We've been springing!

(No, "springing" is not verbing a noun, "spring" is nouning a verb.)

It it actually quite cold right now, but last weekend it felt like spring. We really enjoyed playing in our new yard. We potted flowers. (We planted seeds, too, but they aren't much to look at yet.)

And we dug up turf and built a little flower bed around our faux gas lamp. (It is a real lamp, but it runs on electricity, not gas.) This was amazingly difficult and time-consuming, especially when we had to go get more topsoil half way through. And a new spade. When we were finally done, it looked awfully small and not very exciting. I am sure it will look better when the flowers come up. There will be black-eyed susans and zinnias. I hope.

Dharma helped us garden. Do pansies taste good?

All that gardening was tiring work.

But Dharma soon recharged (even if Derek and Emilie didn't.) Enough to bounce around like a rubber ball when she was supposed to be sleeping! I think dachshunds might be solar-powered. I know that cats definitely are. Unfortunately, dachshunds are not very modest when they sunbathe.

Not even when they have cute little t-shirts they COULD wear. (This one is from Emilie's mom and says "Bundle of Joy." Maybe she's too embarrassed to wear it?)

One last picture, of Mr. No-Dogs-in-the-Bed. Hmmm, that does appear to be a dog. And there does appear to be a bed. My eyes must deceive me! Maybe someone digitally altered it?

"It's Alive!!!"

Well, while some people look for "signs" of spring and summer by counting the number of mosquito head net advertisements they find (regular readers of our friends' blogs will get that allusion), we are just excited about the signs of life in our own front yard.

After repeated escape attempts (some speculated it was a small Ent), right before Christmas we finally got our tree in the front yard nice and staked. However, it had blown over about 3 times in 2 months, and there was no sign that any of the roots had broken through the root bag, so we were just sure it was dead. But lo and behold, IT'S ALIVE!!!


And some of our bushes are alive as well...


But the clover in our yard is also alive. I complained about it to Emilie, but she told me to calm down, that at least the lawn was still green!


As a matter of fact, our front yard looks pretty darn nice, if I do say so myself...

Dharma notes

Dharma has been adapting to our household very well. She has had a few "accidents" in the house. One time was after we took her to the vet, so I am not totally sure that was really an accident. I think she was mad at us. Darn shots.

If you look at the top of the page, there is a link to info about puppy mills and how to combat them. I think the doggie on the link looks a little like Dharma. Puppy mills turn out as many dogs as they can, as fast as possible, to make as much money as possible, without any regard for the health or comfort of the dogs. Even sadder, some mainstream pet stores sell puppies that they claim are from responsible breeders, but they are really from puppy mills. You might be supporting dog abuse just by buying treats and food at one of these stores. So, click the link to learn more. Don't watch the videos without a hanky, though.

Answers to frequently asked questions about Dharma:

• She won't get much bigger. She is nine pounds and four ounces.
• No, she won't grow into those ears. Doxies have big ears, and she has especially big ones.
• Yes, we will get her "fixed" just as soon as the vet says it is okay. It is safer to wait until she is not in "season." No, it doesn't hurt as much as it does for humans. They use a laser, with a tiny incision. Most dogs don't even need any pain meds.
• We didn't name her. She came with the name. She does know her name, so we don't want to confuse her by changing it. We did register her with the American Kennel Club. To make sure she had a unique name, we gave her the name Theobroma Dharma. Theobroma is the genus name for the cocoa plant (the one that gives us chocolate, not the one that makes cocaine.) It means "drink of the gods."
• No, doggies cannot eat chocolate, it is bad for their livers. They can eat carob, but we all know that is a pale substitute.
• She is up to having company, if you want to come see her just give us a call. She is shy around strangers, but she can be bribed with treats. I might mention that I have been way more interested in playing with the doggie than in cleaning the house, just so you know what to expect.
• She is not up to having dog visitors yet. We will wait until she is no longer in "season."
• She doesn't need anything, but she loves having piles of stuffed toys. Actually, I think we have more toys than we have dog, by weight! My mom sent her a box that was much bigger than Dharma, with a pink Hello Kitty pillow and quilt. And little dog Alpha Bits. And tee shirts. And toys. Just in case Derek and I weren't spoiling her enough on our own!

A Week of Firsts for Dharma

Saturday:

• first lengthy car ride (to her new home)
  
• first time with a collar
• first time on a leash

Sunday:

• first toy kill: a nice little stuffed bone (less than 24 hours after we brought her home)
• first ID tag on collar

Monday:

• first vet visit with her new family
• first rabies vaccine
• first (and last!) microchipping -- wow, that really stung!
• first accidents in the house (I'm pretty sure those accidents were all related to the vet visit!)
• first real whining and refusing to go to bed
• first time puppy cuddles were really needed (when we received some sad news from a friend)

Tuesday:

• first day home alone -- ever (she always had lots of friends and family at her kennel)
• first time really missing her family (she pulled out her little toy slipper and blanket from her first people mother) and cuddled those a lot
• first time napping in the bed with Emilie (apparently somebody is a sucker and will let Dharma get away with just about anything!)
  

Wednesday:

• first box of presents arrived (thanks, Holly!)

Friday:

• first walk around the entire block
• first heartworm medicine succesfully swallowed

Saturday:

• first time waking us up way too early (5:00 am -- which is the time Derek normally gets up during the week, so I guess we can't blame Dharma for not knowing it was Saturday and she was supposed to sleep in)
• first introduction to -- and subsequent "hiding" of -- piggy (one of the squeak toys that arrived on Wednesday -- she loved it!)
• first visit by people guests -- she was a little timid, but also willingly accepted a treat from them
  

Oh, about the only thing that wasn't a "first" this week was trips to the pet store -- I think we are up to about 10 different visits over the past two week!

Dharma seems to be adjusting really well. She is now finally eating her full two meals a day. She is sleeping through the night without much trouble. She willingly goes on walks with us (and actually will stay on the sidewalk, rather than wandering off on everybody else's lawn). With the exception of a few "accidents," she has been going to the bathroom outside. And Dharma just loves sitting on your lap while you are typing on the computer. Here are a couple of shots from this past week:

Dharma asleep on the couch

Dharma on her new bed from Holly's (and Emilie's) mommy

Dharma trying her best to get piggy's ear off (the ear lasted about 12 hours before we had to trim it off!)