Rest in Peace Riley

I am very sad to report that we lost a member of our family today. One of our Dachshunds, Riley, passed away this morning. We're not certain as to why he passed away, all we know is that he passed away in his sleep. He could not have gone in a more peaceful manner and we find a little bit of comfort in knowing that he was not ill, suffering or in pain. He simply laid on the couch to take a nap and never woke up. 


I'd like to take some time to reminisce about a few of the fond memories we have of Riley...


Run Riley Run - We only had Riley for a few weeks and during a trip to the dog beach, he took off running when he looked around and didn't immediately see us. He ran toward our car and with the help of my sister, Ian was able to quickly find Riley. 


Riley Slept Around - When we adopted Riley, we adopted him with the understanding that he had to sleep in bed with us. Back in our days of constant travel, we sometimes left the dogs with friends or family. Over the years, Riley slept in bed with our friends the Newports, the Pelusos, the Tancks, as well as Grandma Ruth, Pop and Uncle Donald. He really got around...


Senior Wiener - At the 2009 Doxapalooza, Riley took first place in the senior wiener races. He was running to his beloved mommy, and I think in his mind, couldn't get to me fast enough. 


Bringing Home Baby Bella - Riley was totally unimpressed with having a newborn baby in the house and was simply happy to have us home from the hospital. He even laid in my lap when I nursed Bella... such a strange but loyal dog!


We are devastated to have lost an important member of our family. We love him very much and miss him dearly. Hopefully the tears subside and we can remember all the good times we had with Riley. Rest well, sweet Riley. 


I'd also like to share a poem that was sent to us by a member of DARE and that always brought tears to my eyes. This poem has even more meaning now...

Rainbow Bridge


Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

-Author unknown


Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2

D.A.R.E.

As mentioned in a previous post (or two) Doxapalooza 2009 and Doxapalooza 2011, we have been avid supporters of a Dachshund rescue group called D.A.R.E. or Dachshund Adoption Rescue and Education. It's a group of Dachshund lovers who devote their spare time to rescuing, fostering, adopting out and educating people on the Dachshund breed. We adopted Riley through D.A.R.E. over 4 years ago and have been supporting the group ever since. 


I was reading the paper today and came across the COOLEST article: Kansas City Dachshund! Basically, a stray Dachshund turned up at Hillsborough County Animal Services and with the help of D.A.R.E. will returned to her family in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday. This story hits close to home and who doesn't love a story with a happy ending?!?


Kaiser and Riley are both micro-chipped, however I'm not quite certain that we have ever updated the contact information associated with the micro-chip. This story serves as a reminder as to how important it is to keep that information up to date and you can be rest assured that I will be looking in to updating their information today. You never know when a service worker is going to leave a gate open or when the dogs are going to dig their way to China just to get out of the backyard.


Being that it is the season of giving, be sure to consider giving to D.A.R.E. so that the kind folks can continue to do what they do best: adopting, rescuing and educating people on Dachshunds! And for the record, while their main focus are Dachshunds, they often help foster and adopt out other breeds. If all you do is read the article, then that's cool, too. Way to go D.A.R.E.!!! 

Kaiser and Riley 

Love always,

Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2... and Kaiser & Riley, too!

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