Sunday, January 25, 2009

Homer!

Well, we are once again a dogged household. We've been without a dog--for the first time in thirty-odd years--since our aged Molly (she of the gruesome post-mortem encounter with coyotes) succumbed to congestive heart failure at the age of sixteen or so, a few months ago. I'd wanted a smooth standard dachshund like my beloved Gus, if I could find one; most breeders these days seem to supply only mini-dachshunds or the occasional longhaired or wire-haired variety.

I'd been looking for a while, when I came across Kristin Cihos-Williams's Alphadachs breeder listing online. On impulse, I called, got Kristin at once, and learned that she was sitting at home with a very pregnant dachshund named Lily, who was due that very day. We hit it off, and stayed in communication over the next three or four months, with the end result that our son and I drove to Indio on New Year's Day to pick up one of the puppies from this litter (Kristin lives in Temecula, CA, but was at a dog-show in Indio, which is substantially closer to Phoenix).

It's a four-hour trip from Phoenix to Indio, but the eight-hour drive was well worth it.



[Hmm. I tried to upload three photos of Homer here, but not working for some reason. Will try again tomorrow--gotta go to bed now. [yawn].]

13 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your new dog. I hope you can post some pictures soon.

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  2. Congratulations on your new pup! Love the name! (we named our dog Hector - from Homer coincidentally) Oh those first days of bringing a puppy home, just like a baby!

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  3. Congratulations!

    You may have a hard time uploading photos if they're too big, not in actual size, but resolution. High resolution results in large file size. Depending on the actual pixel size, you can try reducing the photo to around 400px X 400px and see if it's any easier to upload.

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  4. Ah, congratulations. Looking forward to photos. Oh, and Homer is a good name.

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  5. Dear Diana:

    So you decided on the name Homer. Congratulations and enjoy your new companion. I saw a couple photos over at Compuserve; he is a handsome devil.

    Midge

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  6. Congratulations on the new puppy. Can't wait to see pictures. I recently found your blog through your website and have been reading back trying to catch up. I'm a HUGE fan of the Outlander Series, which I refer to simply as "Jamie and Claire". I'll definately be back reading daily.

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  7. Homer sounds exactly like something you'd choose. A great name. Congrats on the new little guy. :D

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  8. Dear Janine--

    How would I go about reducing a photo file in size?

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  9. Diana,

    I'd say you figured it out! All photo editing software has the ability to resize, some have the ability to change resolution. I'm a Photoshop Geek, so I do it all day. Homer's gorgeous!

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  10. Congratulations on the pup - it's amazing how much joy they can bring to the household, isn't it?

    After our Papillon was lost last year (sniff) the entire family moped around like sorry souls for weeks (especially when coming home to a silent house) that soon after we all decided it was time for joy again. We got an adorable, spirited, goofy puppy (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Coco) and suddenly the house was full of laughter again. Hope yours is too, now :)

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  11. Homer is so cute! He has very cute eyes. good luck with your new pack! :)

    The pictures are great.

    http://sprucehill.typepad.com/

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  12. What a handsome fella!!! Congrats on your new doggie!!! We went a few years at our house without a pet. We got a kitten in August... it is so nice to have a furry friend again...other than my DH! hahaha!

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  13. I too bought a smooth standard from Kristin in 2009. Strudel looks very much like your Homer and is the best dog I have ever had. ( I have two other smooth standards). They are definitely The Spoiled Diva Dachs. I flew all the way out to San Diego from NC to get her and she was worth every penny!

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