A New Member of Our Family

It's only been a few days since my beloved doxie, Ernie, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge but my two doxies that were left behind missed him a great deal. They were constantly roaming around the house looking for their friend. Every time they heard a noise they ran to the front door to see if Ernie was coming in. When they realized he wasn't coming home they sulked on their dog beds and slept. They didn't want to play, eat or even go outside for a walk. My husband and I were not thinking of getting another dog because we thought Frank and Duncan would be there for each other and keep each other company. The only problem was that Ernie was both Frank and Duncan's best friend. Even though Frank and Duncan like each other they were not best friends like Frank/Ernie and Duncan/Ernie were.

The dynamics of a dog pack are hard to understand but Frank has always been the alpha dog because he is the oldest and was here before the other dogs came into the picture. When my husband and I started to date we brought Ernie into the picture as a friend for Frank when we both went to work. They became the best of buddies and it was 4 years before Duncan became a part of our family in 2001. When Duncan came he was automatically the dog at the bottom of the pack, the submissive one to both Frank and Ernie. Ernie was second in command and kept the peace between Duncan and Frank because in his old age Frank was not that into puppies. Ernie was the protector and would always make sure Frank and Duncan were OK. Up until his death he dragged himself out of his crate to go around the house to make sure all was well. It was so sad to watch him do this and when my Mom came up to say good bye the night before he did this several times.

Since animals grieve and mourn like we do and it was obvious that both Frank and Duncan were extremely depressed we had decided to get another dog. We both wanted a dachshund because they are our favorite and it also made sense that since Frank is 13 years old a bigger breed dog might hurt him even if he was just playing with him due to his size.

A few days ago we welcomed Sampson into our home and everyone loves him. In no way does he replace Ernie and we all know that. No dog can ever replace him. He was a unique doxie and I probably wont have another like him again. Sampson sure does remind me of when Ernie was a puppy though!







Duncan with Frank in the backround


Everyone is getting along well and especially Duncan and the puppy. I think thats because Duncan is the youngest and still acts like a puppy. Frank has been extremely tolerant of the puppy and has even let him jump on his back and pull his ears like a grandfather would!

In the middle of all the chaos with Ernie, I received my March sock kit from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Its beautiful and I love the pattern. The color is LUCKY and the pattern by JC Briar is called Leafling. Now all I have to do is finish January's Kit and I can start this one.


I know that I am totally behind with all my sock club kits but I'll catch up (eventually).