I have this problem when I eat...

Three of the four dogs are mini Dachshunds. I wouldn't part with them for the world! This is my first experience with mini's and they are a riot! I hadn't seen much of the Dachshund world, but they never cease to amuse me. We have Dachshund races as a fund raiser for one of the humane societies, and I want to go!! It is so funny to see them RUN!! Monica is such a love and wants to be right with me constantly. When I wake up in the morning she is right at my head and snuggled up against me as tightly as she can snuggle. She and Little Bit were a gift from a breeder in January after I was forced to put my Rottweiler down by my daughter. This is the one year anniversary of the event and there will be a discussion post in a few minutes honoring Hannibal. Little Bit is a very reserved gentleman. He would be the CPA of the dog world! Every once in a while he lets loose and is a real clown, and those are the times you treasure. He too sleeps as close to me as possible. Katie is a shy little lady. She is new to the house hold and isn't quite sure of her position yet. But she doesn't hesitate to let my best friends Pitt/Lab mix know when she isn't happy or if the dog is getting too close. Also, the Pitt/Lab mix (Abby) happened to accidentally step on Katie, and Katie bit her in the ankle . The look on Abby's face was priceless!!! Abby is a sweet heart with the little guys so I wasn't worried about her biting Katie back. Katie is due to come heat in April and I am hoping that Little Bit and her can create a litter of puppies! Abby is staying with me until my sister gets into her own place with a yard. Sis is in the middle of breaking up with her husband and when everything comes together she is going to move into a little house with a fenced yard so she can have Abby back. It's been kind of tough on Abby, especially learning new house rules but she is doing so well! She is the funniest of the four when I eat. She will drool uncontrollably and there is a huge puddle around her feet... The whole herd isn't as big a handful as one would think. Right now the Dachshunds are sleeping in a "pile" beside me. Abby is outside and the cats are busily doing their thing in another part of the house. I wouldn't and couldn't give up any of them for all the money in the world. For animal haters, I send my sympathies. They don't know the joy of the antics of a companion animal wanting to make their owner laugh. They don't know the warmth of a furry body on their lap or next to them. They don't get to feel the unconditional love that comes from a companion animal that doesn't care whether you're rich or poor, if you have a home or not, if you're beautiful or ugly. They just love you for being you and loving them. They also don't know the pride when their companion animals protect them from an intruder or in one of my cat's cases; a snake. I look at those people with pity for they know no joy from the simple pleasure that a dog or cat or other pet can give.

Yes,mini dachshunds are very pretty. I'm a pug lover myself. Had a black pug that ideally matched my personality,that dog was a character! Unfortunately, I had to put her down in summer and since then I'm afraid I don't give enough attention to my other dogs. Can't say I tear up every time I see an animal but they do make your life brighter. I think lonely people that put themselves to sleep with TV should consider a life companion like that. They are very faithful.

LOL! That's too funny! Nemo is the same way with margarine. We buy the tubs of the spread, and if a lid is even remotely loose, there goes the spread. I don't think his cholesterol levels would be very pretty either. LOL

Thanksgiving was a hoot! I couldn't believe that a little five pound cat, Murphy, would try to steal a 15 pound turkey!!! I had just washed it and set it in the sink to drain. I had my back turned for a couple of minutes and looked back to see Murphy had her teeth firmly attached to the leg and was dangling over the end of the sink!!! I am always in awe of what the herd will decide they will eat. When I first brought the doxies home, Little Bit wouldn't touch ice cream. Bill my BF couldn't stand it and had to get Little Bit to like ice cream. Now when I dish up the stuff I have to dish up two extra tiny scoops for the dogs. (I have four). But the cats are the funniest! They will steal something that looks soooo good, race away with it in their mouths and then realize that it looked better than it tastes! They will spit it out with a puttoot and make a sour face like I forced them to steal it. I really wish I had my camera handy to get a picture of Murphy with the turkey leg. She grabbed the bony end and there she swung, hanging on for dear life. If it had come out of the sink the open end would have come over her and she would have been turkey stuffing!!! When I was in the ER, I admitted to the animals I have in my "zoo". My BF and I were discussing one of the cats when the nurse walked in. She asked how many cats I had, and she was informed that I have four inside cats, five semi feral cats that I support and then three mini dachshunds and a Pit/Lab mix. It is rather funny to see this Goliath among all these short furry people. What's even more amazing about the Pit mix is when she came to stay with me she hated cats! My sister's husband doesn't like cats so he trained this dog to hate them. Well after a bit of patience on my part the dog now not only will wash the cats faces, but she also sleeps with them. My sister's husband (soon to be ex) is in awe that I was able to train her that cats are not to be chased or harmed, and that I was actually able to get her to like cats. I'm serving as a foster family for the Pit as my sister isn't able to walk the dog, and her soon to be ex isn't can't be relied on to get home and walk the dog. So, I have had her since the end of May, except for a couple of weeks where she got to go home. My BF looked at me while they were running tests and stated to them that one of the things that keeps me going is all the critters. They keep me amused, they love me, protect me and drive me nuts. But it's a happy nuts! Have a wonderful New Year, and I look forward to seeing more of your posts. Toni

Murphy loves mayonnaise! She will steal a sandwich just so she can eat the mayo off of it. I don't dare leave an open jar of the stuff because her paw will be in it up to her shoulder just to get that wonderful white stuff. Mayonnaise is second in her favorite list to whipped cream! I'd hate to have her cholesterol checked!!!

It sounds like my oldest cat Murphy. She was a birthday present from my Mom 14 years ago. That cat doesn't care too much for human food but she has this addiction to cream! Whipped or unwhipped. I swear she could hear a Redi Whip can from three states away!!!! The first time I did a piece of pie with Redi Whip on it I thought my boy friend was going to fall off the couch laughing. Murphy was sound asleep on his lap and when I shook the can she was wide awake and beside me in one leap! Of course to have a little peace I have to give her her own "shot" of whipped cream. And when she finishes it she makes a big production of "bathing" afterwards. I should get her on a Redi Whip commercial, thinking about it. In the winter we would have oatmeal with a touch of cream on it, and it got to the point that she was sitting in my chair waiting for her share of the warm cream...and she would get soooo upset if we took longer than she thought we should. Now, she has her own bit of cream in a bowl, and I have to warm it for exactally nine seconds. If it's warmed for 10 seconds she knows it and won't drink it. Talk about fussy! She isn't spoiled and she isn't queen of the house...

I'll have to remember that. It might come in handy someday.

Your mentioning the dishwasher factor brings back to mind an anecdote our neighbor told us years ago. They had uninvited company drop in on them, and being the sweet people they are they put the family up. There were four of them, and they ate like horses (June, the wife neighbor was a wonderful cook!). While George and June were gone at work the family went through everything. Anyhow after three days George got fed up with the situation. So, when dinner was finished he took the dinner dishes and set them on the floor and called the family dog. The dog happily licked all the dishes clean as a whistle! Well George picked up the dishes, stacked them and then placed them back in the cupboard, with the remark "Now that the dishes are done, who is up for a game of cards?" Needless to say the uninvited family saw what he did and they were packed and gone that evening. Of course George got the dishes out of the cupboard and they were washed, but it was a riotous way to get rid of unwanted company! I almost wet myself when he told us that story

The veggies are great for the dog! You can be thrilled that she loves her veggies (too bad kids can't be that way!!! There is only one problem with the broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and that is what comes from the tail end of the dog...it's almost as bad as having them had eggs . What I do is mix the little tid bits in the dogs food so that they eat their dog food too. When they know there is people food in their dry, they gobble it down like crazy. You might give it a try. Also I have used the dry gravy mix to get my dogs to eat dry. It works because as you go along you reduce the amount of gravy until there isn't any being added.

In one way it's great that animals can't talk, but in another it would make things a bit easier! With a 70 pound Pit/Lab mix there is a lot of drool to clean up when the dog really wants something! Children at least won't stand there and drool huge puddles on your wood floor! Also they don't beg for things that they won't eat! Nothing like having the dog slobber all over something and then decide that they don't like it! Have a wonderful holiday season!