Second Day

It is the second day we have her and we see a tiny bit of progress.We signed the adoption papers on Saturday but picked her up on Wednesday.All kind of people for Easter dinner is not the time to introduce a new terrified doggie.

The rescue kennel is about 20 miles out in the prairie. The wind was blasting and howling that the car was almost fish tailing, besides, the shocks are gone. What do you expect from a Lincoln that is in it's 16 th year.

Several women were cuddling doggies in the play area or took some of the bigger ones for a walk, lot's of activities and yipping and barking, except for Schatzi.

Until the last 1/2 hour I was still undecided with her name, either Maia or Schatzi. I always liked the children's book "Die Biene Maia " and Emmett thinks, Schatzi is a more forceful name. Our first Dachsie was named after a children's book too, " Raskal, der Waschbar ". Of course, not knowing anything useful in Englisch in 1968, Raskal sounded good too me. That it actually meant something, I had no idea.

You are supposed to be careful naming a doggie, otherwise it might come true. Schnapps , our # 6 , was called Schnapps, because he snapped, not after the booze. And he snapped good a dozen people. He was from the Humane Society and they had a little sign on his cage that he was at least " vigilant" possibly " bite risk "I really don't remember.
He was friendly with us, I visited him daily, because he was waiting for someone to claim it. He got a few treats and we talked to him. When we picked him up, the worker at the Human Society had a huge rake to corner him with, but Schnapps jumped in Emmett's arms and was very happy to get out of that cage. He was the most lovable and grateful dog we ever had, but he defended our house and family to the death.

So Schatzi it is for the little frightened extremely timid and so far mute beautiful little girl.

The trip home was doable, considering she was never been in a car without a crate. Beside this, she was never out of her little rabbit cage in all of her 4 years, never been on grass, or in a home and has no idea what a dog is supposed to be like, except having one litter after another and making money for the puppy mill creep.
I was told, the Amish are the worst offenders and abusers of dogs, because they consider them life stock and get rid of them after they don't make money for them anymore. Shooting or drowning or worse the volunteer said, I did not ask what " worse " is.
Some of the dogs the rescuers get at an auction, where the black Dachsie Sarge came from. $1.00 for Sarge,we considered him since we are dachshund people. But we could not handle him and he was not interested in us either.
Schatzi was on the website, a frightened little cream colored gorgeous Pomeranian, a Dwarf Spitz in German, the translation I did not know.
Her collar had been adjusted at the rescue place, but with the overabundance of long hair, it is hard to feel where the real dog starts underneath.
Emmett sat her down in the backyard with a dainty pink polka dot leash and her first terrified thought was fleeing.
Of course the collar slipped over her head and she raced as far as she could to the fence. Emmett behind her and Schatzi taking off in the opposite direction. Catching her was impossible, so we sat down after a while and soon Schatzi made smaller circles and came closer, running off again and almost coming into reaching distance, until she sees a narrow somewhat darker place to dash in.
That was it ! She was trapped. The space between the hot tub and the house, a real box canyon, with a huge pot blocking one end. In the winter we put ashes in this pot from the wood stove , it was big enough to stop her.
Emmett climbed over the ash pot and I was waiting on the other end. So Schatzi was carried inside with her leash trailing out of Emmett's pocket. We put one of the old harnesses on her and the leash. This way, we can get her if she disappears under the couch.
Two baskets are still in the kitchen for my invisible crew of dachsies who live in doggie heaven . We put Schatzi in one of them and there she stayed.
She stays where ever you put her, basket, couch and bed , no complains and not a single peep.She is totally resign to her fate.