Freddy rides to the rescue, yet again!

Honey Bee

Freddy, the wiener dog, had an epic adventure today. It was a 6-hour+ round-trip to Lake City, Florida.Why? Because a puppy had to get from Georgia to Sanford, Florida. So, Freddy to the rescue!

Meet Honey Bee. She's a 9-month-old Golden Retriever. She's super sweet, absolutely adorable, and quite the beauty. Doesn't mean that Freddy liked her. Well, he didn't actually dislike her.... He just wanted to make sure she knew that he was top dog.

The 3-hour morning trip up to Lake City was mostly uneventful. Mommy had to stop at a turnpike service plaza a/k/a gas & food. Mommy needed a coffee. Mommy drove around the parking lot until the front parking space by the doors was available. There's a big sign that says "no pets. service dogs only." Mommy was going to take Freddy inside any way. After all, Freddy is her therapy dog, so..... Mommy tried to stuff - yes, stuff - Freddy into her largest tote bag. Freddy refused to go inside the bag. Mommy tried repeatedly. Freddy refused repeatedly. Finally, Mommy put Freddy behind the seats with a bowl of water, opened all the windows, and ran like....okay, she ran as fast as she could. Mommy raced inside to find the Dunkin' Donuts had a ridiculously long line. She couldn't wait with Freddy in the car. So, she ran into the convenience store, bought a coffee-in-a-bottle and ran back to the car. Whew! (Well that nearly gave Mommy a heart attack!)

Onward to the rendezvous location. Mommy always chooses a Cracker Barrel restaurant - they have clean bathrooms, (maybe) a little shopping, plenty of parking, and lots of grass for a doggie pee. The transfer basically happened without incident. The only difficulty was getting Honey Bee into Freddy's car and into the crate. Honey Bee hates to travel. Hates. When Mommy tried to pick her up, Honey Bee spread out all four legs and flattened herself onto the ground. It was like trying to pick up a heavy, squirming sack of potatoes. Freddy didn't have a problem with this. He didn't like, however, when the nice rescue lady came over to say "hi" to Freddy. ("Well, aren't you a cute thing?") Now, the nice rescue lady said she has big dogs. Yes, big dogs, like a Mastiff, a Great Dane, etc. Big, car-sized doggies. Apparently she hadn't been around a truly big dog until she met Freddy. While he may look compact, he's actually quite large....in attitude. The nice rescue lady decided it was best that she didn't reach into the car to pet Freddy.

Now, it should have been a 3-hour drive back to Central Florida. Yeah, it took longer than that. Halfway into the return trip, the traffic on I-75 came to a stop. Complete stop. It took 45 minutes to drive 2 miles. (There was a semi-truck on fire.) A couple of minutes after the car stopped, the air-conditioner started screaming... like a jet engine... so Mommy turned it off and rolled down the windows. The doggies were okay with the wind, but not okay with the sounds of other semi-trucks next to the car.

Once Mommy passed the wreckage and get back up to speed, she turned the air-conditioner back on. It blew air, but it wasn't getting cold. Apparently the jet engine screaming was the a/c compressor seizing up. So, Mommy had to roll the windows back down and they had to travel with the loud noise of the wind rushing by.

At this point, Mommy decided to drive straight home instead of traveling directly to Honey Bee's final destination in Sanford, so she could get out of her car! This also gave Honey Bee a pit stop. Honey Bee hadn't pee'd in Georgia or Florida, so she was overdue. Mommy put Honey Bee in the backyard with Freddy, Malibu and Luna. At first, the three tried to gang up on Honey Bee, but Mommy broke that up. Then, Freddy ran up to Honey Bee, growling and teeth bared. He even tried to nip Honey Bee. Mommy broke that up too. Freddy was fine after that until Honey Bee accidentally ran over Malibu. Of course, Freddy has to defend his girlfriend.... Mommy broke that up too. Honey Bee finally did pee. Whew!!

After a 30-minute break, Daddy took Honey Bee to Sanford. The three rescue girls were all hugs, kisses and giggles over Honey Bee. That was one loved puppy! As usual, Freddy was happy to leave the visiting dog somewhere else....other than his house.

Oh, for about an hour after Honey Bee was gone, Freddy and girls would jump at the slightest sound and go tearing into the backyard, barking.... Perhaps they wanted to make sure that Honey Bee hadn't come back. Mommy was happy when everybody calmed down....which was at dinnertime and Freddy wanted everybody's food. Then, he decided to cooperate.

See? Wasn't that an epic adventure?!

Wiener Dog Nationals The Movie

Freddy, the wiener dog, hopes that his friends will support Wiener Dog Nationals The Movie. Wieners know they can run fast, but how many people have actually seen our short-legged pals racing!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fromagepictures/wiener-dog-nationals-the-movie-0 

Freddy and alligators do not mix.

Freddy, the wiener dog, missed having lunch on the St. Johns River today. Mommy really, really wanted to take Freddy. But, his family had lunch at the Gator Riverside Bar & Grille. You might remember this restaurant from a previous blog.

It's a great place -- the food is terrific and you're sitting on the bank of the St. Johns River. Love it. Except that it is a very scary place for a wiener dog. The alligators come right onto the bank below the restaurant. It scares Mommy to have Freddy that close to the gators. It's mating season and the bull alligators get very aggressive. So, Mommy had to leave Freddy at home. Freddy was unhappy about this, but Mommy was happier to have Freddy very, very, very safe.

In the picture, you can barely see an alligator swimming away from the restaurant. Mommy had to take it with her cell phone camera. If you look at the middle of the picture, at the bottom, you'll see an alligator swimming across the river. There are two trees in the distance. The alligator's head is straight down, on the bottom of the picture, "between" the trees. From the head, to the left, you can see some body and tail. From there, you can follow the gator's wake. This is why Mommy left Freddy at home. Freddy and alligators do not mix.

P.S. Sorry about the wire in the middle of the picture. Freddy's Mommy is very, very short. She stood on her tipy-toes to take the picture above the wires, but apparently she's too short for even that. The restaurant recently put up three wires across the top of the railing because they're having a problem with crows. They're hoping it will deter the birds....so far, it's not.

Freddy, the gymnast

mission accomplished

Freddy, the wiener dog, is a gymnast. You might have thought that wasn't possible. But, Mommy was finally able to get a few seconds of Freddy, the gymnast as he prepares to vault into a chair.

Freddy takes a few seconds to concentrate, then he catapults himself up and into the chair with his powerful hind legs. Notice that his front paws don't touch the ground or the chair during the vault.

Freddy & Luna should be therapy dogs.

A worried Luna waits for Eamon
at car-line.

Freddy, the wiener dog, adores Steven's best friend Josh. Freddy is so kind to Josh, and follows him around the house. It's cute. Josh is a special needs student and Freddy knows that Josh needs his help, or extra love and attention.

Luna is now doing the same thing for Eric's best friend Eamon. He has emotional issues. Last fall, his Dad gave way his beloved dog because the dog had fleas. Seriously. Eamon was devastated and months later still talks about "my dog likes" this, etc. For Christmas, his parents gave him a bunch of great presents, like a TV and a new cell phone. The following week they took them all back and returned them to the stores. Eamon was crushed and confused by this. "It would have been better for them not to give me gifts than to give me one and then take it back." "How cruel is that?" Recently, a friend of Eamon's was struck by a car, lived about a week, and then died. This poor children just can't get a break. Last week Eamon's been crying on and off, but he didn't want to talk' not even to Eric. We thought it was because of his deceased friend, but it was something else yet again. This week his parents announced that they're getting divorced. He's been nearly inconsolable. Eamon is 13.

Through it all, his one shining light has been Luna. From the very first time she met Eamon, she has treated him wonderfully. If he's out of the car, she barks at him to get in it. Lately, she starts her play growl while he gets into the car. When he opens the door and manages to get the first leg inside the car, she charges him, jumps into his arms, and begins a million doggie kisses. No matter how sad or awful Eamon's night or day has been, Luna's love just lights his face up. We give him a ride in car-line mornings and afternoons. He'll talk about his day or the latest update with his parents all the while he's putting Luna. And, if he stops for a second, she's back to jumping up and giving him kisses. They are the perfect twosome.

Eamon desperately wants to adopt Luna, but he knows it's not possible. He just wants her in his life every second of the day. I don't blame him - not only because of his difficult life - but because Luna is such a sweet girl. Mini-Dachshunds should be therapy dogs....but, of course, they have to choose which person they're going to help.

Good girl, Luna!!!!!

Freddy, the wiener dog, and his girls were playing in the front yard. Freddy and Luna started this run-out-into-the-street or cross-to-the-other-sidewalk a month or so ago. No, no, no, no, no!

Junior came by for his afternoon walk (big but adorable neighbor dog). Yay! Luna stayed in the front yard this time!! Woohoo! Mommy gave Luna big praise. Ah, nuts. Malibu ran out....for the first time. Freddy waited until Malibu ran out so she would get in trouble first....or worst. Of course, Malibu stopped short of Junior, but Freddy ran all the way up and barked viciously (looked like he was telling Junior off!). Junior barked and got into the play position, but Mommy intervened.

Junior is the one neighborhood (male) dog that doesn't fight Freddy back. Mommy loves Junior for being so nice to Freddy and the girls. Mommy just wants Freddy to be nice back...... She knows! Freddy owns all that he sees - including the sidewalk across the street.

Odd day for the doggies

Freddy, the wiener dog, and the girls had an odd day. They don't like the big winds or the cold weather coming thru tonight. They've been dormant all afternoon, or needy -- very needy.

Malibu wasn't her crazy-frog-hunting self. Mommy has carried Malibu around all day. Malibu makes these sad whimpering noises like she doesn't feel well and she hasn't chased frogs this afternoon. She was happy when Mommy closed all the doors and windows. Then, Malibu went to a very early bedtime.

Luna's been in slow-motion. She wasn't interested in playing with her chewed-up bottle. She's also wanted to hibernate today. Luna, however, is a chow hound so she was very happy to associate with anybody that had food.

Freddy has hibernated today. He's only come out from underneath the covers for food, car-line, and Daddy. He wasn't interested in playing with the woobie. He never fussed at me while I was sitting at the computer. In car-line the only way to get Freddy to settle down, quiet down, and stop barking was to sit in Mommy's lap. Otherwise, Freddy had to bark, bark, bark at everything. Once he got into Mommy's lap then he was a good boy. Unfortunately, Malibu needs to cuddle up to Freddy so she got into Mommy's lap too. Thankfully in car-line, we just inch along so Mommy could hold both doggies until the boys could help.

It was a quiet evening. After dinner Freddy and the girls went to bed. We know when Freddy's relaxed..... because of his snoring.

Maggie's update 4/22/12

"We had friends with a 4-month-old puppy come to visit last night. Maggie was the perfect playmate. She knew exactly just how rough she could get. She is a wonderful girl and I find that as more time passes, I love her more. Her eyes look like she went for permanent makeup! She's funny and smart and is even getting a little less "excited" by our cats. One cat is no problem and the other one is slowing starting to walk around more and I wouldn't be at all surprised if these two girls eventually end up being friends. Judy"

The Reluctant Babysitter

Buttercup.

Freddy, the wiener dog, completed his doggie rescue work this week by taking care of two puppies. He babysat them for an evening and overnight so they could have their "boy/girl" (spay/neuter) surgery the next morning. Of course, Freddy didn't know he was babysitting until Daddy put up the pool fence.

Freddy is always glad when fosters ares puppies and not big doggies. But, the puppies were bigger than Freddy. Their names were Sheriff and Buttercup...brother and sister. They were beautiful, adorable, and rambunctious! Freddy totally ignored them. Totally.

Sheriff and Malibu

Perhaps because of Freddy's attitude, the puppies left him alone. They did think Malibu was another puppy, and they were fascinated with Luna. Malibu agreed she was a puppy so she could eat their food. Luna tolerated their advances like a good girl. But, she did tire of Sheriff's thinking her tail was a toy.

The adults were glad when Mommy went to bed. They went with her. The puppies played into the wee hours of the morning. To get any sleep, the boys put Sheriff and Buttercup in our doggie crate. They only whimpered a little bit before they zonked out!

Buttercup going home. She loved
Freddy's human brothers.

Freddy and the gang were going to pick up Buttercup and take her home to the rescue group. There was a bit of a glitch at the shelter. Sheriff, Buttercup and their sister had their surgeries on the same day. When their sister was picked up, that owner took the paperwork for all three puppies. When Freddy and his entourage arrived at the shelter, they said Buttercup and Sheriff were already gone. Not! Mommy and Daddy refused to leave until the workers physically checked the cages....wouldn't you know, Sheriff and Buttercup were still there! Sheriff's Mommy left right before Freddy arrived because they told her that Sheriff was gone. Mommy called the rescue to let them know that Sheriff was still there and they wouldn't leave Sheriff at the shelter. Freddy and his group waited until Sheriff's Mommy came back for him. She was upset that they told her somebody else took Sheriff. Don't worry... Freddy knows what to do! And, as his fans know, he doesn't take "no" for an answer.

The importance of pack order.

Freddy, the wiener dog, was ready for a nap! He had been napping all morning and was ready for a really long nap. So, Mommy and Freddy settled down in bed and waiting for the girls to join them. Malibu and Luna started stealing the chewed up vitamin bottle back and forth. Finally, they both ended up with it. There wasn't a tug-of-war. Just two girls, each holding their ground, neither will to let go. Luna looked away, but Malibu gave Luna the evil eyed stare. After a few minutes, Luna finally let go.

[Sorry for the dark picture. It's with a cell phone and not a camera with a flash. Sometimes you have to use what's handy!]

Malibu continues to rebel against Daddy.

Still mad at Daddy.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has spent his day barking - at everything. He even barked at a woodpecker. Freddy will find a way to entertain himself one way or another.

Malibu, however, continues to rebel against Daddy. She doesn't like the fence around the plants. She has discovered that she can spring herself over the fencing and onto the plant. Then, she wiggles along the side of the plant, head first, and snakes her way back out. Malibu is still bringing toads into the plant for playtime. She'll even shove them underneath the fencing - any way to play "find the toad." When Daddy gets home, he tells Malibu to stay out of the plant. She gives him lots of dirty looks and plays somewhere else. She'll be back when he's not looking. Right now, she's sitting under Mommy's chair....sulking.

Luna doesn't like the fencing either. She likes to pull healthy stalks off the plants. Then, she brings them onto the pool patio and shreds them. She's helping Malibu dig underneath the fencing so they both can get to the plant.

Freddy, meanwhile, continues to bark - at everything.

Freddy is not having a good day.

A worried Freddy

Freddy, the wiener dog, is not having a good day. The county workers are somewhere behind the house in the wood conservation area. There's a county path that they keep cleared once or twice a year. This morning they showed up. Their access is down the street. Freddy may not see them, but he hears them. Unfortunately, this puts Freddy on "high alert" because he hears the invaders. He's been barking on and off all day. Freddy can't relax because he must continue the alert that someone's in the woods.

If Freddy's not barking, then another neighborhood dog is barking. This, of course, requires additional barking from Freddy. Mommy - and probably Freddy too - is glad they don't work in the woods very often. She and Freddy did a nap!

Malibu is quite mad with Daddy right now.

Malibu jumping into the plant.

Freddy, the wiener dog, is enjoying a lovely spring evening in Florida.  He is staying on the pool patio - watching the family, feeling the light breeze, barking when needed.  Whenever anybody gets too close to the pool, then Freddy starts running around with his woobie. Otherwise, he's just lounging.  Freddy is definitely staying out of the tiff between Maibu and Daddy.

Beautiful plant before Maggie
started jumping into it.

You see, Daddy has two very large Bird of Paradise plants, very large.  When they were in good shape (*clears throat*), they stood about 5 feet tall. Now, they're about a foot and a half tall.  Malibu loves to jump into and on top of the plants.  Her favorite game is to dig up a toad, stick it in the middle of the plant, and play "find the toad" again.  The worst of the damage happened when big girl Maggie thought she was a Mini-Dachshund and would jump up and put her front half onto the plant (because she couldn't get all of herself on the plant).  It didn't take long for the plants to get flattened.

Poor, pitiful plant.

To try to save the plants, Daddy has put green, plastic fencing around each one. He's trying to keep Malibu from destroying them any further.  This is what has caused the tiff.  Malibu is furious that she can't get to her plants.  She's even given dirty looks to Mommy, like it's Mommy's fault too.  Malibu hasn't given up, though.  She's trying to jump onto the somewhat flexible fencing and jump onto the plant.  She's tried to gnaw on the fencing.  She's tried to dig under the fencing.  Mommy thinks that Malibu might have left a toad in the plant and wants it back.

Either way, Freddy had decided to not pick sides for this one and just enjoy his evening.

Luna wants to take over the World!

"Okay, I'll try this side."

Freddy, the wiener dog, is the leader of the pack, king of the hill, the head honcho, numero uno. Recently, Luna started trying to take over the world! Well, she's at least trying to take over Freddy's #1 spot in the pack. Freddy doesn't like this.

Luna's takeover began gradually. The first thing she did was to periodically use Daddy's favorite pillow. This is Freddy's favorite pillow too. Daddy and Freddy have a compromise to share the pillow. Luna, however, just comes into the bedroom, hops onto the bed, and lies down on the pillow. If Freddy comes along, she won't share. Wow, Luna.

Guarding her chewed up vitamin bottle.

Freddy has a favorite chair that sits next to Mommy's desk. When Mommy works there, Freddy relaxes in his chair. Now, Luna tries to sit in the chair before Freddy. Once there, she refuses to get off the chair. If Freddy gets to the chair first, then she comes along and joins him in the chair. She's a big girl and takes up a lot of space. Leaning, sitting or lying on Freddy quickly annoys him and he'll go find another snoozing spot. Seriously, Luna?

Luna trying to squeeze Freddy
off the car seat.

The biggest annoyance is her attempts to claim the front seat. Freddy and Malibu fit very nicely in the front seat. Luna used to prefer riding in the back seat so she could run back and forth and look out all the widows. Now, she clearly wants to take command of the Captain's Chair. If Freddy and Malibu are peacefully sleeping, Luna hops up into the car seat. Then, she climbs on top of them, smushes them, shoves one of them off the car seat, sits on them [her favorite is sitting on their heads], blocks their view of the window and all the people on the sidewalks, etc., etc., etc. She's driving Mommy crazy and Freddy's rather miffed. Freddy isn't giving up his special seat either.

This morning Freddy was lying comfortably on the front seat while Malibu destroyed Mommy's mints in the backseat. Luna hops up next to Freddy and leans heavily into him. Mommy sees Freddy's trying to hold his position but Luna is heavier than Freddy. So, Mommy puts her hand between Freddy and Luna and tries to shove Luna over. Mommy finally managed to annoy Luna enough that she changed her position and wasn't leaning into Freddy. Yesh, Luna.

Exhausted from battle.

Of course, Luna's favorite maneuver is to block the food bowl. It's a big food bowl, and there's plenty of room for three Minis. But, no! Luna will first reach across the bowl and try to block them. If that doesn't work, then she slowly starts shuffling around the bowl while she's eating until she eventually pushes them out of the food dish. So, Mommy has to put the food bowl in the middle of the kitchen and referee when Luna comes to eat.

Luna is more cat-like than dog. She certainly is in her characteristic to plot world domination! Or, at least Freddy's World.

As the world turns........

Freddy goes to Barberville for shopping & lunch.

A relaxing meal on the river.

Freddy, the wiener dog, went to Barberville for lunch and shopping. Yes, Barberville is the name of an little town in Florida. Malibu and Luna stayed home so only Freddy had an adventure, and he was very happy about that. After all, he's the Freddy Baby.

The restaurant was Castaway's, located on the St. Johns River. It had a nice outdoor patio [not at all like the scary Gator's with real alligators looking at Freddy]. The spring afternoon was cool so Freddy didn't get overheated. Freddy liked sitting at the table and enjoying the view. Of course, everybody came by to say what an adorable dog he was. Freddy, to his credit, didn't bark at anybody. He misses his adventures.

Deciding on a sandwich.

Ordering the correct meal was very important to Freddy. It needed to consist of food. [He's not that picky.] Freddy didn't want a burger because he needs to keep his new slim-and-trim figure plus there was shopping later and he didn't want to be too full. Freddy decided on a turkey sandwich.

Waiting for lunch.

It didn't take very long before the food arrived, but Freddy got worried. Freddy dislikes when other diners are served and he's still waiting. Freddy should always be first.

Ready to eat!

Naturally, Freddy was glad when his turkey sandwich arrived. He couldn't wait to dive in and eat! Freddy is a good boy and minds his manners at the table. [Daddy suggested that Freddy sit on the floor underneath the table. What?! Like some dog?! Ha! Freddy sat at the table with Mommy.]

Enjoying his walk.

After lunch, Freddy took a stroll around the marina. He likes looking at the boats, water, and people - as long as there's not alligators looking back at him.

Cute, but not quite right.

Then, Freddy went shopping at a sculpture's outdoor shop. [Daddy asked if it was okay if his "dog" came inside. The owner looked at Freddy and said "of course!"] The artist had lots of cool sculptures and shapes, but Mommy wanted to see the Dachshund statute. It wasn't as funky or steampunk that Mommy hoped it would be so they didn't buy it. Besides, Freddy needs a better likeness of him.

Relaxing.

Freddy really enjoyed his afternoon of lunch and shopping. He settled back for the ride home.

Malibu and Luna were very happy to see Freddy. He enjoyed another adventure, and can't wait for the next one.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Freddy, the wiener dog, wishes everybody the very happiest of Easters! He'll blog later about his weekend. Right now, he wants treats and his human brothers' Easter baskets.

There's a storm a'comin'.

Freddy, the wiener dog, doesn't like rain storms. The rain's okay, but Freddy hates the big winds and thunder. Right now, we're getting a lot of wind so Freddy's unhappy. When there's a lot of wind, then Freddy does a lot of barking at the wind to warn everybody that it's windy. He's such a good boy.

Freddy is feeling better.

Woobietime!

Freddy, the wiener dog, is feeling better. He's started playing with his woobie again. We played a little bit outside on the pool patio, but Freddy was more interested in the sunlight. That's okay. His fever is gone, and so is the running nose. But, he still has some sneezing and wheezing when the congestion builds up. Overall though, he's doing very well.