Those Special Dachshunds: Meet Jasper and Ruby!

Jasper enjoys his throne

Ruby enjoys her yard

Thanks so much to Annie McElhaney for writing in from Tallahassee, Florida, where it's got to be warmer than it is at the world headquarters of The Long and Short of it All here in Chicago.  We're jealous.  She sends beautiful photos of her beloved duo 'Jasper' and 'Ruby!'  Thanks so much.  She writes:

Happy Holidays to Joey and Maggie!

First of all let me start with saying how much I love your blog! It's brilliant! Glad someone is giving due credit to the "short and long" of the world. I'd like to introduce you to Jasper and Ruby, my two miniature Dachshund puppies. Jasper is a smooth hair blonde dapple with a spooky blue eye. Ruby is a smooth red (no spooky eyes).

Dachshunds are the only breed of dogs my family has ever owned. We love them: their sassiness, energy and cuddly nature. I can't imagine having any other dog.

I got Jasper from a local breeder shortly after losing my red smooth Dachshund, Gus, in a tragic accident. We joke that Jasper is my "rebound" pup, adopting him less than two weeks after Gus's death. Jasper, who is supposedly a miniature, last weighed in at around 20 lbs. Not sure that falls into the category of Miniature-- I say he's just "big-boned". Jasper loves to play frisbee, soccer, and run circles around our home. I am currently training him to speak-- our progress is slow.  :)

Ruby was adopted 4 months after I got Jasper. She is actually the younger sister of Gus, and their resemblance is striking. Ruby's breeders warned me the day I brought her home, that at only 8 weeks she was beginning to show her "sassy" side. They were so right. The runt of her litter, she weighs about 10 pounds but her small size doesn't slow her down--She can out run Jasper any day. Ruby loves to sun in the yard, and play dress up in her many, many sweaters, scarves, collars, and hoodies.

Close-up of Jasper's spooky eye

Ruby with her BFF, Ainsley, the family's niece

Jasper after an afternoon run

Love Is Blind

'Dexter,' a 7-year-old Dachshund owned by John and Mindy McFarland of Newtown, Connecticut, was born without eyes due to a genetic disorder — but his sense of smell is keen. Here, Dexter shows great concern for 'Smudge,' the month-old kitten that has come into foster care at the McFarland home, as the kitten receives a bottle of formula.  The McFarland household is full of special needs animals who need lots of love and care.  "Dexter will sit in front of the crate and jump up and down, hoping we will take the kittens out," said Ms McFarland. "He loves to lick them, and has this motherly streak in him," she said.  Read all about this special household and see more photos at The Newtown Bee.

FarmVille Dachshunds

Apparently over 60 million people play FarmVille on Facebook - guess that's about everyone except us - and maybe you.  But if you do, you may be excited to know that Dachshunds will soon be available for your farm in cream, black and tan, and red.  Excerpt from Games.com:  In the near future, FarmVille will be adding an adorable trio of Dachshund puppies to FarmVille's selection of dogs. Dachshunds, wiener dogs, hot dog dogs, sausage dogs, it's all the same lovable companion despite what name you call them by, and soon you can have your very own in FarmVille.

City of Bozeman, Montana Cites Pet Supply Store for Dachshund Photo

Photo source

If you're like us, you get excited when you see Dachshunds anywhere - from a logo on a shirt to a mural in an underpass to a photo on a pet supply store.  And what's so wrong with that?  Apparently this photo is just too big for the city of Bozeman, Montana, population 28,000, where the city has cited Dee-O-Gee (spells dog) Pet Store last week for two roughly 6-by-7-foot photos — one of a border collie and one of a pair of Dachshunds.  Excerpt from the Great Falls Tribune:

Josh and Holly Allen, who own Dee-O-Gee, question whether the photos are subject to the city’s sign code because they’re more like a mural than a sign.

Commercial buildings in Bozeman are allowed a total amount of signage, depending on the building’s size and location and Dee-O-Gee is allowed 22.5 square feet of signage. Each photo is about 42 square feet.

Violating the city’s sign law could lead to a $500 fine or six months in jail. The Allens were told to remove the photos by Thursday.

Keep up with Dee-O-Gee's struggle on their facebook page.

Family Reunited with Dachshunds Left in Haiti

Welcome home 'Deiter' and 'Bella!'  Oh, the stories these 2 could tell.  Deiter and Bella were Hurricane Katrina rescues living in Haiti for 3 years with their humans, artist Paul Fowler and AIDS relief administrator Christine Duchatellier Fowler, when the earthquake struck.   The family and dogs made a 3-day trek through the rubble to the US Embassy, and while the humans were flown out of Haiti, the dogs were not allowed on the plane.  They had to be left behind for the second time in their lives.  Excerpt from USA TODAY:

"It was so painful" to leave the dogs behind, Paul Fowler says. "When we adopted, we promised them and we promised Best Friends (the organization that arranged the adoption) that these dogs would never be left behind again."
The Humane Society of the United States was contacted and vowed to do what it could. Members of the animal rescue team from Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association finally were permitted into Haiti over the weekend.

The big reunion with the family was yesterday in Miami, Florida.  The family will be heading back home to New Orleans next week.  Watch the reunion video at wpbf.