Wild Doxies

Shortly after Mikkey joined the family Zoey’s breeder called up to say that there would for sure be puppies in 3-4 months and we could have the pick of the litter. While some might say that one doxie is enough (and maybe should) Beautiful and Weasel could not help but be excited about the possibility of another puppy from the parents of Zoey.

The new litter of doxies was born and soon it was time to visit and pick which puppy would be joining Mikkerdoo in his new home. On the way to meet the puppies Beautiful graciously assured Weasel that this puppy was his to choose since she had chosen Mikkey just a few months ago. However, partial amnesia set in the moment the new puppies came into site. There were two black and grey dapples (one boy and one girl) and 3 black and tans. Once again Beautiful reached for the runt of the litter first (this time a dapple girl)and quickly fell in love. Weasel was less sure. This particular runt was smaller than Zoey had been at least in comparison to her littermates. They seemed to tower over her which is quite a trick for a dachshund. Beautiful pleaded with, yes - wait for it, puppy-dog eyes and the question of who was choosing the puppy went away fairly quickly. After taking some pictures it was time to go home and wait for the right time to take her home, which ended up being sooner than expected.

Roughly two weeks later a call came in on Sunday night, “can you take the puppy now?” This was quite unusual as the puppies were only about 5 weeks old but unusual circumstances were afoot. The mother had stopped producing milk so the puppies had just been adjusted over to a mix of milk and soft food. Worse, the other puppies were so much larger than the runt that they were beginning to be rough with her which was worrisome. Weasel was soon on his way to pick up the puppy while Beautiful prepared for her arrival. Mikkey assumed that his life was the same as it always had been - but he was wrong.

Acclimating Mikkey to the new puppy, Abbie, went fairly well. Mikkey was only about 8 months but truly seemed to love her and he was very gentle. It’s a good thing too as she would fit in one hand at this time. After only a week with Abbie a problem arose. Abbie began to cough up her food after every few meals. When the symptoms didn’t stop Weasel took her into the vet to learn that Abbie had “megasphogus” (an enlarged esophogus) which meant that she had trouble getting food down to her stomach. The food she was eating was getting stuck in her esophogus until it was so full she began to cough and the food would come up. More, there were other health concerns often associated with megasophogus the vet explained, many of them very serious. Given that it had not been that long since the loss of Zoey there was much discussion about returning Abbie to the breeder (who agreed to exchanger her for another puppy) but Beautiful was unable to think of giving her back. Abbie stayed and grew stronger as she got older. While Abbie is a very small example of a miniature dachshund - she seems to be healthy and the family is glad they kept her.
Remembering how sad Beautiful had been over Zoey bonding with him Weasel put forth a valiant effort to stay reserved with the new puppy. Unfortunately, for Beautiful, he was now working at home full time and so it was nearly impossible not to spend a great deal of time with the puppy, particularly since she required regular feeding and had to be carried up and down the stairs. (Weasel’s office is in the basement) Once again there was a great saddness as Abbie, like her sister before her, began to bond with Weasel. Mikkey continued to love anyone who would give him attention but Abbie being a full smooth coat seemed to choose one primary person to bond with - Weasel.

Abbie and Zoey are clearly more alike than Abbie and Mikkey but there are differences in personality. Some of this may be exacerbated by the fact that Abbie came into the home with a larger male dachshund established and some seems to be just the fact that siblings are not always the same. Zoey was more consistently aggressive while Abbie has a more readily seen submissive side. (a flaw in the dachshund “standard” as we are told) Abbie learned to climb the stairs long before Mikkey and even before Zoey but remains less willing to jump up onto furniture or beds, preferring to be picked up. Both Abbie and Mikkey do a good job of endearing themselves and engendering sympathy.  Mikkey seems to do this with more of a “comical” aire about him while Abbie makes those around her feel genuinely sorry for her. She has mastered the ability to seem frightened and hopeful when she asks to be picked up.

Lastly, Abbie like her sister is partial to a “happy dance” of wiggling and tail wagging when she sees loved ones - most notably Weasel.