polar bears and one came to my HOUSE!!! My mother saw a polar bear at the store and she just had to buy it for me. This is what it looked liked new.

This is me trying to kill him.

NO, I AM NOT POSING FOR YOU TO TAKE MY PICTURE WITH IT MOM! I haven't killed it just yet. I'll keep you posted.

I have owls in my neighborhood. You can hear them if you know what they sound like and my Daddy always hears them. (My Mom is too busy washing things to listen for them.) Daddy saw one the other day far away in a tree and Mom took his picture. He is kinda grainy and black and white because she took his picture so far away and she had to tinker with it. Isn't he pretty. Miss Cindy says I am too big for him to mess with me. Gheesh, that's good news.

Tomorrow I get to go to the spa!

How to get home ....... Day 13 ..

2008-03-17T13:02:00.009-04:00

Copper: "Hi Hershey! Man am I glad to see you!"

Hana: "Yeah, we've missed you so much. What are you doing here at the North Pole?"

JB: "Were you looking for animals?"

Mona: "Did you run away from Home?"

Hershey: "Yes, I did .... I ran away from home because my Mom tried this silly hat on me when it didn't fit the baby ..... and it made me embarrassed. I didn't appreciate my Mom or her creativity, but I DO NOW! I miss her and my Dad and the baby and I even miss NIXON! I never thought I'd say that ... that I miss Nixon.... but I do."

Copper: "Hershey, we've all miss you. Aren't you cold up here at the North Pole?"

Hershey: "Yes, I AM!!!!! It is FREEZING up here. I sure wish I had a sweater and some socks. My paws are really really cold. These goofy green snowmen keep looking at me and these shiny rainbow lights over my head are scaring me. I wanna go home!!!"

Hana: "Do you want to come home with me? We can go visit Casper. You know, you missed his party?"

Mona: "You can go home with ME?! I live in Texas. We can go visit your cat cousins, Mari and Tabitha, up in Fort Worth!?"

JB: "Hey, do you want to go home with me? I'm a cat and you can come visit ME if you want to?!"

Hershey: "No, I just want to go home! Do you know how I can get home?"

Copper: "Hershey, right now I am worried about your paws. They look very cold. Mona, do you have any of those socks you brought along?"

Mona: "Yes, I think so ... let me look in my suitcase. - - - - Hershey, here put these on. They're a little girly and sparkly..... but they're my favorite set."

Copper and Hana: "Here, let us help you .... here, stand still and try to quit shivering."

Hershey: "Gee thanks y'all. They fit nice. My paws are warmer already. Now, so you think we can find a way to get home? I'm so cold!!!"

Copper gave Hershey a big snuggle to try to warm him up.

All of a sudden the sky got very bright and greenish pink arcs flashed through the night time sky. Hershey closed his eyes and shivered and barked at the lights like he had been doing for days. As he barked, his paws tapped together and ..............

Poof!

When Hershey opened his eyes, he wasn't at the North Pole anymore. He was HOME! Hana, Mona, JB and Copper were home too. They were all home, just in time for Easter!!

(And they didn't even have to catch a plane out of DFW! )

Hershey: "There's no place like home."

at last, the North Pole ......Day 12

2008-03-16T10:30:00.022-04:00

Boy am I glad that balloon ride is OVER! Note to dog friends ... (and cat friends) ... balloons are not for pets. You can't go poddy in them and they can break so you have to be really careful with your claws. Gheesh, I am glad that is over!

We arrived safely at Zach's house.

He lives in North Pole, Alaska. We knew we were at Zach's house because we saw these pretty lights in the sky from the balloon.

The lights in the sky were nice because they gave us some light to read our map

and they helped Mona not be so afraid of the dark. Zach took us straight to his house where we met Chani and his baby friend.

Zach treated us to some mammoth bones and some ice water .... (they have a lot of ice there!) The baby reminded me to tell Zach that we were looking for my best friend Hershey because he has a baby too and she needs him to come home and take care of her. Hershey lives far away from me now and I almost never get to see him AND he has not blogged in a long time. I told Zach that I had seen a picture of Hershey with an elf hat on his head and I had figured out that he MUST be at the North Pole in elf training! The North Pole is the only place I know that has elves.

Well, as it turns out Zach knows all about the North Pole. He knew exactly where the North Pole was and said he could take us there! Imagine that! I asked him if we had to pull a sled because of the snow and he laughed at us! He told us his mother could drive us there in her car! All that worrying about sleds and deep snow was for NOTHING! So we all jumped in Zach's Mom's SUV and off we went. His Mom was so very nice ... I think her name was Glinda. She let me sit in the front with her and Zach while Hana, Mona and JB sat in the back. We drove and drove and drove. We saw lots of things along the way. We saw a funny white rabbit

and a pretty red fox.

We saw a big tall animal with antlers that Zach called a moose

and we saw a big brown bear.

We DID NOT see any POLAR BEARS!! Once again ... a lot of worrying for NOTHING!! The big brown bear didn't even look our way and he didn't look scary at all. In fact, he looked very nice. Zach told me he eats fish ...... not black and tan long haired dachshunds.... or any dogs or cats.

A little more driving and we came to a big giant red and white striped pole.

There at the bottom of the pole was my best friend Hershey!!! Yes ... Hershey WAS at the North Pole!!!! He didn't have the elf hat on. He wasn't in elf training after all. He told me he had just run away from home because his mother tried a funny hat on him when it didn't fit the baby. When he saw that Hana and Mona and JB and I had gone on an adventure to search for him, he was very touched. He barked a "Thank You Bark" and wagged his tail. He told us that he had decided he missed his Mom and Dad and his cat brother Nixon and most of all his baby .... and he wanted to go HOME! But how could he get home? He had been at the North Pole for days and now all he wanted was to go HOME!!! Poor Hershey. I wonder how we can get him home????

Off we go ... Day 11 ...

2008-03-13T18:57:00.007-04:00

Pay no attention to the fact that four days have passed since my interview with the future Queen of the Whole World, Meeska of Merryland and that I have not blogged. Hana, Mona, JB and I have very busy.

We have spent the last few days up in the air in a balloon. I figure so far I have traveled on a jet, a train and a car ........... but since my journey seems to have some things in common with a certain movie, I decided to travel this leg in a hot air balloon. We floated away from Meeshka's house in Merryland in our balloon, floated over the US and Canada and are on our way to Alaska. Hana told me she knows a dog that lives in North Pole, Alaska that can help us find Hershey.

There have been very few WiFi hotspots along this part of our journey so we haven't been able to blog over the last four days. But we stopped for dogfood and catfood tonight and found a spot to file this post. Mona has been a little homesick so we also stopped to let her call home with some of her quarters. Since she called home, I decided to call my house too and you'll never guess what I found! My Mom is not home! She went on a trip to Fort Worth, Texas to see some cats! The nerve of her ..... leaving me when I am not even home!!!

Mothers! .... I think I am going to feed her to the polar bears.

Meeshka and Merryland ... Day 10 ...

2008-03-09T21:17:00.011-04:00

Well, we have arrived in Merryland at Meeshka's house. Meeshka is my internet huskie friend. She is going to be queen someday and because she is a huskie, I am SURE she can tell me about snow and how to pull a dog sled in the snow. She LOVES the snow. Meeshka is the wiseest dog I know.

This is our conversation ...

Me - Hello Meeshka! It is so good to finally meet you!

Meeshka - I know.

Me - Meeshka, I need your advice. You live up here in Merryland where it snows and you tell us all the time that you love the snow. Can you give me any advice for dealing with the cold bitter ice and snow that Hana, Mona and JB and I will undoubtely encounter at the North Pole????

Meeska - Er .... you're taking a ...........C-A-T?

Me - Uhhh, yes we are .... she is sharp and she knows alot about different animals. I think she will be a big help with the polar bears!!

Meeshka - ok ... whatever

Me - So can you tell us about snow? Hana lives in California and Mona and JB lives in Texas. I live in Georgia and we don't have snow very much. Can you tell us how to deal with the snow?

Meeshka - Yeah, snow is cold. Don't step in it. It makes your dainty feet cold.

Me - But Meehka, you say in your blog that you love the cold?

Meeshka - Yes, I do say that. But I also love comfort and I get cold from my cool air vent and it is more comfortable. Snow gets on my fur and makes my feet cold.

Me - I hear huskies wear booties in the snow to protect their feet. The musher put the booties on the dogs and they can use many booties in a race.

Meeshka - Booties?

Me - Yeah, booties. Meeshka, can you tell me how to pull a sled? I am afraid that we may have to pull Hershey home on a sled if he is injured.

Meshka - Well, first you grab Loki by the neck and you body slam him into the ground and then you woo and run fast and get in the back door before he does so you can get to the water first. Then you wash your dainty feet in the water so he won't drink it and it is all yours.

Me - Meeshka, I don't think that is going to help me.... but thanks anyway.

Meeshka - Ok, Copper, I'll help you. Now listen ... whisper, whisper, whisper ..... snow .... whisper, whisper .... when they yell mush .... whisper, whisper, got it?

Me - Gee thanks, Meeshka, your're my hero! You're like the wise and powerful OZ in Mona's movie! I know we can do it thanks to you!!!

Ok, dog friends ... we're off!!!

On the way to Merryland ... Day 9 ....

2008-03-07T20:38:00.014-05:00

Hi friends....

It has been a long car ride but Mona, Hana and I are almost to

Meeska's house in Merryland. Meeska is a huskie, loves the snow and cold air vents, and has lots of huskie friends. She is also going to be queen someday. Mona, Hana and I are driving to her house in Hana's red convertable to ask her how to drive a dog sled so that we can go to the North Pole and rescue my best buddy Hershey. He is like a brother to me and I miss him so much. I can't wait to see him.

Our trip has been exciting and emotional. The minute we drove across the state line into Kansas, Mona remembered some movie about there being no place like home. I don't know what she is talking about because I am a dog, do not watch TV, and I cannot get into the movies. My Mom and Dad never go to the movies because my Dad won't go and I can't drive so I can never go to the movies. But Mona remembered this movie about a dog named Toto and so she started to miss her Mom and her Mona Lisa. So I showed her this picture

that my Mom took in Paris and it made her feel better. I am really glad Mona came with me. She is sweet and she brought sweaters and socks and quarters for Hana's car.

Hana is a good driver which is good because neither Mona or I can drive. We have used 5 more quarters or $1.25 and we are almost there. We could have gotten away with 4 quarters but we had to stop and go tinkle a lot today. Stopping to tinkle has cut down on our milage. Hana wishes we had some pee pee pads but I told her that I don't know how to tinkle on them. I just tear them up.

Hana used one of Mona's quarters and called home and found out that her cat friend JB wants to go with us. So Hana made arrangements for her to meet us as Meeska's house. She does not look very brave in this picture but I know from chasing Herhey's brother cat Nixon, that cats can run fast. They are also very sharp, which may come in handy with the polar bears. Mona showed me this picture of a polar bear and now I am even more scared. See how they lay on the ice and wait for little black dachshunds? Yikes!

P.S. I also used a quarter and called home and Mom told me she bought me a new dog bed today. She says it is made of velvet and fake fur and is really really soft and luxurious. She says I will like it. She says she got a great deal on it at Tuesday Morning. She misses me. I miss her too, but I have to continue on my journey. Hershey, wait for me man. I am coming.

Kansas ... Day 8 ...

2008-03-06T21:48:00.004-05:00

Hi friends.... Copper here. Hana and Mona and I are in Kansas.

Hana is driving us in her red car. She is a great driver and her car is very comfortable. I love car rides! Mona is so resourceful. Not only did she bring sweaters and socks and snowshoes for herself, she brought some for Hana and I too. Then, on top of that, she brought quarters for Hana's car. Isn't that wonderful? So far we've used 7 quarters to get from California to Kansas ... or $1.75. Is that good milage? I don't know.

Kansas is very flat and there aren't very many trees. It is a good thing I tinkle like a girl because there are no trees to lift my leg on like in California. I hear that they have tornadoes here. We did not see any tornadoes but we did see some clouds like this. I hope it doesn't rain because Hana's car doesn't have a top like my car at home.

I am starting to miss my Mom a little. I hope she misses me. Bye from Kansas. Tomorrow, we may get to Meeshka's house.

Goodbye California ... Day 7

2008-03-05T20:52:00.011-05:00

California is a warm and wonderful place. Mona and Hana and I did a little sightseeing today and Hana showed me the redwood trees. What big trees they have here! My Mom will be so jealous, she's always wanted to see the redwood trees. It was fun. I tinkled at the bottom of this one. He he he he!

Hana has been a wonderful hostess but it is time to leave now and continue on my journey. I must go rescue Hershey at the North Pole where he is in elf training.

But I have done some thinking..... Mona has this suitcase full of sweaters and socks that her mother made her bring along on her trip and Hana told me that sometimes it gets cold in California. I wonder if it gets cold at the North Pole???? If it is cold there, then it might snow. If it snows, I am not going to be able to walk very well up at the North Pole because my legs are very short. Mona's are too. Us dacshunds have short legs.

So I have decided to go see my friend Meeshka and ask her about the snow. She is a huskie and everyone knows that huskies pull sleds in the snow. I hear she loves snow. Maybe Meeshka will go with me to the North Pole and help me find Hershey in the snow.

Otherwise, we'll look like this.

So I am headed to Meeshka's house to see her. Hana and Mona are going with me and Hana is driving. She has her own red car. Talk to you soon.

Manners and Day 6 .....

2008-03-03T21:29:00.010-05:00

I hope Hershey is not too miserable up at the North Pole because I sure am having fun at Hana's house. Mona and I spent the day today with her lounging around her house, barking at her neighbors and soaking up the warm California sunshine in her big back yard. She has awesome treats in her treat jar and she has some really fun toys to play with. I was going to destuff one of her toys but then I remembered that I was a guest and that they were not my toys. It's a good thing my Mom has taught me some manners. You know it is important to have manners.

I remembered my manners yesterday when Hana took Mona and me with her to Casper's birthday party. I ate only one piece of cake and I introduced myself to all the dogs that I didn't know. I played nice with everyone and I thanked Casper for inviting me. I also took a present to the party, one that I would like to have myself.

The party was pawsome. All of the dogs were white and very fluffy! Boy, did Mona and I stand out in THAT crowd!

We had cake

and pupcakes,

and Casper got lots of presents. It was a pretty day, even if it was a little bit windy. Thanks Casper and Hana.

When Mona and I wake up in the morning, we are leaving to continue on our journey to the North Pole where we will brave the polar bears and attempt to rescue my best buddy old pal, Hershey. I hope he can hold out a few more days.

Going to the party ... Day 5

2008-03-02T14:14:00.008-05:00

Well, I'm on my way to Casper's Birthday Party. Don't tell him but this is what I got him. I figure his Mom or Dad can take him for walks when he doesn't feel well if he has a stroller. I hope he likes red.

Actually my Mom wishes she had a stroller for me because then she could walk with me and actually get some exercise. You see, when I walk I like to go reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllly slow and sniff a lot along the way and my Mom likes to walk fast so she can get her heart rate up or something like that. I hope Casper likes it. The weather out here in California is lovely... perfect for walks.

As soon as the party is over and I get another good nights rest, it's on to find Hershey at the North Pole. I have to go find him so he can get back home to his baby. Her tummy is much better, thank goodness, but she needs him. I hear his cat Nixon is getting upity. Cats can be like that.

This is a picture of Hershey and Nixon. Notice who is sleeping in Hershey's bed while poor Hershey sleeps on a measly folded up towel .... see I told you cats can be upity!

Hello Hana ... Day 4 ....

2008-03-01T19:17:00.003-05:00

Hello friends! Guess where my train stopped? CALIFORNIA! California is where Hana lives! Since my train stopped here, I may as well go visit Hana. I hear she is going to a barkday party this weekend. It is Casper's 6th birthday! Wow, SIX years old! I am only four years old. Anyway, maybe I can go with her to the party.

My train ride went great. Mona and I had a special dinner on the train and we looked out the window at the sights. Now we are in California. I am really far from home. I am stating to miss my Mom and Dad. I wonder how they are doing without me? I wonder if they got another dog to replace me? I wonder if the squirrels have taken over my yard? .......... I can't wory about it now because I have to keep going on my journey so I can rescue Hershey at the North Pole. He is my best friend and he is worth it.

I gotta go. Mona and I are going shopping for a barkday present for Casper. I wonder what Eskie's like?

Gotta go ... Day 3 ....

2008-02-29T21:47:00.006-05:00

My visit at Roxie, Sammy and Andy's house must come to an end. I need to go and rescue Hershey. Roxie and her brothers can't come with me because they have to help their Mom move. (I've always wondered why they are "Roxie, Sammy and Andy" and not "Sammy, Roxie and Andy"", or Andy, Sammy and Roxie." Oh well, it is ok that they can't come with me. They need to help their Mom. I think Mona is coming with me.

I am catching a train today and I am headed to the North Pole. I've always wanted to ride on a train. My Mommy remembers riding on a train once when she was a little girl. She says she means a real train and not one at Disney World or something like that. She went to her grandmother's house with her Mother and brothers and sisters. She remembers that her Daddy got on the train to help them all get seated but he was not going with them and she was nervous he would not be able to get off the train before it started going. She also remembers being seated across from her brothers and sisters facing them, like you see on TV. That is all she remembers.

I have a sleeping car on my train because I know trains are not as fast as planes. I hope I can get some rest because I need to be rested up for the polar bears. I hope they don't hurt me. These polar bears are walking over a submarine. My Daddy used to ride on submarines. The polar bears look scary, don't they?

Day 2 ... Texas ...

2008-02-28T21:00:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm still on my journey to rescue Hershey from the North Pole. I had a rough night on the plane because my tummy hurt from eating two dinners last night. The flight attendant was up several times in the night listening to me burp and letting me go poddy. That will teach her to check with Dad when she has suspicions that he has been home already.

This morning my plane landed in Houston, Texas. This is where Roxie, Sammy and Andy live!!! I am afraid I caught the wrong plane because I went west and not north as in the NORTH Pole. But since I was in town, I went over to their house and they took me to their house in the country and we had a great time. I sniffed and sniffed with them

and I barked at some cowdogs.

I am really jealous of all of the fun they have out here. My house is boring compared to the country. It is also very pretty here. My Mom would like all of the pretty flowers.

Roxie called Mona and invited her over to meet me. She is very nice. All around it was a great visit. But I have to get on the road again so I can go rescue Hershey. Roxy, Sammy and Andy are debating if they want to go with me as I write this. .............. Gotta go, I see a cowdog and I gotta go bark!

North Pole or Bust ... Day 1

2008-02-27T21:57:00.007-05:00

Hello friends. It is the first day of my journey to rescue Hershey at the North Pole where he has been training to be an elf. I am very worried about him because he has not blogged for a long time. I miss hearing from him and so I am on my way to the North Pole to rescue him so he can take care of his baby.

Some of you have asked if you can come along with me ... sort of like a posse. Yes you are welcome to join me! You are even welcome to have your own adventure and meet me there. I may even stop and pick some of you up on the way. We just have to watch out for the polar bears. I hear they can hurt you.

I started my journey rather late today because Mom went to work this morning and locked the door and I couldn't get out of the house. That messed my plans up but I took advantage of the situation and napped all day. Finally this evening, Dad came home from work and fed me and then left for church. Then Mom came home from work and fed me. When Dad got home they discussed it and found out their mistake. Mom didn't know Dad had already fed me and I DIDN'T TELL HER! So ... I got two dinners! Yes! ..... I got two dinners and YOU didn't!! So after a big dinner I grabbed my suitcase and said goodbye to Mom and Dad and set out on my journey.

Many of you have asked me if I am going to walk all the way. The answer is ... I am not sure yet. So tonight, after a big dinner, I am off to take a jet to rescue Hershey. Goodbye Augusta, Georgia.

Wish me luck friends.

Hershey needs help .....

2008-02-26T20:52:00.008-05:00

I am pretty sure I need to go help my best friend Hershey. I found this picture of him and apparently he has been training to be an elf.

The only elves I know are at the North Pole so I GUESS he is at the North Pole. This time of year it must be really cold and icy at the North Pole and so I wonder if he is stuck up there and can't get home? If he is stuck up there and can't get home, then he can't help take care of his baby. This is his baby .... isn't she cute?

I hear she is sick with a tummy ache so he definately needs to get home to help take care of her. So I have decided to set out on a journey to rescue him from the North Pole. I have packed my bag and I am leaving in the morning.

Wish me luck.

Signed,

Copper

P.S. I hear they have polar bears at the North Pole. Can they hurt me?

Why parents go to work .....

2008-02-23T21:16:00.011-05:00

In my last blog I told you all that I sometimes get to go to work with my Mom on friday. My friend Hana asked me the following insightful question:

"So, you will have to tell us, what is this so-called work that our parents do? Why do they chose to go to work instead of spending time with us? Work must be pretty fun, else why would they go?"

Tonight I will try to answer Miss Hana's last question to the best of my ability.

Hana, I don't know.

I have some ideas and here they are.

(1) They go because their office is pretty? This is my Mom's office.

She got to pick everything out which really rocked and she likes it all very much. Maybe that is why she goes to work.? But our house is pretty too so that can't be the reason.

(2) Maybe they go because they get to play on the computer? No, that can't be the reason because Mom does that at home.

(3) Maybe they go because they don't have to do laundry or clean the bathrooms like they have to do at home on Saturday. That may very well be part of the reason but I don't think it is the whole reason.

(4) Maybe they go because there is food there? I know Mom finds bagels at work on Friday. But that can't be the reason because we have food here, most of the time. I know Mom hates to cook but we do have food here. I don't think that is the reason either.

(5) Maybe they go because when it is pretty they can go outside and take a walk? I know that isn't the reason because it was pretty here today and Mom just did laundry and cleaned the bathroom.

(6) Maybe they go because they feel needed there? I KNOW that can't be the reason because I need her and I am at home!

(7) Maybe they go because they like to get away from us? Ohhhhh Noooooo, that can't be the reason!!!!!!!!!

(8) Maybe they go because they get rich? Naaaaaaaaaaaa that can't be the reason.

So Hana, I don't know. Even though I have been to work, I can't tell you why our parents feel the need to leave us and go to work. Does any other dog know?

Meet my work friends ...

2008-02-21T21:28:00.012-05:00

Hi friends. Tomorrow is Friday. On Friday I sometimes get to go to work with my Mom. She has an office. I have a bed and toys and snacks in her office and I like it there. I get to lay in my bed by the window and watch people. The window doesn't look outside to the outdoors, just to a hallway, but that is ok, I get to be with Mom and I get to see people. I don't like it when she leaves and goes upstairs without me though. I don't know where she goes when she goes upstairs, just that sometimes she comes back from there with a bagel and cream cheese and she gives me a bite. Yum!

Sometimes I get to go outside and go for poddy walks. I like it when I get to do that. Mom has a special friend who brings her dogs to work on Fridays too. They sometimes come by my office (I guess I can call it MY office since I have a bed and toys and snacks in there) and say hi to me and one of them tries to take my toys. They get to go upstairs and walk ALL around the church with her because they stay right beside her all the time. I, on the other hand, know that that is B-O-R-I-N-G and I like to explore, so I have to go everywhere on a leash.

Sometimes when we go on poddy walks, we get to go together out to the big baseball field. That is fun... we don't play baseball ..... we just run around. So let me introduce you ....

This is Mac......

He is the 'first dog' and is the oldest. He looks like a dog I saw in a famous old movie ....something about a tornado and a house and some talking trees.... I forget the name of the movie. Anyway, Mac is friendly. He is SO friendly that last week he ran away from his Mom and ran over into the service bay of the car dealership next door and said hi to all the people there!! I, on the other hand, had a dumb leash on and did not get to GO with him!

This is Bonnie.

She is the 'second dog' and is younger than Mac. She is very shy and is never more than three or four feet from her Mom. She won't let my Mom pet her and she won't have anything to do with me. She did stand still for my Mom and let her take this pretty picture of her. I think she is kinda cute, even though she is terribly shy.

So, tomorrow is Friday. Maybe I will get another bite of a bagel with cream cheese and see Bonnie and Mac. It's way more fun than staying home!

I'm getting my teeth WHAT???

2008-02-18T22:44:00.004-05:00

Tonight Mom went outside in the yard with me after she fed me because it was such a pretty day. I saw Miss Cindy in her yard playing basketball with her son. Not only is she one of my favorite people but she plays basketball too! Well, naturally I HAD to go see her so Mom took me over to where she was and let me say Hi. I just love Miss Cindy so much, she always smells so wonderful and she is so nice.

Mom asked Cindy if I could get me teeth cleaned. Miss Cindy said yes, I could get my teeth cleaned and that she would sedate me and maybe even give me an IV if my blood wasn't good. Blood, and sedate and IV and clean my teeth ... all in one sentence??? I am not sure what all that means but it doesn't sound too good. Does anydog know what she is talking about? Is it worse than getting your teeth brushed, because if it is I want no part of it. Speaking of which, you have to look at this dog getting his teeth brushed because you aren't taking my picture LIKE THAT!

Maybe Miss Cindy is not so nice after all. I like my teeth just the way they are, thank you very much.

PS This dog's hair on his ears is WAY too short for a long haired daschund, don't you think? He must have gotten a bad haircut.

Does this bandana look girly on me?

2008-02-16T19:31:00.005-05:00

A belated Happy Valentines's Day. Does my bandana make me look like a girl? Miss Cindy put it on me when my Mom and Dad went out to dinner Valentines' Day evening. When they came home I had it on and they were so surprised. I didn't mind wearing it, I mean it didn't bug me or make me scratch or anything. I just wonder if it makes me look like a girl? Oh well, it doesn't matter if it does. I love Miss Cindy. I even know her name. The other day my Mom said "Let's go see Miss Cindy" and I went right to her house. I should have given her a Valentine .... uh oh.

I found Hershey ....

2008-02-12T23:29:00.006-05:00

I found Hershey.

He's in training to be an elf.

Sorry dude, the pictures made me laugh.

Love ya Hersh,

Copper

I'm thinking .....

2008-02-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

Meeska graciously awarded me the Thinking Blogger Award. I am completely flattered because, after all, Meeshka is going to be Queen someday. People don't think us dogs think because we don't talk like they do. But, we know differently don't we. I think about a lot of things. Some things I think about are:

1) When is my Mother going to figure out that I am not drinking all of my water and that it is evaporating because air from the heater blows over the bowl. I have figured out how to tell her it is empty but I cannot figure out how to tell her to move the bowl.

2) Why can't I go in the back yard? Are there monsters down there or what? Why do I have to stay on the deck when they go down the long steps to the ground? I don't get it. They tell me it is because there is no fence in the back and that I will run away and they won't be able to catch me. How do they know if they don't try it?

3) What are the squirrels eating in my yard? I see them nibbling on something all the time but as far as I can tell, there is nothing tasty out there. I never find anything to eat out there, except tasty grass, unless it is the day after Halloween and kids have dropped candy in my yard. (That day rocks.)

4) Where is Hershey and why doesn't he blog anymore? Is he still visiting those two black dogs and is too busy? Why doesn't he stay in touch? Maybe he doesn't like me anymore.

5) Why does Dad scratch me in all the right places and Mom just hugs and kisses and pets me? Why does he not hug and kiss and pet me and Mom scratch me sometimes?

Those are some of the things I think about. I hope they have made you think. I am awarding the Thinking Blogger Award to Luckie, Hana, Pippen, Ivy, and Hershey (if he is listening.) I am also adding The Dachsies even though they make six because they are my buds and I cannot leave them out.

Here are the rules ....

1. You must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Acknowledge this post.

3. Optional: Proudly display the Thinking Blogger Award with a link to the post that you wrote.

4. Tell us what makes you think. (Meeska, I changed this rule because some of us are on a diet.)

Bloopers ...........

2008-02-08T22:59:00.000-05:00

Dogfriends and Girl girl .... show me your bloopers. My Mom thinks this is the worst picture she has ever taken of me. She is not sure why she has it on the computer. It IS a pretty good picture of the grass though. I am running away with a package in the picture.

Go ahead and show us your bloopers.....

Dog city ...

2008-02-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

If you are watching the Discovery Channel right now, you will not see me on the American Kennel Club dog show. My slacker mother forgot to enter me. I am sure I could have won this year. Oh well, I am too tired tonight anyway.

These dogs aren't at the dog show either. Whem Mom and Dad took the baby back to Hershey and her parents, I got to ride along. It was not a long car ride but as I said, I did not get to ride in the front seat in Mom's lap because she was knitting! Gheesh!

When we stopped the car, Hershey was there ... but so were two other dogs. It turns out that Hershey was visiting THEM and not ME! Their names were Duncan and Baxter. They sniffed me and barked at me and said hello. I am the dog on the right in this picture.

This is Duncan. He is the First Dog.

This is Baxter. He is the Second Dog.

He was adopted and he likes to play ball. For some reason I didn't get a picture of Hershey. If you look closely in the picture below, you can just see his tail in the lower left corner of the picture. I think he was being stuck up because he had made two new friends. I was hurt....

We didn't stay very long and so I didn't get to know Duncan and Baxter very well. I don't know if they have any hobbies, besides ball, or what their favorite snacks are or anything. I guess we can ask Hershey. He spent the weekend with them.

Taking baby back ....

2008-01-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, all good things must come to an end. Borrowing the baby ended just as quickly as it started and Mom and Dad had to take her back to her parents. This time they let me ride along though. I was so excited to be able to go on a car ride .... until they told me I couldn't ride in the front seat.

And they say dogs can't talk. If this isn't my "oh pleeaaassee let me ride in your lap!!" face, I don't know what it is! It didn't work though ... I had to ride in my bed in the back seat.

Here I am all curled up in the back seat. You can barely see me for my black blanket. I love this blanket. It is a down blanket and is full of feathers and smells like ducks. Mom likes it because no matter how much dog hair it gets on it, you can't see the dog hair!!! I say get over it Mom .... dogs have hair, just like people .. your's gets all over the bathroom floor, mine get's everywhere else. Get over it.

The baby had to ride in the back seat too. She had a special seat too. Here she is in her special seat. At least she has a sunshade.

Next post ... I will write about the dogs I met when we dropped the baby off. It was dog city!

More about babies ......

2008-01-26T21:12:00.000-05:00

In addition to dropping food ON PURPOSE, babies are good for a number of other things. They will look out the window with you at the dogs next door. (They don't help you bark though.)

They will chase you or let you chase them. (Keep going baby, I will chase you in a few minutes.)

They will play with your toys with you ... that is if Mom will let them TOUCH your toys ... and you want to share of course! This is my dirty yellow armless bear and she is coming to get it. I will let her. (Don't I look distinguished with the sun on my face.)

And last but not least ... they also drop tasty spoons for you to wash. Yum.

Babies = snacks .....

2008-01-22T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I had an interesting weekend this past weekend. Hershey's baby came to my house to visit me. She did not bring Hershey though, or Hershey's Mom or Dad. Just the baby came. My Mom spent all her weekend taking care of the baby and not paying attention to me. It was ok though because I found out babies in high chairs DROP FOOD ON PURPOSE to see what happens. What happens here is I EAT IT!! Thia weekend I got some random bits of vegetables (not too bad) and some bits of banana (better than the vegetables), some cheerios (pretty yummy but not very substantial) and a quarter of a cinnamon swirl bagel (SCORE)!!!!!! So everydog .... go get a baby to come to your house ............ because you get snacks.

I'm #7 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-16T21:13:00.001-05:00

The American Kennel Club published a list of the top 10 most popular breeds of dogs and dachshunds are #7 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yippee! Go check it out and see if you made the list !!!!

Luckie's present ...

2008-01-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

A month or so ago, Luckie sent me a package! In it was a pink flamingo and some of the tastiest smelliest treats a dog has ever tasted. The treats were some fishy things and my Mom almost passed out when she opened the package. I LOVED them. I would even stand in front of the pantry (where she kept them) and beg for them because I could see them ... and smell them through the package. They looked a little like bacon but tasted and smelled like fish. YUM!

The flamingo is pink and black and had rope legs and a head and it squeeked. I have to tell you about it because I would not let Mom take a picture of it because it is MINE! Here is one attempt. I am on the sofa and I am doing a preliminary operation on it.

Mom kept trying to take pictures so I moved to the recliner. I don't like the recliner because it is cold. Here my operating because a little more serious.

Mom was still trying to get a picture of my flamingo, so I jumped onto the loveseat. This is where my Dad sits so I thought maybe it would be safe. Now I can get down to business with my operation.

Thanks Luckie ..... Mom, will you please go away.

Ta Daaaaaaaaaaaaa!

2008-01-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

Eureka!!! My mother finally uploaded a video .. all by herself! I've been trying to help her do it but she didn't think I knew what to do.

This is a video of Hershey and me (but mostly me) opening a present from Hana, my very special friend. This summer, Hana sent me a package. Mommy filmed me getting the present and opening it but she could never upload it. She didn't post about my present because she kept trying to upload the video. She wanted to get Hershey's Mom to try to help her but the baby was always needing attention ............. and anyway, it doesn't matter now because Mommy did it!

Thank you Hana for the present. Hershey and I already ate all the treats. We didn't want you to think we were ungrateful but we wanted to upload the video and thank you.

In the video you can see that it is summetime because the grass is very green and lush and Hershey's Mom talks about Hershey getting in the tomatoes. You can also see the evil net over the gate. The evil net was over the gate because I could squeeze through this one space on the left side of the gate. So they had tied an extra picket in the fence temporarily and put netting over it. They have fixed it since then.

Anyway, thanks Hana!! I loved the treats and it was way fun getting a present!!!

Banana dogs ...

2008-01-10T22:00:00.001-05:00

Some little girl called Luckie a banana dog. Poor Luckie.

Little girl ..... this is Luckie.

This is a banana dog.

This is Luckie (and a rock.)

This is FOUR banana dogs.

Get it???

Gheesh ... Poor Luckie. I think you're beautiful Luckie!!

A dorky?

2008-01-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Hello dogfriends. Remember me? Mom caught her yearly 'Cold That Turns Into Bronchitis' and I have been busy taking care of her lately. She stayed in bed with me ALLLL weekend last weekend, something she only does if she is really really sick. I would say it was lovely ... all that snuggling ..... but ...... actually I was a little bored. Gheesh! A dog can only sleep so much.

But she went back to work this week and today she took me with her. I got a few treats from her boss and met a few new people. I didn't get to stroll around and explore though which is what I really want to do. I don't know why I can't stroll around. .............. PLUS she forgot the camera AGAIN! So no pictures of me in her office. Next time .... she says.

Yesterday she came home smelling like another DOG!!! I sniffed and sniffed and sniffed her shirt and after a great deal of investigativie work I was able to determine that she had held a baby puppy that was part daschund and part YORKIE! The puppy is called a 'dorkie.' I think it will look something like this. Mom told me it was really cute. A nice lady at her work bought it in another state.

On the companion front, Mom has been looking on-line at Daschund Rescue (not Dorky Rescue) and Petfinder and she even emailed a lady about it. But the lady said that someone has to come out to her house and do a Home Inspection and make sure that the house is safe for a dog ... specifically Mom thinks ..... is the laundry is folded AND put away and is the bathroom is clean? She says since those things are not in order at her house anymore because she works, and because she has been sick, that she has to keep thinking about it. No really, they check to make sure your fence is "secure" and we all know the story on that now DON'T WE? (No, I can get out through my secret passages. Bwa ha ha!) So nothing has been done on the companion front. As long is it isn't a dorky ......

The wind blown look ....

2007-12-31T15:42:00.000-05:00

Hershey and I went for a walk the other day when it wasn't raining. It has rained a lot lately which is awesome because we haven't had much rain this year. But before it started raining, Granddaddy took us for a walk. It was a windy day. Don't we look handsome?

I hear that Hershey is going home tomorrow. I sure wish he did not live so far away because he and I are like brothers. I love him.... except for today when he tried to take my new toy away from me. Usually I let him have whatever he wants because ... well, I am just nice like that, but today I said no. We growled very nicely and quietly at each other and guess what happened? Mom took the toy away and put it up on the way up high place! Shucks. She says I can have it tomorrow.

I guess Hershey will be taking his baby sister home with him too. She is super cute and she tastes really good too. I love to lick her right in the face and she doesn't seem to mind. Her Mom does though. She also eats in a highchair and she drops things. We sit beside the high chair and man do we score sometimes! Twice she has dropped these awesome biter biscuits. Hershey got to it first each time though. I think he has more practice at catching her drops. I will keep trying. Her she is eating some ribbon. I don't eat ribbon.

HERSHEY almost SCORES !!!!!

2007-12-28T16:06:00.000-05:00

Hey dogfriends! You know how we all dream of chasing and catching squirrels because they are the evilest creatures ever? I mean, they come in your yard and steal your hickory nuts and run around in your trees and stuff like that. I know they must do lots of evil stuffs that dogs can't even imagine. Ivy has some links on her blog about them and even named her blog Squirrels Are Evil because of them.

Well .... Hershey, the little chicken that he is ... almost caught a squirrel! He asked to go outside the other morning. All he does is ask to go outside ... but he wants a peepol to go outside wif him ... because he is kind of a scaredy cat and doesn't like to go out there wihout any peepol. Plus, I think he thinks he will maybe find his Mom and Dad out there, cause they are staying at another house in town.

Well!! This is what happened. As soon as he went through the door to the outside place, he saw a squirrel and RAN AFTER IT. Well, the squirrel tried to run away but he was in my little fence and all of a sudden he couldn't get out because my mean Mom and Dad put up this little "Copper can't escape anymore" net over the fence on the inside of my yard. The evil squirrel couldn't get out fast enough and Hershey ALMOST caught him. I am not sure what Hershey would have done if he HAD caught him. My Mom said she sure didn't want Hershey to catch him because she said he would get scratched and bitten. Yikes. Squirrels scratch and bite??? Now, I know they ARE evil!!!

Go Hershey!!

Marry ... I mean MERRY ...Christmas to all ......

2007-12-25T14:27:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

Love, Copper

very busy mom ....

2007-12-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not writing very much lately and for not visiting other dog's blogs very much. My mother, who helps me with my blog, has been very busy. First she went to Paris,

then had 1,276 people and a baby at the house for Thanksgiving

and then flew to Texas (without me) for Mari and Tabitha's Daddy's graduation from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters of Arts in Christian Education - she is very proud of him),

and then she had to shop for Christmas and now it is Christmas and she has company again. But she says she has her Christmas shopping done and only has to bake some cookies. Yum, I love cookies. Maybe she will drop one.

Last night something wonderful happened! I got to go on a car ride and when we stopped, Hershey was there and he came home and spent the night with me! He is still here! His Mom and Dad and his baby and Nixon are staying at another house in town but he is staying with me because we are best friends. I really do want to be best friends with him but I do not want to share my Mom with him. Last night Hershey and I were laying on the couch with my Mom and Hershey had the best spot. I watched him and watched him and leered at him and then I came up with a plan. I play bowed to him and jumped down off the couch like I wanted him to play. When he jumped down, I jumped up on the couch and got in the best spot and looked at him like "You can't have my Mom, she's mine!" My Mom laughed and laughed at me! Then she called Dad and Grandaddy and told them what I did! My feelings were hurt.

Which brings me to a question. Since I like to be with Hershey so much, and my Mom works, she has been wondering if it would be a good idea to get me a packmate. Meeshka has a pack, the Dachsies are a pack, and Pippen has a pack and a lot of you have packmates. She thinks about it for a while and then she decides it would be a bad idea, and then she thinks about it again and then she decides it would be a bad idea. So she can't decide. She would not want a baby puppy again so she has been looking at adoptable doxies. This is a goofy looking guy she saw the other night. She wrote the sdoption people about him but she has not heard anything yet. I am not sure about him.

He might like to get in the best spot on the couch and take my Mom away from me. What do you think?

I scared them away!

2007-12-19T20:38:00.001-05:00

Look closely at the bottom of the picture and you can see me guarding my house from a terrible threat. Some pretty girls came to my house tonight. They stood outside my fence and SANG CHRISTMAS CAROLS! I barked and barked and finally scared them away. Whew! That was close!

The Paris dog extravaganza finale' ....

2007-12-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

Finally, my Mom took this picture, the last of the dog pictures, when she was in Paris. She and her friends were walking and walking and walking and walking .... to a special place to get hot chocolate. On the way, in a touristy part of Paris, Mom saw this dog. A man who was begging for money had apparently trained this dog to lay like this with his toys in front of him so that people would feel sorry for him and give him money. My Mom admitted to me that she did feel sorry for the dog AND the man but she did not give him any money. Poor dog. I wonder if he really didn't have a home.

Speaking of homes, I left mine today ... to go to the vet for a check-up. Yikes. Actually, it wasn't bad at all. Since Miss Cindy is my doggie doctor, I like to go to the vet. I even wanted to go in the back because she has taken me back there before. I think I like it there. I got a shot and some blood drawn but Miss Cindy did it all so I didn't mind. I have gained a pound and a half though and she says I can't gain another ounce! So Mom came home and changed the cup in my food bowl to a smaller one and says we need to go for walks. Yeah! Bring on the walks Mom!

The baker's dog ....

2007-12-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

On the first night my Mom was in Paris, she and her friends missed dinner. When they went to find something to eat, it was very late and all they could find open was a bakery. (This was to be somewhat of a theme that week ... being too busy to eat.) Mom found out that the French people are very into bread and pastries and deserts and she did not understand why they were not fatter than they were considering they seems to eat all this bread. But I digress. She and her friends each bought a pastry or a croisant from this bakery. The baker had a dog and Mom took his picture. He sure looks like and old dog doesn't he? He was quite at home at work. I bet he goes there a lot.

Speaking of going to work, I got to go to work today...... Mom's work. Mom says I have been often enough now that I know my way around the area her office is in. Today she moved my bed by the window and I got to look out at the people passing my her office. She forgot to take the camera to take a picture of me there AGAIN. She promises she will take my picture for you next time she takes me to work.

Can you see the dog in this picture?

2007-12-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

and the Paris dog extravaganza continues ....

Can you find the dog in this picture? It is walking without a leash. This was an old road in Paris. Mom's friends told her it was a 'Roman Road.'

A dachshund on a walk ....

2007-12-01T15:11:00.000-05:00

This is my Mom's favorite dog from Paris picture. I bet you can guess why. This dog was taking a walk along the River Seine. Mom says if she had a beautiful place to walk like that, I would get to go on more walks. Mom loves the way this man has his hands behind his back. He looks like he is really enjoying the walk. Notice that, unlike the previous two pictures, the dachshund is pulling on the leash. I am glad that some dogs in Paris know what to do.

Dogs on walks in Paris

2007-11-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, back to Parisian dogs ....

As I said earlier, Mom took the suitcases and went to Paris without me or Dad. She went with some friends from her church and while she was there, she took a bunch of pictures. Pictures are pretty much the only hobby Mom really enjoys anymore. She says she wishes she could take a class or something. She also enjoys knitting but has decided it may not be a really good use of her time because it takes so long to make anything. She also enjoys the computer but has decided that she spends way too much time on that too. Anyway, I digress.

Dogs in Paris must do other things besides walk but since Mom was on the street, she only got pictures of dogs taking walks. The dogs were usually walking away from her but even if they were walking towards her, they were hard to photograph because they were moving. I like taking walks and I bet these dogs like walks too. This second dog doesn't look very happy but I bet he was. Notice that neither of them is pulling on the leash. Maybe they don't know you are supposed to do that.

We interrupt this broadcast ....

2007-11-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

We interrupt the Paris dog extravaganza to show you a very cool picture of me licking the kitchen floor. Mom was taking my picture while Hershey and his baby were here and she got this very cool picture of me. Unfortunately, Hershey's baby accidentally got in the picture, but oh well ... what can a dog do? The kitchen floor was very tasty by the way.

Hershey got a haircut!! His mother and dad cut all his hair off and he looks like a puppy! Honestly, he looks 10 years younger. Well, maybe not 10 years ... because he is only two ..... but he does look younger. He told me in confidence that he really prefers the new haircut because now things don't chase him. Before when he went outside, leaves and things would jump on him and chase him ... not a good thing for a guy is afraid of his own shadow. Here he is doing some investigative work while trying to avoid the leaves in my yard, which isn't easy right now ... they're everywhere.

Here we are posing on the porch for the requisite Thanksgiving photograph. Seconds after this pictures was taken we both jumped off the loveseat and barked ferociously at something important and dangerous and Mom gave up taking pictures. Maybe it's a good thing.

More doggies from Paris ....

2007-11-23T20:28:00.000-05:00

These doggies were in paintings that my Mother saw at Versailles. Mom took their picture ... which is wierd because ... they ARE pictures. But anyway, these doggies have children. I do not have any children .... except for Hershey's baby ... she comes to visit me sometimes. She drags herself along the floor, army style, which is really cool. She can get to her toys ...... and furniture ... and electric outlets .... and other stuff that can get her in trouble. .................... Trouble like I get into when I get her lamb puppet. I have to take a picture of that lamb puppet for you. I want it so bad ....

I think this dog must be getting a bath.

Do you think this little boy is going to drop this dog?

Being thankful ....

2007-11-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

My people finished eating their turkey dinner and most thankfully ... they have finished CLEANING UP up their turkey dinner. At least that is what my Mom said. Mom said next year we are eating earlier! It was tough on me and Hershey ... we had to supervise ... so we are exhausted. There were people in every room downstairs and there was cooking and then there was the baby scooting around on the floor, so much to keep up with. I am just not sure about the baby, what she is or anything. I just know I CAN'T play with her toys. That is a big rule. And that is sad because there is one stuffed toy I REALLY want to chew up. It's a white fluffy lamb puppet and I really want it ... I don't think she really NEEDS it....... does she?

I heard my people talk about being thankful. My Mom is thankful for a lot of things, and I am on her list. I am thankful for my Mom and my Dad and my house and my yard and for Hershey. He is my best friend. I wish he could live with me. I am thankful for my food and for walks and for my friends.

I am also thankful for my friend Max. Max was my next door neighbor dog. He belonged to Miss Cindy. I am also thankful for her. Max passed away last night. Miss Cindy said he just took a turn for the worse after the surgery to fix his tummy. Max was the only dog that ever went for walks with me. He was the leader of his pack and he protected the little dog. He was a nice dog and I will miss him. Mostly Miss Cindy will miss him and for that I feel really sad. I have been sad for her all day.

Goodbye Max.

more Paris pictures next time ......

Dogs in Paris .....

2007-11-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

Like I said yesterday, my Mom left me at home and went to Paris for a week. I survived. Dad is really nice and gives me extra cookies so it isn't so bad.

Mom took pictures of dogs in Paris. (Yes, her friends thought she was wierd.) She took other pictures too but she took these pictures just for my blog. This is a picture of a dog statue in the beautiful gardens at the Palace of Versailles. I guess this dog killed a deer and is holding it down. Or maybe they were just wrestling ........ I don't know. I would be afraid of a deer. Mom says she thinks that this is a fountain but it wasn't running.

The Palace at Versailles was beautiful but kinda dark inside. The gardens were amazing!

Where is Paris????

2007-11-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been gone for so long. My Mom left me at home with Dad and went to Paris. I am not sure where Paris is, but wherever it is she had to take a suitcase. She had a wonderful time and she took a lot of pictures ..... and some were of dogs. She says she took them for my blog. So, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, she says she will post on my blog again.

My next door neighbor dog, Max, had to have emergency surgery this weekend because his stomach flipped over. I do not really understand what that means because I am a dog but his Mom said it was bad. His Mom did the surgery and she is taking good care of him. I hope he gets better soon.

Oh, and by the way ... Hershey is coming to visit me in two days. Rock on!

My dishwasher habit ....

2007-10-26T21:41:00.001-04:00

So you don't think that my bad habits are confined to tinkling in the kitchen when Mom is at work and escaping from the fence, I present for you .......

my dishwasher habit .....

Yes, almost everytime my Mom loads the dishwasher .... she has to keep me from doing this. She gave in momentarily this one time so she could take my picture and show you. One time I was doing this and I got sprayed with some water and I quit for a while. It made such a huge mess in the kitchen that Mom hasn't done it in a while.

On a happier note, I went to work today. I got to go to Mom's work with her. Nine people petted me and they all said I was beautiful. Except for the times people were petting me, it is boring. Mom doesn't do anything interesting there. And the man with the treats wasn't there. I don't know why she even goes there. I like home better.

I was good today.....

2007-10-23T22:19:00.000-04:00

Well, dogfriends I was a good boy today. At least that is what my Mom told me.

First of all, I must apologize for not blogging much lately. Mom has been really busy and ... well, she just hasn't been too attentive to my blogging needs. (She also told me she is running out of things to blog about.) Anyway ..... back to being a good boy.

Mom stayed home from work for four days and I was very glad to have her for company for a change (it wasn't just for you Copper.) When she went back to work today, she says she tried an experiment (it was an experiment Copper.) She locked me in the evil (Copper, it's not evil!) kitchen and gave me a white towel to lay on. No fuzzy soft $10 Wallgreen's bed, or downy soft blanket like I usually get (and that you tinkle on Copper.) Just a single white towel (it was white so I could see if you tinkled on it Copper.) It was .... Spartan .... but I survived. Then, she emptied my big water bowl and gave me a little drink of water in it, (maybe 1/8th of a cup or less). She turned on the radio for me and then she gave me my Kong with a tiny bit of peanut butter and my toys and my bone and said, "I'll be back at lunchtime." "Back at lunchtime?" I thought.

I waited. I napped. I chewed. I drank the water. I napped. I waited. I listened to the radio. I napped. But I did not tinkle. Then ... I heard the car in the driveway ... I know that sound. It was Mom's car! And it was .... LUNCHTIME! I greeted Mom and showed her the towel .... no tinkle! I went outside and went poddy and got a "GOOD BOY COPPER!!" I was so happy to have her home and at lunchtime!!! Then ............ yes, you guessed it .... Mom ate lunch. I did not eat lunch. (You don't eat lunch EVER Copper.) Then, after about 15 (very short) minutes, Mom locked me in the kitchen, gave me the same toys and and the same towel and the same radio and the same bone and the same little bit of water and left for work AGAIN. I napped and I drank and I chewed and pretty soon .............. Mom was home again. And I didn't tinkle on the towel this time either!!!!! (We had a little party didn't we Copper.)

Mom says she is going to try to do this for a while, even though it uses a lot of gas and wastes her lunch hour, whatever that means. I think I am loving it. Mom says to tell you all I really am housebroken and except for this "I hate you working tinkle on the blanket thing." I am a really good boy all the time..... except ......

.........I found another escape place in the fence this weekend. But I am not telling you where it is because Mom will find out where it is. Mom says no more staying outside unsupervised. Shucks. I guess that means I am on restriction. Miss Cindy says I am "clever." mmmmm ... 'Clever Copper' .. has a nice ring to it ......