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My basic info
Breed
Dachshund
Color
Black - with Brown, Red, Golden, Orange or Chestnut
Age
6 years 10 months old, Young
Size
Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less (when grown)
Weight
11 lbs (current)
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
My details
Good with dogs
Not good with cats
Purebred
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Housetrained
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Sparky is a spunky little 2-year old purebred Dachshund boy. His top 2 priorities in life are, 1) lay around in Foster Dogmom’s lap collecting tummy rubs, and 2) chase squirrels. Though he is a loving and devoted dog, I’ll state right off the bat that Sparky is not suitable for a family or for an apartment. Explanation below.
Sparky’s favorite time of day is when Foster Dogmom watches TV. He likes to sit with his (very, very long) body on her lap and his head of the arm of the couch. He also likes to sleep with Dogmom, right up against her so she doesn’t sneak out in the middle of the night and leave him.
If Dogmom is doing other things and there’s no lap available, Sparky will amuse himself for by standing at the window and barking at passersby. (And this is why he would not make a good apartment dog.) He also likes to play with toys, particularly nylabone-type chewing toys.
Sparky lives in a house with 5 other dogs and he easily gets along with everyone. If another dog goes after his food or toy, he’ll simply stand back and let them.
When it’s time to go outside, Sparky goes out, completes his business and wants to come right back in. . .unless there are squirrels (which there usually are in his foster’s backyard). If there are squirrels, all bets are off. Sparky will spend hours—literally, hours) chasing after squirrels from tree to tree. He will leap on his stumpy little 3-inch legs for all he’s worth trying to catch one, which is quite a comic sight. The squirrels figured out pretty quickly that he presents no danger (reference the aforementioned 3-inch legs), so they mock him. He will not come inside willingly if there are squirrels in the trees. Dogmom has to go out, pick him up and carry him back into the house.
Sparky is non-destructive. He doesn’t chew on things except for toys (and every once in a while something he mistakes for a toy). He’ll also go after toilet paper rolls and paper plates if they’re left within his reach because, after all, he’s a 2-year-old boy! He is house-trained, but he is also a Dachshund, so expect to have to work with him when you first get him home. Sparky is not crate-trained but would benefit from it.
Sparky takes his duties of protecting the house and its occupants very seriously—too seriously. He will love everybody living in the house, but he will see strangers coming to the house as a threat to you. He will bark, bark, bark at them, and then he will nip at their heels. He’s not trying to hurt them, just trying to get them to go away so that you will be safe again. Let me stress that he does not behave like this in public, where he is perfectly happy to meet people and have them pet him—only in his foster home because he’s trying to protect his home and his Dogmom. So you have to be prepared to put him up everytime someone comes over. Of course, some training would help a great deal, too.
Sparky was found wandering East Texas with his sister Ginger. They came to us looking all kinds of beat up and starved, with hookworms, heartworms, pneumonia and more. But they were nonetheless instantly trusting and loving. We’ve treated all his conditions and gotten rid of the worms. Sparky is now ready for a home full of love to call his own.
