Doxie Lovin'

Mike and I have decided that Molly needs a friend.

Or we have decided to pursue the idea of getting her a friend, at least.

About a month ago, we made a trip to PetsMart to pick up a Sherpa bag so that Molly could travel along with us while we run errands. We realized that we spend a lot of Saturday mornings and some evenings throughout the week running around and felt bad because she spends the hours of 8:30-4ish by herself Monday through Friday. A Sherpa bag meant she could go to Target, Subway, Hallmark and the mall with us. And eventually, if needed or wanted, she could fly with us. Most airlines consider a dog small enough to fit in a bag on a lap to be a carry on. While we don't plan on testing her ear sensitivity too much by flying her around the country, we do like that it's possible to take her with us if we want.

At any rate, we picked out a Sherpa bag and decided on our way home to stop by the Chesapeake City Park dog park to see what kind of crowd is there on what we thought would be a typical weekend evening. We arrived at the small dog area, opened the gates, set Molly down on the ground and noticed that there were literally FIFTY doxies running around the back of the park. It turned out that we'd stumbled on to the 1-year anniversary of the Hampton Roads' Dachshund Meet-Up Group. At first everyone kept asking if we'd misread the time, but they finally believed that we didn't even know it existed when I asked to register with them. :) So we're officially a member of the group, and the lady that organized it runs the Hampton Roads chapter of Dachshund Rescue of North America (DRNA).

It works quite similarly to an adoption agency for children. Volunteers take in dachshunds from owners who can no longer care for them and from various shelters (including the Humane Society, Animal Control Centers, etc), put them in to foster care and then work to find the dogs a permanent home. They list a majority of the dogs that are up for adoption on their website. My two personal favorites so far have been a guy named Max and a cute little girl puppy name Gracie. We even contacted Max's foster mom, despite her request to place him in a New England state. He's just too cute. He's going to be moving in with a new couple in Maine, and Gracie has found her forever home too.
Even though we couldn't adopt Max, his foster mom was quite helpful. She told us that a lot of dogs don't get listed on the website because they have been matched to someone who has already filed an application with DRNA. She said this is also the first step in adopting most dogs and suggested we fill out an application. We did that last Thursday evening. It was kind of tough -- they ask all kinds of information about preferences and housing situations and provide possible "tough" scenarios (like your new doxie biting the neighbor girl during a BBQ) and want to know how you would solve the problem. We received a call from a local DRNA representative on Saturday morning, called her back that evening and she's coming for a house visit on Wednesday evening. She seems very nice and is also part of the Hampton Roads' Dachshund Meet-Up Group. She has 4 doxies between the ages of 2 and 6, I think. Hopefully she loves Molly, likes our house -- I'm a bit worried about the fact that we don't have a yard, but we can't change that and it would definitely be best to adopt a doggie that doesn't need one -- and likes us. We'll see how it goes!

I really only have two major concerns about the entire process and possibility of getting a 2nd doxie. Although Molly loves to play with other dogs at the dog park and with our friends, I'm worried she won't be so fond of a doxie-buddy who stays forever. I think she kind of likes having us, her toys and a majority of our "big bed" to herself, and I'm not sure how much she'll enjoy sharing all of that. I'm also a bit worried that having another dog will change Molly's personality and temperament. She's such a great girl with a sweet demeanor --- I don't want that to change. But maybe she'll be happier with another dog around --- someone to play with all day while we're working and wrestle around with while we're home. I know I'm happier with friends around than I am alone --- except when I need that "me" time of course. Hopefully Molly is the same way and everything goes smoothly ....

I'm excited to see what happens with it all, to say the very least. I hope we find a cute little long-haired chestnut doxie to add to our little family :)