Little black wiener's birthday

It's hard to believe our little puppy dog, Odie has been on this earth eight years today. It's also our niece Jordan's birthday - so that helps me remember that January 26th is an important day!

Amy used this pic to paint me a water color of Moki - it's framed in our bedroom. Love it!

We waited until the "Best Dog Ever" Moki had been gone six months or so before we began to talk about getting another dog. Amy and Jud grew up with Moki as their bro - Jud was just 1 when we got the cute lil Westie pup. When Moki was 6, he was diagnosed with diabetes, so from that time on we gave him shots twice a day to control the disease - and we had to watch his diet closely. He lived to be 13 and was the poster doggy for our local vet clinic for diabetes all those years. The kids even learned how to give the insulin shots. Moki left a big hole in our lives when he died. His urn still rests in a very important spot in our home.

So any new dog we decided to get had big paws to fill! By this time Amy was in college and Jud was already a high school frosh - so I knew as usual, most of the dog duties would fall to me. A big dog was out. Paul and Jud said they didn't want another Westie. I looked at Boston Terriers, Pugs, Fox Terriers. All nixed by the boys. Finally Dad's girlfriend Kay, who had a kennel and trained dogs back in the day, suggested a miniature dachshund the same breed Betsy had gotten the year before after years of cat ownership. (the cats finally croaked). Hmmm all agreed, that breed would work!

Now, where to get the little guy, or in this case female. I decided I would like another girl in the house. I didn't luck out like I did when I looked for Westies (an ad popped up in the local paper). I found a breeder in Centerville online, and made arrangements to pick one up the day Jud had a soccer game in Albia, just north of there.

Pondville Pups - most likely a puppy mill, looking back. But what a strange trip! We found the place outside town, and went into the house. The pup was the last of a litter - she was in a crib in the farmhouse that had many pictures of Jesus prominently displayed. The religious channel played loudly on television in the background as we signed the papers. The Mammas name was Abbie something, and the daddy was a dog from down the lane. When I think back about the strange breeder lady, I think about Tammy Fay without all the makeup. Before we left, she clutched Odie to her breast and said (with southern accent, because it IS southern Iowa), "Well, Little Abbie, have a good life and I'll see you again one day!" Paul and I just looked at each other quizzically. Then drove off quickly.

We went to Jud's soccer game where Odie got all the attention. She was so cute - at 12 weeks doxie's noses are not yet long. She was so confused about where she was. Jud rode home from the game with us and Odie slept. That night she cried (we tried the kennel thing). She ended up sleeping with him.

This breed is very stubborn. She was a little tough to house train, but once trained she has had very few accidents. And she's yard trained - she will not run away from our house. Odie is much less naughty than Moki was. He was the Houdini about getting out of Kennels and getting food. Odie is just resigned to her place in life - "I'm here and the food is there". She doesn't open any cupboards or climb on chairs to get to things. In Moki's defense - he did put himself in timeout once he got caught - he'd go into his kennel for a couple hours.

I was the "alpha" dog trainer for both our dogs, but when I began commuting in 2008, Paul got to be in charge half the week - so Odie had part of the week when she had to look to him as her boss. It was confusing! On Sundays when she saw me packing, she would get depressed. Paul said she would be that way on Mondays, the first day I was gone too. Then should would adjust.

We were lucky that we had great in-home dog sitters in Creston - Lila and Bill Kleckner. I met Lila when she worked at the courthouse in the Auditor's office and I worked at the landfill and stopped in there often. Lila took over dog duties for Joanie, who used to come to the house and sit Moki when we traveled. Then Joanie got married, and didn't have time. When we got Odie, she didn't have special diabetes needs, so Lila just took her home. We liked that better than a kennel!

Odie is very aptly named - her eyes, like the Garfield cartoon dog, are very expressive. And she can spring with all 4 feet about 2 feet. Odie is wonderful to come home to - she is always so happy to see me. Her new routine is that she wants a Dingo as a reward for being good each day (Pavlov's dog had nothing on Odie). She will sit by the cupboard if I forget, and stare at it lovingly and intently. She is not supposed to beg while we're eating at the table, but once we're done eating, she does get scraps off our plates. Oh how she loves that!

Odie gives me "the look"

Odie loves Jud and Amy (who she thinks is named Sissy). When I tell her "Jud is coming home", she starts looking out the window. She also loves a lot of my girlfriends from Creston - Deb (who isn't a dog person but somehow Odie bonded to her), Bobbie, Diana, Lucy, Joan Weis and some others I'm forgetting. When she sees those people she does a little scream of joy and flops at their feet (no peeing thank goodness) and lays on her back at their feet. Then she'll scramble as they make their way into the room - to get the best spot for their attention. Sometimes she has to bring them her dollies (stuffed toys).

Like any good dog bred for rodent killing, she shakes dollies to break their necks. She's a whiz at chewing them open in record time to get the squeaker out. One time I had book club at my house in Creston and one by one, Odie got her toys out - showing off like a 3 year old. She also burrows under the covers at night, but by morning she's usually laying between us like a kid.

So happy birthday little doggy - you bring us great joy and we love you!