All About Bette: Fasten Your Seatbelts, It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night

Kisses!

Please welcome your newest hostess to 'The Long and Short of it All.'  Her name is 'Bette,' as in Davis.  No, not Middler!  It's been nearly two months now since Joey has passed, and Rowdy was so incredibly bored that we started to look for a buddy for him.  It's a terrifying task to adopt another long dog after one has passed, with so many guilt factors closing in around you, from "it's never, ever, enough time so that I pay respect to the wonderful dog which has passed," to "how do I make the right decision to adopt a new friend?"  You think about these things through the course of your daily life:  "after THIS dog, the NEXT one is going to be this way.  We are going to do things like THIS, and boy will everything be great." 
It's been my dream for some time to be able to be owned by a Standard Dachshund.  A Big Giant Black and Tan Dachshund - almost a rarity in today's age of the popular mini's.  Shortly after Joey passed, a beautiful big Red Smooth was available through our local Dachshund Rescue, Rowdy's alum, MidWest Dachshund Rescue.  But it was just two weeks after the loss of Joey, and was just too soon.  And in just two days, the big handsome guy was adopted - GONE just like that.
Maybe once a year or so will we ever see a Standard Dachshund come up for adoption in rescue.  A good friend started to put out feelers among her reputable breeder friends - is there an adult Standard Dachshund out there who maybe has been showing, but has gone sterile, or who has finished showing and is looking for a permanent place to call home?
Enter Bette.  She and her littemates were bred for show, but as the 9th and last puppy available in a November litter, she needed a non-show home because of an underbite.  We took one look at that underbite which causes her bottom lip to stick out and thought - just makes you want to kiss that little lip!  So, while we weren't looking for a puppy really, we couldn't pass up this opportunity to give this girl a home.
Her breeder is fantastic - if all dogs came from breeders like this, there would be no dogs in Rescue.  A contract was signed that stated if we came to a point in our lives that we could not care for the dog, the dog is to be given back to the breeder where she will always have a home.  Other points in the contract included a spay clause, and that "this dog must never be tied up outside," but is to be kept as a dog in the home.  While we are still struggling with not getting a dog through Rescue, we are also proud to support the fine Dachshund breeders out there who are doing it for the love of the Dachshund breed, and not just for money. 

And we're in love with little Bette - she is so snuggly, and so sweet.  She is just beautiful.  At 4 months old, she weighs a whopping 12 pounds.  She should be somewhere between 25 and 28 pounds when fully grown.  She and Rowdy get along famously - they bonded immediately, and after sleeping together, they run and run and run and run and run. Bette gives Rowdy a run for his money when they play together - she doesn't take any crap - and it won't be too long before his little sister will be his big sister.  Rowdy is so happy!
From somewhere up above, we know that Joey and Maggie are smiling down on us and our new adventures. 



Oh yeah, turn up the volume.