DAISY
the Dachshund In Her Own Words |
Welcome Youth "Marriage" Accident Happy Times Birthday Future T & C |
Hallo and welcome to my web page describing my life. I was born on 13th August 2013, and came to my present home via the Kennel Club of the U.K.. I was born to a large family of six whelps and had the good fortune to be chosen by my present very caring owners.
I come from an illustrious family of Dachshunds. I am proud to say that both my grandmother and my mother achieved renown by appearing in the annual reference bible of the canine show world, "Our Dogs Annuals" no less, where the competition with other dog breeds for publicity is immense.
What has made Dachshunds so famous in history? Well, as the German name implies, my ancestors were bred for hunting badgers, my "sausage" build being ideal for entering badger setts. Badger fur is very soft, and so was prized for a number of applications, including, would you believe, shaving brushes to apply the shaving cream. This was before the electric and battery-powered offerings of Phillips, Braun, Remington and Panasonic, and probably quite a few more, began to the enter the market for today's busy and fast-moving world. Traditional shaving just took too long!
These pictures will give you a reasonably good idea of what I looked like in my first few months on this earth. A bundle of "puppy fur"! However, I was destined to keep my elegant dark brown coat! And, I still like to tilt my head!
Three years on, and I became the mother of a large family, also of about six whelps. Dachshunds and those of the canine kind, are known for their large families. One of my daughters, Effie, still lives with me and enjoys life. Like me, she is also not a chobby.
Our doggie community suddenly seemed to expand!
To resolve any possible confusion, here is a table of "Who's Who" in my world. The table relates to 1st August 2024, a few days before my actual 11th birthday, and quite a way beyond the time of Effie's birth, but more or less the time when my web page came into being.
name | age | breed | notes |
Dolly | 12½ | Dachshund | chobby |
Daisy | 11 | Dachshund | THAT'S ME! |
Effie | 8 | Dachshund | My daughter! |
Chester | 8 | Labrador | also "Chechache" |
Here you see three of us enjoying a nice snug get-together. A good omen for the harmony in our canine community!
Marriage was also the occasion when I became aware of my ancestory. Here you see four generations of my family, seen when I was about 4½, and Effie about 1½ and starting to learn about her world. My mother sadly died when she was 16, but that's a very good age for a Dachshund; I hope to enjoy longevity - at least Dachshund style! Of course, as you can see, my Grandmother was truely a grand lady, even if a tad hirsute!
Having the body length and shape that made my ancestors suitable for hunting Badgers, meant that, in comparison with other breeds, my backbone and legs were particularly prone to injury.
It so happened that when I was six, I came to grief after jumping down steps - jumping seemed to be a natural activity for dogs, but unfortunately not for me. There then followed a lengthy and costly operation to restore the three slipped disks of my backbone. Also, my feet and naturally short legs required medical attention. Thankfully, my owners were able to fund the tricky operation and medical procedures.
As a result, I have been living to enjoy more years of my life.
My medical care yielded good results, with happy years to follow! Here you see some of the activities of me and my companions. Often, as you see, our mission is mischief!
Indeed, we are a happy canine community with a large lawn on which to relax and stretch our paws. Early mornings and late at night, Chechache is also taken for extended walks in the unknown (to us little-uns) wider world outside.
Of course, there are still the occasional check up visits to the vet, but that is all for the good. Indeed, at the time of writing (September 2024) I'm due for a visit to the vet, to have my teeth seen to! However, some things can be seen to at home. For example, to keep our paws and claws in peak condition, we three little-uns also have pedicure every few weeks. Humans speak in terms of manicure and pedicure, but our front paws are also our front feet! Sometimes, dual purpose!
Life indoors can be full of fun. There are plenty of opportunities to rest and play. In winter, we can warm our paws indoors after a busy day outside.
However, our garden is an important part of our world, especially in warmer and drier weather. A nice lawn on which to roll and gambol ... and get up to mischief.
Of course, I should not forget everyone else, and here you have a picture in which I do not appear! Yes, such pictures exist! The next picture shows Dolly and Effie. Despite their age difference of 4½ human years (or almost 20 Dachshund years), they appear to have formed a special kinship and are often seen together.
-Of interest, is that Dolly only has seven teeth left! However, with naturally hardened gums, she is still able to enjoy her daily food with her remaining teeth. Age eventually catches up with most of us canines, but Dolly, of course, is aging gracefully! Talking about teeth, we four are a sociable group. Even when younger, we certainly eschewed the mythical reputations of the Hound of the Baskervilles or even Beano's Gnasher with his awe-inspiring array of teeth! However, one of my heros from the broadcasting world is Dennis the Dachshund in Toytown, in which he has a wonderfully amiable - albeit mischievous - presence!
As you can see from the above pictures, my medical care yielded good results, with five relatively happy years to follow! And hopefully many more! If you would like to see my life with greater numerical precision, here is your opportunity. Just look at the "timescales" below!
This August I celebrated my eleventh birthday. As you saw when you first met me online at the top of my page, I was actually born on 13th August 2013, but it was thought to be a nice idea to bring my birthday celebrations forward to the first of the month. Eleven is indeed a respectable age for a canine! In human years, this would be SIXTY, so "The Dachshund Age Calculator" tells us!
What does one give a dog that has reached the mature age of eleven? Dog bikkies deluxe of course! Oh, and a lovely meaty bone!
Our canine future looks bright and secure - and long may it be so! To finish off my epistle, here is a little bit of self-praise on my 11th Birthday. Why not?