![Picture](/uploads/1/6/1/6/16161574/9553539.jpg)
Don't get me wrong - the dogs are adorable and lovely. But Wicket just doesn't cotton to other dogs in his territory so if they happen to be in the back yard when he is - oy. There is a rush of mad barking as they dash to the fence and try to get at each other.
Aside from the doggy tantrums, they are pretty cute little guys. They're both mini-dachsunds. The black one is named Moose which is charming considering he's the size of a teaspoon. There's also a reddish-brown one that doesn't seem quite as brave (or foolhardy) as Moose, who has snuck through the fence into our dog run a couple of times. He's hustled himself back over pretty quickly as soon as Wicket has appeared. He seems to be a bit of a daredevil.
The other day I looked out the kitchen window and saw the neighbours had a new addition to their doggy family. Another mini-dachshund puppy. Naturally I had to run outside IMMEDIATELY to meet this little muppet. She's a very sweet little girl with gorgeous brindle colouring. Our neighbour even passed her over the fence so I could get my fix of puppy snuggles. Puppy snuggles are like free blood pressure medication. How can you worry when you're holding a puppy? How can you have a bad day when you've held those tiny little paws in your hands? It's the best therapy going.
Eventually I had to hand her back over. Then of course there was the reckoning with Wicket, who gave me a good sniffing and plenty of suspicious and slightly baleful looks for the rest of the day. (Already he was wanting to get the scent of his newest adversary.) To win back his love I had to bribe him with Cheerios and give him assurances that no matter what, he will always be the cutest puppy ever in my eyes.