Mayhem ain't nothing.
"Mayhem" in a catch-all word to sort of describe some of the goings-on here at the ol' homestead. Silly, yes, at times, but often fitting. But "mayhem" is such a small word to use at times. Like from now on. Mayhem can't begin to describe daily life here. Not anymore. Hellish? Perhaps. An apocalypse? Pfft. The Four Horsemen are a mere carousel. Nine Circles of Hell? Dante probably saw an Olympian at an Audi dealership as inspiration. No, this is far, far worse. Black Sabbath, on their debut album, sang something close in their eponymous first track:
What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one...
What horror has befallen us? Is there any hope? Anyone?
Meet "Snickles."
Snickles is a six-week old, Dachshund with a bit of Pomeranian mixed in. He is two pounds of energetic, chewing, awkward and hilarious puppy. But don't let his diminutive size fool you. He is a jet-black collection of teeth and feet. Cerberus is a three headed baby by comparison. No, this little guy comes first to steal your heart then nibbles at your socks so you don't notice anything is missing. Yeah, he puts on a good show, but he is terror personified. It's true! He's NOT EVEN HOUSEBROKEN YET! D:
Look at that. Mischief abounds! The horror! The horror!!!
Well, perhaps I am exaggerating just a tad. The little guy is sweet. He will steal your heart. The next few weeks, however, are gonna be interesting, as anyone who has raised a pup from such a young age can attest. I hope Jeff and I, along with Kodi, plus the cats can live through it. ;)
A bit of background is in order. This latest micropooch comes from Jeff's younger sister in PA. He was part of a litter that was originally all spoken for, but someone backed out at the last minute, leaving this one. The people who had the pups had nowhere to go with him, so Sis took him in an effort to find a home for him. The insidious undercurrent to this is that rarely do many unwanted dogs ever find a home in those parts, and some don't even make it to the shelters at all. Jeff's sister and family already have enough pooches, and can't afford the necessary shots and other costs of owning even a little dog. We couldn't bear the thought of the little guy possibly being on the receiving end of a shotgun blast. So, with Kodi seeming to get along somewhat with the little guy, we brought him home on Sunday. He slept in my lap the entire two-and-a-half hour drive. He had started crate training, but our original small crate had been given away, Kodi's crate is his castle, so for the next couple of nights he is sleeping with me. Being freshly weaned, he still is in lots of need of contact, and I need to slowly acclimate him to tomorrow's newly purchased crate, lots of housebreaking training, and eventual obedience classes. Wish us luck!
Oh, and about that name. Way before my time, when my Mom had come to live in the States, she had a pet dachshund she named Snickles. Snickles was well out of the picture when I arrived on the scene, and the family pet at the time was a Cocker spaniel named Tina. Eventually the rules of our residence at the time had changed, and we could no longer have a dog. Tina fell ill and had to sadly be put down, leaving us with no dogs until 1992, after I had built this house and Mom retired. We ended up with a rescued Dalmatian named Patches, who ended up being the most wonderful dog for us. She lived a long 14 years, and to this day I get choked up when I see a Dalmatian. Even those Budweiser Clydesdale ads are something I eagerly await each Super Bowl in hopes of seeing their spotted carriage mascot in its ongoing involvement. When we found out that the unwanted pooch was much more dachshund than Pom, I thought the name a fitting tribute to Mom's pet she spoke so highly of for all those years. Plus, well, who else names their dog Snickles? It's unique.
People seem to crossbreed dogs these days just to come up with cute names for the result. Labrador and poodle? Labradoodle. I tried to think what Snickles could be, given his lineage. So, in a nod to today's internet-connected world, I give you Snickles DachPom. The Mutt for the New Millennium. X-D
He's still a terror though. Young Kodi still had his mark on various furniture and carpets here. I will be puppy proofing the house more and more.
What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one...
What horror has befallen us? Is there any hope? Anyone?
Meet "Snickles."
Snickles is a six-week old, Dachshund with a bit of Pomeranian mixed in. He is two pounds of energetic, chewing, awkward and hilarious puppy. But don't let his diminutive size fool you. He is a jet-black collection of teeth and feet. Cerberus is a three headed baby by comparison. No, this little guy comes first to steal your heart then nibbles at your socks so you don't notice anything is missing. Yeah, he puts on a good show, but he is terror personified. It's true! He's NOT EVEN HOUSEBROKEN YET! D:
Look at that. Mischief abounds! The horror! The horror!!!
Well, perhaps I am exaggerating just a tad. The little guy is sweet. He will steal your heart. The next few weeks, however, are gonna be interesting, as anyone who has raised a pup from such a young age can attest. I hope Jeff and I, along with Kodi, plus the cats can live through it. ;)
A bit of background is in order. This latest micropooch comes from Jeff's younger sister in PA. He was part of a litter that was originally all spoken for, but someone backed out at the last minute, leaving this one. The people who had the pups had nowhere to go with him, so Sis took him in an effort to find a home for him. The insidious undercurrent to this is that rarely do many unwanted dogs ever find a home in those parts, and some don't even make it to the shelters at all. Jeff's sister and family already have enough pooches, and can't afford the necessary shots and other costs of owning even a little dog. We couldn't bear the thought of the little guy possibly being on the receiving end of a shotgun blast. So, with Kodi seeming to get along somewhat with the little guy, we brought him home on Sunday. He slept in my lap the entire two-and-a-half hour drive. He had started crate training, but our original small crate had been given away, Kodi's crate is his castle, so for the next couple of nights he is sleeping with me. Being freshly weaned, he still is in lots of need of contact, and I need to slowly acclimate him to tomorrow's newly purchased crate, lots of housebreaking training, and eventual obedience classes. Wish us luck!
Oh, and about that name. Way before my time, when my Mom had come to live in the States, she had a pet dachshund she named Snickles. Snickles was well out of the picture when I arrived on the scene, and the family pet at the time was a Cocker spaniel named Tina. Eventually the rules of our residence at the time had changed, and we could no longer have a dog. Tina fell ill and had to sadly be put down, leaving us with no dogs until 1992, after I had built this house and Mom retired. We ended up with a rescued Dalmatian named Patches, who ended up being the most wonderful dog for us. She lived a long 14 years, and to this day I get choked up when I see a Dalmatian. Even those Budweiser Clydesdale ads are something I eagerly await each Super Bowl in hopes of seeing their spotted carriage mascot in its ongoing involvement. When we found out that the unwanted pooch was much more dachshund than Pom, I thought the name a fitting tribute to Mom's pet she spoke so highly of for all those years. Plus, well, who else names their dog Snickles? It's unique.
People seem to crossbreed dogs these days just to come up with cute names for the result. Labrador and poodle? Labradoodle. I tried to think what Snickles could be, given his lineage. So, in a nod to today's internet-connected world, I give you Snickles DachPom. The Mutt for the New Millennium. X-D
He's still a terror though. Young Kodi still had his mark on various furniture and carpets here. I will be puppy proofing the house more and more.