Freddy guarding the neighborhood.

Freddy and the girls had rare front yard privileges today, at least for a little while. The picture is Freddy guarding the neighborhood. It was taken when our neighbors came home. Freddy did not give them permission to pull their truck into their driveway, so he was deciding whether to go over there and give them "what for."

Happy 12th Birthday, Freddy!

Happy 12th Birthday, Freddy!! He is officially an old man at 84 human years. He has a lot of gray on his muzzle, face, and paws. In fact, the gray on his paws looks like he is wearing booties.

Freddy has been acting like a grumpy old man too. His eyes are getting cloudy, so maybe his mood swings are partly due to that. He has less tolerance for Luna (she's bigger than he is and he doesn't like it), but still loves his little Malibu. They are so cute together. Luna, of course, knows this and antagonizes Freddy whenever possible. Toddler Divas!

So, Happy 12th Birthday, Freddy. I hope we have another 12 years together.

Freddy's back hurts

Freddy on his blankie in the kitchen
so he can stay with Mommy.

Update 4/15/13: Freddy is feeling much better. His soreness in his back is going away. He will stay on his medicines for another two weeks to help his healing process. He is not allowed to use his doggie steps to get into bed, so Daddy will build a ramp if we cannot find one to buy. The best news of all is that Freddy has started playing with his woobies again! 

Poor Freddy the wiener dog. His back hurts and we're not sure why. A week ago Freddy woke up in shivers. He wanted to hide in corners and did not want to be picked up. On Saturday he was worse. He kept walking around in circles, seemed disoriented, and could not get comfortable. It was a little better on Sunday, but he was still full of shivers.


Malibu stays close to Freddy
since he doesn't feel well.

On Monday we took Freddy to the vet. The vet said his symptoms sounded like Freddy hurt his back. However, the vet could not find an injury along Freddy's spine and only one spot was tender. So, the first guess is spinal infection. Freddy has been taking an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant and antibiotics. The first 24 hours were the keep-an-eye-on-Freddy-this-could-get-scary time. Freddy reacted very well to his medicines and seemed to be so, so much better, just like his old self. But, now his back is bothering him again. He seems in pain and can't go up and down his doggie steps. We have been very careful with supporting his entire back if he is picked up. Most of all, Mommy has not allowed any dirt-digging and Freddy is very unhappy about that. But, Mommy can't keep Freddy completely still unless he is in a crate and Mommy does not want to do that yet.

Freddy has another appointment this week. If Freddy is not completely well, then it will be bloodwork and x-rays. Mommy wants them to find something (to treat), but Mommy also does not want them to find something. Mommy wants her Freddy Baby all better.

Not even the trees are safe.

Freddy the wiener dog has destroyed the front yard (almost) with holes and trenches. Thankfully, the grass still thinks it is winter so it seems dead anyway. Freddy is looking for new places to dig. He finally decided that it should be around the tress. As much as Freddy likes digging up grass roots, he had difficulty pulling up tree roots. Not that he little guy didn't try.....

Freddy and the girls' yearly checkup.

Freddy and the girls went to the vet's office for their yearly checkup. As usual, all three were not happy to be there. Of course, no one is as frightened as Malibu...poor baby. 

The first thing we did was weigh the doggies. Freddy is still at a healthy 12 lbs., thin yet solid. Malibu moved up the scale a little and weighed in at 10 lbs. Mommy definitely has to start walking them three times a day again. Not necessary for Malibu, but for Luna. She weighed in at a whopping 17.5 lbs.! She does not seem to eat that much, yet she is still packing on pounds. Mommy laid down the law and said no more human food...okay, okay, unless it's a protein. Otherwise, no carbs! Of course, she is a German girl. She is probably just big-boned.

Secondly, we took the doggies into the examination room. They're unhappy enough to stand on the cold, stainless steel table. But, then they each get a turn getting blood drawn and a stool sample. The vet arrives. He is a very nice man. He is good with the doggies and he listens to their parents' concerns. Freddy is in good shape, but it is time for his teeth cleaning. Mommy refused to allow Freddy to undergo anesthesia last year, but reluctantly agrees this year. Malibu is also in good health except for a couple of rear molars. He said Malibu's teeth cleaning will be more difficult than Freddy's, so we agreed for Freddy to go first. We're still trying to figure out her hair loss. He thinks we need to take her to an endocrinology vet in Gainesville, Fla. We'll see. We do not want to put Malibu under a lot of stress. It's just hair..... Luna is also healthy. The vet was extremely pleased with the condition of her teeth. He was very surprised that they had stayed so white since the cleaning. It wasn't until we were home later that we realized she keeps her teeth clean by chewing on all those plastic lids!

Freddy and Malibu needed their annual distemper shots. Luna was not due for any shots. But, she's felt the worst. She's been moody and exhausted since the appointment. Mommy is worried for her Luna. Maybe it was too stressful, although she didn't seem that upset at the time. Of course, there has been lots of napping since then.

P.S. I nearly forgot!! After the vet's examination of Malibu, he said, "What a weird little dog." I always said Dachshunds are aliens.

Freddy and the 100-Acre Wood

Freddy just took off down the street and into the woods after the neighbor's cat. I ran right behind him and saw where he entered into the woods. I couldn't find him and he wouldn't come back out. I'm checking all over the woods, front and back of house. I call Jeff to tell him to come home and help me find Freddy....only to open the front door and see Freddy trotting back down the sidewalk as happy as can be with himself. Oh, he's The Man. "Me and my big bad self." I don't know whether to hug or punish him.

Coffee Break

It's a lovely, cool spring morning. I take the doggies outside for a little fun in the sun. I walk them outside and then go back inside and start the coffeemaker. I walk right back outside and discover that Freddy has already dug seven holes and he's working on his 8th.

People complain about rabbits, moles and other varmints that dig up their gardens and yard. That's nothing compared to a Dachshund with a 30-second head start.

Happy 77th Birthday, Freddy!!!

Happy 77th Birthday, Freddy!!! Of course, it's actually his 11th birthday. But, you know, multiple by 7.....

Mommy wanted to a picture of Freddy with his cupcake. But, Mommy couldn't get Freddy to look at the camera and set the cupcake next to him without Freddy eating it. Freddy finally gave Mommy just a couple of seconds to get a picture.

Freddy and the girls got to eat a cupcake. They all licked the frosting first. Luna nearly ate her entire cupcake in one bite. Freddy was a little slower. But, Bu needed her cupcake broken up into little bits. 

We had quite a lot of people here because it was also his human brother Eric's 14th birthday. Freddy decided to sit in Nana's lap so he could keep a lookout.

So, happy birthday, Old Man. And, here's to another 77.... um, 11.

Lazy January

Freddy the wiener dog had a very lazy January. Freddy's Mommy was sick with pneumonia so Freddy had a lot of sleeping time. Good thing he's a hound dog and that's not a problem. Freddy even missed most of the car-lines because because Mommy was too sick to drive. Now that Freddy's Mommy is feeling better, Freddy is full of energy....hum... mischief....um... Well, generally he's being a naughty Toddler. He wants to bark at everything - yes, more so than usual. And, he wants all of Mommy's attention to himself.

Luna's first kill.

"Where is my lizard?"

Freddy the wiener dog and the girls were searching the plants in the front yard for lizards. Okay, Freddy and Malibu were hunting lizards; Luna was trying to sneak across the front yard after the neighbor's cat. 

I decided to move a patio chair to another spot on the porch so I had a better view of the yard and street. As usual, I banged the chair around and lifted the cushion checking for hidden lizards. Sure enough, there were two rather large lizards hiding underneath the cushion. Of course, I dropped the cushion and started screaming "lizard!" {That's always my natural reaction. I'm 100% girly-girl.} That brought Freddy running over and, interestingly, it brought Luna. Freddy chased one lizard into the bushes; Luna caught the other! Luna kept trying to get into the front door with her lizard, but I refuse to allow playmates inside, so I blocked Luna and shut the door. By now Malibu had shown up and wanted Luna's lizard, but Luna wasn't going to share. Instead, Luna used her front teeth to check the lizard out. She didn't seem sure what to do with it. But, she eventually bit it's head off. Malibu still wanted the lizard, but Luna was going to keep her kill. Luna stood guard over her lizard.

Now, when I finally sat down on the patio chair, I kicked off my flip flops and put my feet up on the chair. When I saw Luna protecting her lizard, I wanted to grab the camera from inside the house. Unfortunately, I didn't look before I leaped. I just put my feet down into my flip-flops. Luna had put her dead lizard on top of my flip flops for additional protection. {Or, perhaps she was trying to share?} After I felt cold, squishy lizard, I shrieked and kicked them off. Of course, I had goo between my toes that I had to remove. Ew!!!!! Luna did not understanding my screaming; she just wanted her lizard back.

I ran into the house for the camera. Luna wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow, so I shut the front door so she couldn't bring her dead lizard into the house. This time I put on a pair of tennis shoes and ran back outside to take the picture. Unfortunately, right as I got there, Malibu ran over and grabbed Luna's dead lizard and ran off with it! So, I have no picture to show Luna's first kill. Now, she's back to staring at the neighbor's cat. I guess catching lizards isn't what she thought it would be......

Bad Daddy. Bad, bad Daddy.

Freddy waiting for Daddy
outside the shower.

Freddy the wiener dog is not happy with his Daddy. Each morning at 6:30 a.m., Mommy drives Steven to the high school. Mommy doesn't take Freddy or Luna for the ride because Freddy and Luna bark too much. The barking really upsets Steven, so Mommy only takes quiet, little Bu. 

Daddy has a four-day workweek. Usually on Friday mornings Daddy and Freddy drive Steven to the high school. But, Daddy slept in this morning. So, Mommy took care of the first car-line drive to school - which means that Freddy didn't get his extra Friday morning ride. 

Daddy woke up 45 minutes later, and Freddy is letting Daddy know how much Freddy is upset with Daddy for missing that ride. He's following Daddy around whining and crying, jumping and scratching. This is not good for Daddy. Now, he'll have to do something extra with Freddy to make up for car-line. And, he'd better. If Daddy doesn't kiss and make up with Freddy, then Freddy will start whining and crying, jumping and scratching at Mommy. Then, Daddy will be in trouble with both Mommy and Freddy......

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Freddy the wiener dog and the girls had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA. They had plenty of food to eat and lots of napping.Then, it took an army to get all the three doggies together for a Thanksgiving photo!

Freddy, Malibu and Luna wish all their readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Freddy likes 68º F (20º C) with a slight breeze.

Freddy the wiener dog really enjoyed our early evening walk. It was 68º F (20º C) with a slight breeze. Freddy was frisky! He either racewalked or jogged the whole way. In fact, he was so happy that it looked like he was skipping.

Malibu seemed happy enough, but she stayed close to Freddy the entire way. Steven walked Freddy, so I walked Bu. Unfortunately, Freddy wanted to walk so fast that I had to jog now and then to keep up. I wasn't in my running shoes, but at least I had tennis shoes on. It's really tough jogging in flip-flops.

Luna was naughty (what's new, huh?). She hid when it was time to put on their harnesses. So, she was left behind. Of course, she was very upset about this. Too bad. She either listens to her Mommy or she gets left out of the fun.

Freddy and the girls meet (the new) Daisy.

Daisy look-alike on the left.

Freddy the wiener dog and the girls were frolicking in the front yard. It was a gorgeous morning. Mommy was sitting on the front porch reading her Kindle. 

The only problem was Luna's trying to sneak across the street to catch the neighbor's cat. Luna walks along the sidewalk in front of the house and tries to make it to the neighbor's driveway. She thinks if she can make it that far, then Mommy hasn't noticed and she can dart across the street. No go. Mommy catches Luna every single time. When Mommy calls Luna back, Luna walks as s-l-o-w-l-y as possible back to Mommy. She likes to pretend that it was her idea to come back into the yard. Ha!

Besides Luna's trying to sneak off to the catch the kitty, it was a lovely morning with no incidents. Mommy could see down the sidewalks in both directions. Nobody was walking their doggies or jogging around the neighborhood. Mommy got a little too involved with her reading and didn't notice the young man approaching with his 5-month-old German Shepherd puppy until they were walking across the neighbor's driveway. About the time Mommy noticed the German Shepherd puppy, Freddy noticed the German Shepherd puppy. Freddy went tearing off, barking, snarling, snapping at the puppy....with Luna right behind to back him up. Malibu came barking and running too, but she kept her distance. The poor puppy was so confused at that barking, snarling, snapping midget dog. What's up with that?! Mommy reach the doggies just a second or two behind Freddy and Luna and ordered them into the house. They did...still barking and snarling all the way. 

Mommy went back outside to apologize to the young man for the behavior of Freddy and the girls. "You see, Dachshunds own all that they see...... They think they're grizzly bears and don't know their size...." Etc., etc. He was quite nice about it. Then, he introduced me to Daisy. As mentioned, she's 5 months old and all legs. She's quite tall for a puppy. Once she fills out, she's going to be a big girl. And, she was the most adorable, friendly puppy. Daisy just wanted to play!

Daisy ran around the yard, sniffing everything in sight. Apparently, Freddy's digging brings up lots of new smells. She was fascinate with the dirt. She was near a bush when a squirrel jumped from it onto a tree. Daisy tucked her butt under and ran back to her Daddy. "What was that?!" Maybe she thought it was one of little doggies sneaking up on her again. Mommy enjoyed her time playing and petting Daisy.

A favorite digging spot.

After Daisy left, Mommy let Freddy and the girls back outside to the front yard. The doggies needed time to smell everywhere that Daisy went. They were not interested in smelling Mommy's hands. They only wanted to track Daisy's scent around the yard. Once Freddy was satisfied that he had run Daisy off, he was content to continue frolicking and digging in Daddy's front garden.

Yay! Daddy's home!! Daddy's home!!

Freddy the wiener dog really missed his Daddy. A couple of times a year, Daddy takes 4- to 5-day business trip/meetings, usually in Galveston, Texas. Freddy knows what it means when Daddy takes out a suitcase.Freddy did pretty well this time. He was a little moppy, but he spent most of his time pestering Mommy. "What'cha doin', Mom? Huh? Huh? Huh?" Freddy gave Daddy a very quick hello, and then he wanted Daddy to chase him and throw woobies around the backyard.

Luna the wiener dog was depressed while Daddy was gone. She didn't want to play with any toys. She followed Mommy from room to room, just making sure she knew what Mommy was doing and that Mommy wasn't going anywhere too. Luna, however, had the biggest "welcome home" greeting for Daddy. She couldn't have twiggled that rear-end or tail any faster than she did. If you hear of any earthquake tremors in the Central Florida area, no worries. It's just Luna shaking the house and everything else loose in her welcome to Daddy.

Malibu the wiener dog was a little different. She handled herself the usual ways --- Run around the house like crazy, keep track of Mommy, dig for frogs...... Routine stuff. Malibu gave Daddy a quick, little greeting when she saw him, but she couldn't be slowed down. She was chasing frogs and digging dirt when he arrived home. Malibu did give him a better greeting later. When she completed her frog hunt, she came back inside, ran over to Daddy, and frantically scratched his knee. This is the universal symbol for "pick me up."

Now, all three are piled together with Daddy, sleeping. Freddy started off between Mommy and Daddy's pillows. Now, he's on Daddy's pillow with his front paws resting on Daddy's shoulder. Malibu is also on Daddy's pillow, but she has her paws on Freddy. Finally, Luna is stretched down the length of Daddy. Luna's a l-o-n-g girl. She wants Daddy's warmth, but she also must unkink her back with a good stretch.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Morning walks with Owl.

Freddy the wiener dog and his peeps have begun their multiple daily walks now that the weather has cooled significantly in Central Florida. Mommy likes lots and lots of walks. Thankfully, so does Freddy. Of course, Freddy could not possibly trot around the neighborhood without a woobie. This week, Owl has accompanied Freddy on his daily walks. Freddy struts through the neighborhood with his Owl. Adorable.

Malibu and Luna, the wiener girls, both enjoy their walks too. Malibu just wants to run the entire time. Luna keeps a steady pace. But, neither girl has that "John Travolta strut walk" like Freddy. "Well, you can tell by the walk I use my walk, I'm a woman's man with no time to talk......."

Back in the saddle again.

Freddy, the wiener dog, is back!! Back in car-line, that is. Mommy wasn't taking Freddy and the girls to car-line because of the out-of-control barking. Freddy and Luna were a chorus, and Bu just joined in right. So for a week, Mommy didn't take anybody to car-line. Then, Mommy started taking only Malibu. Bu doesn't bark unless the others are around to start trouble. Good Malibu. Then, Mommy took Luna once. [Luna wanted to see her boyfriend - Eric's friend Eamon. They love each other.]

But, Mommy still wasn't able to take Freddy. Every time she put him in the car, Freddy would start barking as soon as the garage door went up. So, Mommy would take Freddy back inside. This happened for several days. Finally, today, Freddy didn't bark when Mommy put him in the car. So, Mommy took Freddy to car-line.

Freddy was extra, extra good. He never barked once. Oh, Mommy would definitely tell that Freddy wanted to bark. In fact, Freddy looked crazed wanting to bark, but he didn't. He wanted to bark when all the students showed up on the sidewalk, but he didn't. He even wanted to bark when the boys came to the car, but he didn't. Mommy was so proud of Freddy!!

King of the Pillows

Freddy takes over Steven's pillow.

Freddy, the wiener dog, loves to sleep with his humans. Freddy is a pillow hog. In fact, Freddy thinks he is King of the Pillows. No matter who Freddy sleeps with, Freddy takes over the pillow.

Sometimes, Freddy burrows under the covers and grunts and mule kick's his humans until he gets the exact spot he want. But, usually Freddy just climbs on top of the pillows and his humans have to find another place to put their head.

Mommy's turn to be sick.

Freddy, the wiener dog, has enjoyed the last few days of complete bedrest. Mommy has been sick with a bad cold, so Freddy has been lounging next to Mommy. Tonight, Freddy is snoring...loudly.

For the most part, Malibu has enjoyed Mommy's stay in bed. But, she does get a little restless to go outside and play. Thankfully, she understands that Mommy is sick so Bu isn't fussing for Mommy to outside and play too.

Luna, however, is very lazy so she is happy to stay in bed for extended periods of time. She makes sure to never miss a meal or snack, though.

Update at The Toddler House

Luna protecting her toy.

Freddy, the wiener dog, and his girls have not enjoyed the last two weeks. Mommy has been helping in the band room at Eric's middle school. This leaves Freddy and the girls alone for most of the day. They are very unhappy with Mommy. But, Mommy stayed home all weekend and made them feel better.

Freddy is getting a massage. Oh, yeah, he's a Diva.

Luna is chewing on plastic, and Malibu wants to take the plastic away from Luna. {The remnants of the old chewed up plastic vitamin bottle.} Every now and then, there's a brief scuffle, but Luna refuses to let Malibu win. Oh, girlfriend!! Mommy gave Malibu a big water bottle to destroy. Malibu put on a big show in front of Luna, but it didn't work. Luna didn't want the big water bottle; she kept the chewed up plastic. {Oh, Luna just buried her chewed up plastic in a blanket and laid on top of it. She even refused doggie treats because she doesn't want to leave her nasty old plastic.}

All is normal at The Toddler House......