GPV* - But Not the HFH This Time

Anyone who has ever owned a daschie will know that look.

Nope not me...  no I wasn't staring at you!  

*Gratuitous Puppy Video

December 20 -  Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.

And Puppy Dogs' Tails

Anyone of the two - okay maybe four - people who read this blog regularly will remember when there was a Reesie Report . It appeared sometimes once a week and during his last period of illness almost daily. Reesie was our second pup - the first was Bundnie, a smooth haired dwarf dachshund that got us in Cairo in 1991. Reese, much to her disgust, followed three years later when we lived in Chicago. He was a long-haired miniature daschie and, as we discovered much later, deaf. The Cairo Princess and the Midwest Farm Boy - they were as different in character as sunrise and sunset. They both lived to a good old age: our wonderful vet back in Aylmer always said he wanted to be reincarnated as our dog because he knew he'd get nothing but the best. And I guess we did make sure they got the best but then they gave the best so there was no problem.

This shot was taken in Warsaw with my first digital camera - I forget how many pixels it was but it was pretty darned primitive. Bundnie was giving me her famous 'yeah, right!' look.

They both were well-travelled dogs - Cairo, Chicago, Ottawa, Warsaw, Aylmer, Montreal - they had more frequent flyer points than some people I know. Reese made his final journey to Roma with us but he was 14 and the adjustment to a new place was beyond him - he never did like going to far from home. He took ill in October 2007 and when he had a stroke on December 27th that year we decided that we could not let him suffer. If my heart was broken in two when Bundnie had to be put to sleep, it split in four when it came time to say goodbye to Reese. Not that I loved him more just that he was such a sweet, gentle, trusting, little creature and there was an incredible void with both of them gone.

Many people suggested getting another dog - even our Big Boss who is a major dog lover - and "when are you going to get another dog" became a standard question from friends and family. But it wasn't something I could do that easily. The grieving took a long, long time.

So why am I writing this now - well it looks like the time has come. As anyone who has been owned by a daschie will tell you they are addictive as a breed - those little sausage shaped bodies worm their way into your heart. So we began looking for breeders in our area and beyond. It turns out that there was one very close to our friend's Linda and Nazareno in Capena just north of Roma.

The good people at La Casa degli Orsi (The House of the Bears????+) breed wire-haired daschies and Saint Bernards - an interesting contrast. Two of their bitches had litters within the past month and the puppies will be ready to leave their dames by the end of April. So last Saturday we went out to look. The facility was clean but lived in, a home to both the breeders and their animals. There was an obvious affection for the dogs - large and small - and the dames and sires all were healthy, good-looking champions.

However we didn't get a puppy... no we are buggers for punishment... we got two! A female from the first litter and a male from the second. The logic was: its as easy to train two as to train one! I'm not sure how sound that logic is but....

Unfortunately when I went to see them again today I wasn't able to get really good photos but here's what I did get.
The female is the little dark one on the left and the male the reddish colored on the right. And that would be the male in the centre photo. She is a bit on the feisty side, he was very content to fall asleep in the palm of my hand. This is like history repeating itself.

Now comes the hard part - finding names! My darling Dora has suggested Nick and Nora, Laurent has been thinking Pina and Mimmo, I've been pumping for Fred and Ginger, Jack in Beijing has come up with some Chinese appellations, and Yannis gave us a whole raft of snappy Greek names. But we're still looking so if you have any ideas send them to us.
13 marzo - San Salomone

Lunedi Lunacy

Jerry, the star of this video, looks so much like our first daschie, Bundnie (its an Arabic name - we got her in Cairo) and enjoys playing catch as much as she did. Bundnie loved sitting at the top of the stairs and having the ball thrown up to her; then she'd toy with you for a while before letting it bounce back down. And she very seldom missed, I on the other hand ...!


Did I mention we were thinking of getting a dog?

07 lulgio - San Claudio

A Domination of Daschunds

I know that is not the proper collective noun - it should be pack - but anyone who has lived with a daschie will know what I mean. This is my favorite photo of my darling Bundnie and my buddy Reesie taken about 10 years ago by our friend John. They both lived long lives - 16 for Bundnie and 15 for Reese. And they were cared for and loved. And God know's they returned that love 10 fold.

I just wanted to share this photo.

27 decembre - San Giovanni Evangelista

Gratuitous Puppy Pictures

Though as I mentioned in a comment to RG over at Dulce y Peligroso, there is not such thing as a gratuitous Pet Picture.

Like most daschies Reese loves to burrow when he sleeps and that damned collar has made it very difficult. Bedtime the last few nights has been accompanied by as much noise as 8k dog with a plastic thingy around its neck can make before finding the right position - and of course that position must be changed three or four times during the night. Or better yet just to punish the bastard who attached that bloody thing - and who sleeps very light - wander around the apartment in the dark, bumping into furniture and walls, before settling down in a new location.


I took the collar off for a while this morning and he immediately burrowed under his blanket. At one point he came up for air and to give me a disgusted look when he saw the camera.

Sadly there are a fair number of stray dogs roaming the streets of Rome. Often when an animal gets sick the owner will simply turn it loose rather than seek expensive veterinarian care. Since late August there has been a lovely looking black dog - I'm bad at identifying breeds - roaming the area - Laurent saw him near his office a few times, we've seen him down by the train station and every so often near our complex. He isn't aggressive and seems almost apologetic for being here - I know Walt Disney emotions - and today soaked with rain he looked incredibly sad. I want to do something but not sure what.

25 novembre - Santa Caterina d'Alexandria