Sunny, Smoky and Fire-y San Diego

Hullo everydoggie--

I haven't been doing anyting inneresting this week, but Mamma seyz that dere's lots goin' on outside in the county right now. We are in a safe part of the county, but there are many other doggies, animals, and peepols who have had to leave their homes becuz of the many scarry fires going on in their areas. These peepols--called evak-yoo-eez-- are numbering more than half a million right now. Many of them have lost their homes, and many don't know how their homes are right now. Other peepols are doing their best to help all the evak-yoo-eez.

Mamma and the hoo-dad have been watching the news a lot lately--they've both been home all day because their schools have cancelled classes for the week. It's nice having the hoo-mans home, but we can't go out and do anything fun, because the air out there is all smoky and sooty and unhealthy for our lungs. They're saying on the news that this is the worst firestorm in San Diego history. It's been difficult for them to try to control the fires becuz of the really bad winds right now.

If you would like to learn more about the situation you can go to
NBC San Diego News

Please keep SoCal residents in your thoughts and prayers.

My Mamma's Father

My mamma told me today about her father. He was the person who helped her become the dog lover that she is today. Mamma said that it has been six years today since he passed away peacefully at a hospice center in Phoenix, Az. He'd had a long and complicated battle with kidney cancer and had gone into a coma after a bad fall in early October of 2001. He was a wonderful and vibrant person, and she still misses him very much. It's amazing knowing how much life can change in six years...he'd never gotten the chance to meet my hoo-dad or me.






Mamma says that it was her Dad who brought Gabby, my sister-at-heart dachsie who lives with Gramma, into the family back in mamma's fourth grade year, and it was Gabby who provided a constant comfort to my dad when he could no longer continue his handyman business. His love for dachshunds inspired Mamma's love, which is why she now has me.

Rest in Peace, dear Grampa.

When I Met my Mamma

These are some pictures of me when my Mamma first came to meet me. I looked so young then! It's hard to believe I was ever so small and innocent *tosses ears back and forth*.

Hiya everydoggie!

Here is an abridged account of post I made on my favoritest dachshund forum a couple days after Mamma brought me home. I thought I'd share it with you doggies:

"Mamma was advised to take me on longer walkies, so today we went to the dog park! It maybe wasn't the best decision she's made yet--it was rather hot out! I forgive her, though, b/c we had fun, and I know she's still learnin'. It was a berry long walk for a li'l doggie like me...about half an hour there, by Mamma's reck'ning. Mamma overestimated how far away the park really was...silly mamma. We saw lots of new houses on the way, and crossed some scawy streets full of those big metal houses on wheels--but I stayed real close to Mamma, cuz she knew exactly when to cross at a safe time! Mama even complemented me b/cuz I was walkin so well, at which I was like--well, of course I know how to walk well! We met new peepol too--some of them I liked better than others--I barked Stay Away at some I didn't like, and Hullo at others.

When we got to the park, a bunch of ladies really admired my pretty coat, but we didn't stay long too long b/c I was thirsty & mamma knew there was water at the doggie part of the park. The park was okay, I guess. Once inside, this white fluff of a guy kept coming to say hello, but I could tell that he wanted to do more than say hi, and I wasn't going to hab any of dat! I was bery tired from all da walkies, and didn't want to explore the park off leash. I just stuck near Mamma. She shared water out of her bottle wif me from her hand, which was bery nice of her, since I didn't wanna drink from da fountain since a big dog was near dere.

We sat on a bench in the shade of a bery nice tree. It was nice dere--she was petting me and letting me sit wif her while I cooled off. She tried to get me to play wif a new ball, but I wasn't innerested den.

Da walkies back were hot, goin into the sun, but didn't seem as long b/cuz I was now familiar wif da territory. The familiarity made me a lil cocky, I admit--I tried to take over our walk, which Mamma didn like. She just didn realize dat I was just excited 'bout knowin da way home! At home, Mamma didn't unnerstand why I wanted to play wif my ball--she thought I ought to have been tired, lik I wuz at the park after the first half of the walk. Silly Mamma--I'll neber be too tired to play fetch! Lader, when the hoo-dad came home, he played ball wif me. It was a great day!"

Teehee! I wasn't as good at spelling bak then as I am now! (Well, I guess I still need more practise.) More about my new homelife laters!

cheers--
Lili
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Introductions

Hi everydoggie!

So my mamma told me recently about this cool thing called the interweb...or is it internet? I've been checking it out lately and haven't found any spiderwebs or spiders like I expected, but I did just discover Blobs! Wait, I mean Blops. . . .no, that's not it. . . .

*think think think*

. . . . . . .

*think think think*

. . . . . . .

Well I guess it doesn't really matter what they're called, right? All that matters is the fun stuff I've gotten to learn on other dogs' blogs (Oh yeah, that's the right word!). It's so neat getting to read about how dogs live all over this wide world of ours, and I thought it would be fun to share my life here in San Diego.

So, on to the real introduction :)

My full name is Lilian Floyd H-----. (Yeah. . . . the hoo-dad really likes the name Floyd, for some reason. Mamma compromised with this strange whim of his by letting it be my middle name. I don't mind...just as long as they don't call me that in public.) They both just call me Lili, and I like it that way.

Mamma came to visit me when I was living with my foster-mudder over three months ago. You see, I was a rescue dog. This wonderfully nice lady took me in when my original owners didn't want me anymore. I'm actually very happy that I went into rescue though, because if I hadn't I wouldn't have eventually met my bestest Mamma. I wasn't sure about her when we first met, but I attribute that to the obsession I had with this toy hamburger at the time (see, it squeaked when I chomped on it, and that was really fun. . . .*REALLY* fun). I mean, who wants distractions when there's a toy hamburger to chew on? She visited me again a couple weeks later, after she and the hoo-dad had moved into a special apartment just right for me--with a yard and everything (a rare thing for an apartment here in SD). That day she put me in my very own travel crate and brought me on a long car ride to my new home.

Here's a picture of me when I first arrived at my new home:

When we got there, I found out that Mamma was willing to throw my favorite toy for me to fetch, which is my most favoritest game in the whole wide world, and I made her practice with me all night (she needed it). We continued the practice all the next day, and even though I was having the time of my life, it wore out mamma a little. (Okay, a lot. Let's just say that she needed a nap before bedtime and be done with it.)

Here's a pic of me with my favorite fetch toy:

Speaking of bedtime...mine has just arrived. Mamma's saying I need to brush my teeth. (Well, she's gonna brush my teeth--I just lick the yummy toothpaste.) I'll leave this for now--I promise to fill y'all in about the intervening months later :)

cheers--

Lili