Doxapalooza 2011

Today we attended our favorite fundraiser, which is hosted by DARE, Dachshund Adoption and Rescue Education. We found DARE in 2007, when we were looking to adopt a friend for Kaiser. Little did we know that not only did we adopt a dog, but we joined a family. The same folks organize and run this event every year, including Riley's foster mom, Sharon. It's fun to see familiar faces every year and it's comforting to know that they are doing great things for Dachshunds in need of love, care and a good home. 

We adopted Riley through DARE over 4-years ago and our family wouldn't be complete without him. He's an 8-year-old, red, Mini-Dachshund who has a very interesting personality. He acts like such an old man and is very particular about the company he keeps. He prefers me over everyone else and follows me around the house. When we brought Bella home from the hospital, he acted as if I had abandoned him and didn't leave my side for days. He prefers women over men and is very weary of men. He enjoys eating as soon as his paws hit the floor in the morning and at 5pm every evening. And a condition of adopting him was that he needed to sleep in bed with us... or whomever is watching him. He's a quirky little dog, but we love him.

Kaiser on the other hand... is kind of a pain in the butt. We ended up leaving him at home because he barks and pulls on his leash when he's around other dogs. We felt bad about leaving him behind, but we had a really good time with our one, well-behaved dog. I even helped judge the kissing contest, which is always hilarious to watch. I think it was the first year we didn't buy or bid or anything, and walked out of there having spent a mere $4 on a bottle of delicious "Dachshund Root Beer." 

This was the first year we brought Bella with us and she had a blast! She pointed at all the dogs and referred to them as Kaiser or Riley, no matter the size, color or gender. We also took a quick trip to the playground at the park, which she loved! She went down the slide several times (head first) and even took a few trips down the slide with Ian and me. It was a beautiful day and I think we all really enjoyed being outside. We headed home just before noon so that we could eat a quick lunch and put Bella down for her nap. She must have been exhausted because she slept for over 3 hours! 

Well, Bella is down for the night and Ian and I are about to watch a movie. It's been a fun and laid back Saturday... and I just love days like today! Time to relax and veg out on the couch.

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2