Freddy's lazy January

Freddy, the wiener dog, had a lazy January.  His human family has been fighting colds and flus for weeks, so Freddy has been doing lots and lots of napping.  Freddy loves sharing his stories... He'll be more active soon. Thanks for reading Freddy's blog. 

Everybody's in carline....including Luna.

Freddy, the wiener dog, must always go in carline, or he gets very, very mad.  Seriously.  You wouldn't believe the attitude that dog can have.  It's time to load up for carline and everybody wants to go.  Freddy gets in first and then Maggie shoves her way in and right behind is Jumping Luna.  She gets in too.  Finally, Malibu gets into the car with Freddy and it's off we go. Luna spazzed out.  As soon as the car stopped for carline, Luna was all over the place... jumping up and down off the seats, looking at every window, jumping into the back... all over the place.  When the car didn't move, she started to whine.  Luna was very happy when the cars started moving again.  She was fascinated with all the kids walking down the sidewalks.  She wanted to bark.  No barking in carline.  Once the two boys got into the car (with four dogs), there wasn't an inch left.  Freddy had to ride in Mommy's lap and he loved it.  Freddy is The King.

The Anteater War

1. Maggie has the anteater.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves his woobies. He prefers to keep his woobies to himself, but it's hard to keep woobies away from Maggie. It's not the woobies that are important to Maggie -- It's the chase.

2. Freddy wants it back.

3. Maggie says "Chase me!"

4. Freddy wins!

5. "We are the Champions, my friends."

Maggie continues The Hole.

Maggie enjoys the dirt.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves to dig holes... WWI trenches, burying woobies... but Freddy doesn't dig holes likes Daisy could, and Daisy taught Maggie. Maggie's a big girl so she can dig big holes. She has continued the hole that Daisy had, and she loves it.

Loves her dirt.

Where's Maggie?

Trying to roll around in the hole.

Maggie's playtime with Freddy and Malibu.

Maggie grabs the wolf.

Run, doggies, run!

Freddy, the wiener dog, doesn't like Maggie playing with his woobies. Maggie knows this and likes to agitate Freddy. Maggie finally got Freddy and Malibu to chase her around the yard. She loved it.

The chase commences.

Malibu continues the chase.

Freddy and Malibu catching up.

No more wolf, but the chase continues.

Maggie hides from the little dogs.

"Do you think they'll find me?"

Freddy's happy; Maggie's tired.

Luna loves toys...other people's toys.

Maggie plays with her cow; Luna watches.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves his woobies. He used to fight to keep his woobies. Freddy must be getting older because now he doesn't fight for his woobies...at least not with female Mini-Doxies!

Maggie was given a stuffed cow. When Luna arrived, she took Maggie's cow and made it her own. She carries it around the house and puts it in different hiding spots. At least, that's today. Yesterday, she wanted the penguin, and she took that from Maggie too. Luna loves toys...other people's toys.

Luna makes her move.

Luna tells Maggie to get lost.

Luna keeps the cow.

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood......"

Ready, willing and able to bark.

Freddy, the wiener dog, enjoyed a gorgeous Florida afternoon frolicking in the backyard with his doggie pals, sort of. Freddy took it upon himself to introduce the new girl to how things work around here. He taught her the Twilight Bark [101 Dalmatians]. He taught her to bark at airplanes. He taught her to bark at the neighborhood kids. He taught her to bark when Daddy's truck comes home. He taught her to bark when Daddy's truck leaves again. Most importantly, he taught her to bark at the neighbor's 3-year-old little girl every time she inhales and exhales..but especially when she's screaming and squealing, which is a lot. Luna barks louder than Malibu.

Malibu spent ALL of her time digging up and playing with a toad. Maggie spent a lot of her time following Malibu around and trying to understand the fascination with toads, lizards and snakes.

I have a dream... and it came true.

Luna's a blue dapple.

Freddy, the wiener dog, likes to dream about food, watching TV with his Daddy, naps, more food, car rides, adventures, more food, and girls. What boy doesn't dream about girls?! Well, Freddy got his wish, but so did Mommy.

Mommy has wanted a lot of Mini-Dachshunds for a long, long time. You know, Ponderosa but with Doxies instead of horses...a whole herd of Minis! [Okay, pack of Minis.]

Nine years ago she got Freddy. Last summer she wanted a girl Mini. She got one and her name was Malibu. Mommy was very happy, so was Freddy. He was so happy to have another little person around the house. Two was a good start... When Mommy saw Malibu, Mommy picked out two other girls too. One is a puppy and won't be able available for 4-5 years, if at all. The other would be available in January 2012, and she was. Today, Freddy and Mommy both got their wish granted with the arrival of Malibu's sister Luna!

Exploring the new yard.

It was an interesting arrival. Freddy didn't mind...again, he likes girls and having other little people around the house. Luna and Malibu gave each other the once over, but then they went their separate ways in the yard. Maggie is happy to have another playmate, but Luna wasn't so sure about playing with a dog that big. Luna's not a shy girl. She jumped right in and played with Malibu's toys, including the vitamin bottle! Maggie's the funniest one. She wants Luna to understand that she comes higher in the pack than Luna, but Luna just ignores her. Poor Maggie. Once again, that big dog getting bullied by the little Dachshunds.

The only mistake Luna has made is getting between Freddy and his Daddy during TV time. Oh yeah. Freddy didn't hesitate to put her in her place...with a big show of teeth and snarling. She hasn't gotten near Jeff since then.

Freddy rescues an abused puppy, and maybe a little more.

Sweet, young thing.

Freddy, the wiener dog, rescues again! This time, it's not just an abandoned or abused dog, but Eric too.

Freddy's name is on a transport list. So, he gets emails about different doggies that need transport to a rescue or new home. This week, it was a one-year-old puppy that had been confiscated from an abusive creep. She was traveling from Orlando to Jacksonville. Freddy took the Orlando to Daytona portion of the trip. Puppy was in bad shape. It was obvious she had been abused. She was also covered in mange and horribly thin. She's on four medications.

Because Eric was suffering so much over his loss of Daisy, Freddy thought it was a good idea for Eric to see "how the other dogs live" and to realize that Daisy has a very good life. It worked. The pound is full of dogs and cats, mostly from bad situations. He helped Puppy get from the clinic to the car. He petted her and talked to her the whole trip. When she peed and puked, he helped clean that up too. Eric came home in less distress than when he left. Freddy's just very, very glad that Mommy didn't bring another stray home.

Daisy says good-bye.

A clean Daisy, right before she left.

Freddy, the wiener dog, does not miss Daisy. She was a big, rambunctious puppy that was always taking his woobies. Malibu misses Daisy a little..She and Daisy would wrestle everyday. But, Malibu doesn't miss Daisy clamping onto her back while she tried to walk or play. Maggie really, really misses Daisy. She was probably Maggie's first playmate. How did Freddy and his family get here? Well, it's a long story...

Here's a short version. There are previous blogs about Daisy's arrival, first day, visits to vet, playing with Tank, etc. What's not in those blogs is that Daisy was unhappy or nervous most of the time. She had grown way too big to play with the Mini-Dachshunds. She was getting in trouble all day long, every day for her biting, pulling, scratching. Her name had become "No Daisy No." A few months back, a couple of things happened. Daisy lost Tank, the only real playmate for Daisy. He worn her energy out, he kept her calm in storms, he was her perfect match. Tank moved away. Daisy became depressed and unresponsive. She didn't even want to play with her tennis ball. Mommy began talking to Eric that although we truly loved Daisy and always planned to keep her, we weren't being fair to Daisy and she needed a better life than what we could offer. Also, like many others in this economy, things had changed financially for Freddy's family. Freddy will be in a new home sometime this year. But, all the rentals Freddy and his family found, they wouldn't allow dogs over 15 lbs. So, Mommy felt it was right to start looking for a better home for Daisy. The first month or so was uneventful. Mommy asked everybody she knew to help her find a home for Daisy; nothing. Mommy tried Facebook; nothing.

Daisy's ad photo.

Jan. 11, 2012 - Mommy and Daddy placed a Craigslist ad for Daisy, requiring a $50 re-homing fee so the dog-fighting groups, labs, and other nasty people wouldn't want Daisy. They didn't. We received several phone calls from families and started scheduling home visits, but one caller stood out among the others. His name is John. He lives in the same community as Daisy. He wanted to see her right away. He knew she was the dog he had been looking for. So, Mommy and Daddy took Daisy over for a visit. John's beloved doggie companion of 11 years had died a year earlier. Although friends tried to help him find another dog, he wasn't ready...until he saw Daisy's photograph. He has a house with a very large backyard and an area of woods behind his house [Daisy loved this!], all of it completely fenced in. He has a pool. He has a second dog (an ex-girlfriend's dog) for a playmate. But, he needed a real doggie companion..someone who could walk 4-5 miles a day with him [Daisy is going to love that!], go with him everywhere [he doesn't care that she gets carsick, so did his previous dog], be his best friend. Our sweet Daisy instantly liked him, his yard [she poo'd], and the woods [she tracked something into the woods and we didn't see her for awhile]. When he knelt down to talk to her, Mommy couldn't hear what he was saying. However, she could see the adoring look on Daisy's face, the gentle way he held her head, and how he petted her ears. When it was time to go, Daisy didn't want to leave. She pulled back on her leash, leaned into him, and made googly eyes at him. Mommy actually felt bad taking her home, but Eric needed a chance to say good-bye and they wanted to think about John for a hour or so to make sure he was the right one. Yes, he is.

Jan. 12, 2012 - Eric was completely devastated that his Daisy was leaving. He cried long and hard about it. Mommy let Eric stay home from school so he could spend her last day with him. In the afternoon, Eric gave Daisy a really good bath. She looked so pretty. When it was time, Eric and Daddy took Daisy to John's house. Eric said that he wanted to meet the man who was taking Daisy. Sweet. Daisy trotted right in and laid down in front of the TV on her own doggie bed. She did try to leave with Eric and Daddy, but John gently brought her back inside. When Eric came home, he gave his Mom a slight smile, nodded his head, and said, "He's a really nice man." Eric knows that Daisy's in the right home for her, but he still misses her desperately.

Jan. 13, 2012 - Mommy received a text message from John at 9:00 a.m. He wondered when we fed Daisy because she was refusing food. She texted back at 7:00 a.m. Daisy will eat when she's ready. Mommy also texted that Daisy liked to start her day by chasing squirrels. He texted that she had already done that. At 1:00 p.m., Mommy received an email from John: "I just wanted to thank you for my new companion daisy.  I'm sure once she gets used to me and her new environment she will be awesome.  For now we're working on trust issues before we can do much else.  She's been whining occasionally, she's probably missing her old home." Then, a second one at 6:00 p.m.: "Small success, she finally ate!  I worked with her on the short leash today, she likes to lead and pull but she started to get the hang of it, it may take several sessions but I'm confident she'll be running on the trail with me in a few days.  I'm giving her small doses of training so she doesn't lose confidence or feel punished. I told Eric he can visit her in a few weeks after she gets acclimated." Yes, Eric, he is a nice man.

Mark said it the best, "Mom, the reason I'm not crying for Daisy is because I know she's going where she'll be safe and well cared for." Well said, Mark, well said.


1/21/12 Daisy's update:  You'll be happy to know Macy is doing great!  She has settled in quite well and seems to be loving life.  She's slowly becoming more sure of herself but still intimidated when she encounters other dogs and new people on our walks.  We're working on socialization and her self confidence and overall I'm very pleased with her progress.

2/5/12 Daisy's update: "Just a note to say thank you for giving me Macy! She is both a challenge and a joy and she has quickly become a member of the family. You'll be happy to know I donated $50 to the Second Harvest Food Bank in your honor. All the Best! John & Macy."

Freddy likes his regular routine.

Freddy hangs out with his boys.

Freddy, the wiener dog, is happy the winter break has ended and his human brothers are back in school. Freddy has a very specific schedule to follow on school days. Freddy likes that. He especially likes that he's King of the Vehicle for car-lines.

Freddy is a good citizen. He gives a neighborhood boy a ride to school too. The picture is Freddy's greeting that boy while listening to Mark chat. It's a little unusual for Freddy....

Freddy's new foster sister.

Maggie settles in.

Freddy, the wiener dog, helps Mommy transport rescue dogs. Since Freddy enjoys adventures and car rides, he has found transporting very interesting. Sometimes he transports something small [Chihuahua] or something very large [Great Dane puppy]. Most of the time they're in the middle [pit bull or terrier]. Freddy has a different reaction to different rescue dogs. [See previous blogs].

On Friday, Freddy helped transport an American Bulldog/Boxer mix and a terrier/mix to Tampa. Their ultimate destination was Naples. As previously mentioned, Mommy fell in love with the American Bulldog/Boxer. She was big, beautiful, sweet, confused, and lonely. Mommy cried when she gave her to the next transport driver. As usual, Freddy's glad to see them go.

On Saturday, Freddy had another doggie transport to the West Coast of Florida. Mommy checked on that beautiful American Bulldog/Boxer mix from the day before. The doggie didn't like the "cat house" she was placed in. She needed a doggie foster home. While Mommy can't take a big dog for a long period of time, she was happy to give the beautiful girl a good home to rest in. Freddy wasn't to keen on this idea.

Maggie finally relaxes and sleeps.

On the return trip with the American Bulldog/Boxer mix [now named Maggie], Freddy wanted to bark at her but Mommy said no...This sad doggie had been through enough. So, Freddy spent the rest of his time making sure the doggie couldn't sniff him. He freaked whenever the bigger dog looked at him. "Mom, she's doing it again." Freddy was deliriously happy to arrive back home and into the arms of his Daddy.

Mommy learned a few more things about Maggie on this trip -- Maggie had been dumped on the side of the road [which is why once she was in the car, she didn't want to get back out again]. And, Maggie had been in the euthanasia room when the rescue called to get her. Whew! So, this big, beautiful sweetie nearly lost her life because her "owner" didn't want her anymore. Mommy is confused by this...Maggie is a very sweet and gentle dog. She's been great with Daisy and the little dogs. She was also good with the many cats in the "cat house." And, she obviously had more than one litter of puppies. Hmmmmm.

Napping on the way home.

 Maggie didn't have any trouble getting out of the car on the return trip for a bathroom break because the little dogs got out too. Maggie did a little Bambi hop, twirled, and skipped along side the other doggies. Maggie was excited with her pack walk. Freddy just wanted to make sure that he didn't end up underneath the feet of the dancing, prancing Maggie. He was more than happy to get back into the car, have a snack, and nap. After all, napping is what hound dogs do best.

Maggie gently plays with crazy puppy.

 When Freddy and Mommy arrived home, Daisy welcomed Maggie. Maggie took her time learning the house and saying hi to the boys, but Daisy couldn't wait to get Maggie outside. Mommy let them outside for a potty break. Once they were outside, the mayhem began. Daisy immediately tried to get Maggie to play ["Daisy! Leave Maggie alone while she potties."] As Maggie explored the big backyard, Daisy kept showing Maggie her favorite spots and even tried to get Maggie to dig in one of Daisy's holes. It was very cute. "See? This is the way you dig...like this." Finally, Maggie was ready to play. The big girls played, wrestled and chased each other for an hour. Maggie was very gentle with Crazy Daisy, who would bite Maggie's rearend, or lay on the ground and do her "gator chomp" at Maggie's face/neck to get her to play. 4-year-old Maggie would look at 9-month-old Daisy like "Really?" and then the wrestling would continue. The big girls played until Maggie was completely worn out and Daisy was almost, sort of, tired. Mommy had to halt the mayhem anyway because the big girls were starting to bark at the sounds of racoons in the woods. [Maggie uses one big, deep bark at the time and then intently listens to the sounds in the woods.]

Maggie rests. Daisy wants to play.

 At bedtime, Eric desperately wanted Maggie to share his bed. She started off there and then moved to Mark's bed, but finally ended up sleeping with Steven. [Animals and babies love Steven]. Freddy wouldn't tolerate sleeping in the same room as the big girls so he left to sleep with Daddy. When Mommy checked on them for the 4:00 a.m. pee, Daisy was sleeping with Mark and Maggie was still in Steven's bed. [Poor Eric].

Mommy can't wait for the kids to get up and see how Day 1 progresses. Daddy thinks Mommy is crazy for bringing a foster into the house. Mommy thinks that they need another Mini-Dachshund...another girl to increase Freddy's harem. For now, she needs to figure out how much you feed an American Bulldog/Boxer mix, probably as much as she wants!

Freddy rescues an American Bulldog/Box mix, a terrier/mutt, and a Great Dane.

Great Dane/mix puppy

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves riding in the car with Mommy. However, he doesn't really like Mommy's picking up "stray" dogs and putting them in the car. Freddy doesn't bark much when he's on these trips. He is very curious about the doggies that Mommy brings into the car, "What is it?" Freddy seems to know the doggies don't feel well; they're scared, nervous, etc., so he doesn't bark at them. Freddy's favorite part is when Mommy gives the doggies to somebody else. Actually, Freddy's favorite part is getting a plain hamburger from McDonald's after they drop the doggies off.

What is that?!  Bigfoot?

Freddy had three dogs to rescue in one day - an American Bulldog/Boxer mix, a terrier/mix, and a Great Dane/mix puppy. Freddy goes crazy when Daddy gets out of the truck until Daddy gets back in the truck, in his seat, and Freddy is curled up next to Daddy. Then it was, "Holy Cow! That thing is huge! Don't eat me." [It was gotten really ugly if it had been a boy. Thank heaven for little girls.] The pictures don't show how big the 10-month-old Great Dane/mix puppy really was. She was truly huge. She couldn't wait to get outside. Daddy had to hold the leash because Mommy didn't have the strength to keep from being dragged behind...the puppy was strong. She was also very gentle with Mark, who was scared of her size, at first. The puppy was friendly with no aggression at all. She rode in the back with Mommy's Mickey blanket. Freddy was glad that enormous dog rode in the back and not up front in Freddy's space. Again, that would have been ugly.

Big, beautiful and sweet.

The American Bulldog/Boxer mix and the terrier/mix were a joint rescue and rode in the car at the same time. The Am. Bulldog/Boxer was named Melody. She was 4 years old, big, beautiful, and gentle as a lamb. Unfortunately, Mommy and Melody fell in love with each other. Mommy petted Melody the whole way to the rendezvous, who was an hour away. Freddy was unhappy when Mommy got out of the car to give Melody a bathroom break. Mommy is supposed to walk Freddy, and Freddy only. He still didn't bark. Melody, at first, would lean against Mommy with scared eyes, begging Mommy not to leave her on the side of the road [like the last "owner"]. Melody did this several times. Then, Melody started to get really worried, so she would stand up on her hind legs, put her big paws on Mommy's shoulders, and lick Mommy's face. Melody needed a lot of reassurance. Mommy walked Melody back to the car and asked Nana for the camera. When Nana opened her door and got out to hand Mommy the camera, Melody pushed her way into the car behind Nana and climbed into the front passenger's seat. She sat there for a minute or two and then climbed into the back of the car. Melody wanted to make sure that she went home with Freddy's Mommy, and not the next transport driver. Sadly, Melody had to go. Mommy got out of the way so the next driver could put Melody in her car. Melody wouldn't lift her head once she got into the crate. When Mommy came over to say good-bye, Melody gave Mommy a lot of sad licks. Mommy walked away choking back tears. Next was the terrier.

He's twice the size than he looks.

The terrier/mix dog is 8 years old. He had no name - not even from the shelter - so Mommy called him "Sweetheart." Of course, whenever she did this, Freddy would look at Mommy like "You'd better be talking to me." This poor doggie has had quite a time of it. He's blind and could barely walk. There's no broken bones, no problems with his legs... The dog obviously spent his entire life locked up or crated, and he didn't know how to use his feet, especially his hind legs and especially walking on grass. What was that soft, green stuff? The terrier was very scared and timid, so Freddy didn't bark at him. Sweetheart was quite happy to leave the shelter, but didn't mind when Mommy put him in an extra-large crate. He's used to being in a crate and understood the four walls that he couldn't see. Sweetheart seemed happy that he could actually sit completely up in the extra-large crate. However, he didn't want to leave it for his bathroom break. Mommy carried Sweetheart over to the grass. At first, he could barely stand at all on his hind legs. It took several tries for Sweetheart to get moving. Sweetheart had an extremely hard time walking, even with his front legs. Sometimes his paws would flip over. Sweetheart didn't seem to know the difference and would walk on the tops of his paws inside of his bottom pads. Sweetheart was scared of the leash and clearly didn't know what to do with it. He wouldn't move until he heard Mommy's feet crunching leaves next to him, then he'd stay close and would try to walk a little. Mommy would have to stop every few steps and get Sweetheart to stand back up on his hind legs again. Sweetheart was happy to get back into a crate, and it didn't matter to him that it was a different crate than the last one. This poor baby has a lot of therapy ahead in his life. Once the other driver leaves, then Freddy gets his potty break but he wants to get into the car and go home.

An exhausted Freddy

It was a stressful day for Mommy, and not the best for Freddy either. Although, Freddy still likes car rides and doesn't want to be left home.

Freddy wants Mommy's snack.

"What are you eating, Mom?"

Freddy, the wiener dog, is always ready for food. Mommy came into the room with a snack. Freddy was sleeping, but the smell of food woke him up. He wanted what Mommy was eating... Mommy said no, but Freddy kept trying.

"You are getting sleepy. You want to give me your snack."

Poor little Daisy Mae.

Playing with Tank..a happy day.

Poor Daisy Mae. Mommy was walking around the yard, looking at the scattered woobies. When she got within a foot of Tank's favorite one, Daisy ran to their favorite dirt pile and looked back at the woobie. Mommy has been telling Daisy for days that he's not coming, but she keeps looking for him hour after hour.

Tank's favorite.

Here is Tank's favorite woobie. [Freddy let Tank have it, sort of.] It's a big stuffed, floppy dog. Tank loves it. "Someone" has started removing the stuffing. Mommy haven't seen the culprit yet, but she has her suspicions.