I think it’s just their attitude. They always thinking and working. I was outside with Kody the other day, and one of our neighbors that Kody loves looked down at him and said, “There’s something really different about dachshunds isn’t there. It’s like he’s somehow just different from other dogs.”

This is a story about a dachshund that definitely felt he was the dog who needed to fix the situation.

Neighborhood heroes

Whether you believe in God, spirituality, or the flying spaghetti monster, I think we all feel the same way about our dachshunds. They bring events into our lives that help us process and get through some tough times.

I personally can’t imagine my life without Kody. The way he interacts with the world is full of lessons for me.

FURRY FRIENDS: The Dachshund And The Dragonfly

After I shut the cupboard door, I hear Kody scurrying down the hall out of the bedroom after which he runs straight to his mat, sits and looks at me. (By the way, mat training obviously going very well.) How did he know what I just did? I mean obviously it must be the sound of that particular cupboard door but it has rubber bumpers and he heard it all the way from the bedroom. I didn’t even hear it and I was right next to it.

If you have any stories about your dog’s amazing senses, please share them in a comment. I’m fascinated by this.

This link is to the tall tale of how an eight week old dachshund named Donut picks winners in a football game.

I still think they’re better left to guarding the back yard from intruders.

Also, I’ve tried numerous times to get pictures of him while he’s sleeping because he’s so cute, and every time I do, no matter how quiet I am, as soon as I turn toward him he opens his eyes and starts wagging his tail.

If he sees another dog, he’s fascinated, but quiet… unless the other dog moves. It doesn’t matter if it’s away from him or toward him. He’s not mad at the other dog or scared, it’s his excitement bark. He wants so badly to interact, but he has no idea how. But the fact that we can be relatively near another dog with some bit of calm is great progress.

Along with the calm I’ve already described, his is a little more calm about toys and treats as well. He still likes them, but unless it’s something really special, he doesn’t get too excited.

I’m here with my iPad reading. It feels like one of the worst days of my life is not so bad after all.

One of the things I’ve decided to drop is any and all frustration with regard to Kody. I now know that the vast majority of my readers will luckily never know what its like to own a dog like Kody. They will never need to know and understand complex training methods just to make it through breakfast. I was taking Kody on a walk last night and without warning he barked loudly in alarm. Not at anything in particular, just his usual barking at nothing. In my bliss of feeling better for the moment I realized that it’s just not that big of a deal compared to constant stabbing pain in my neck. In fact, it’s comparatively pleasant.

Kody is who he is. He’s a crazy dog that was badly bred who is afraid of everything except giving me kisses… and food. We can and have worked on many issues successfully but there’s one issue I can’t fix: Kody is crazy.

At this point I can, at the very least, gracefully handle any worst case scenario we get ourselves into. And the truth is those just don’t happen very often anymore. But if a nice stranger tries to talk to me, Kody will sometimes let them know who’s boss despite the fact that he should know by now that strangers mean treats. He is the approver! If some is doing something he hasn’t approved he will let them know. In turn, they will often run, which I’m sure is just what Kody wanted.

There’s no point in trying to explain or apologize or lamenting the loss of pleasant conversation. The best thing to do is to quickly get us to a place where both of us can enjoy our day. Just let it go, because that’s life with Kody.

Since the walk he’s been a wild dog wanting to go outside to collect pine cones (a game we play) and sprinting all over the house with wild abandon. He’s even getting excited about getting his teeth brushed which right now is just me touching his back teeth with my finger and then giving him a treat. We’ll add the toothbrush later.

One of the parents hissed at him and drove him behind a parked car where I couldn’t see what happened, but all of a sudden I heard him shriek. Next thing I saw he was walking home very quickly and just glancing back to make sure I was following. I knew he needed to be home and safe.

Kody is fine, but now we’re working through the PTSD. He was fine going outside for about a day, but then what happened seemed to set in and now he’s afraid. He will go out to potty, but wants to come right back in. He also holds it much longer than he normally would. I know from all our previous experiences to just let him decide when it’s best to go out and try to make going outside very fun and rewarding, and not to pressure him. In the past he has never chosen to go potty inside, so I’m not worried about that at all.

I’m sure that must have been a pretty scary experience for him.