Gold Rush
Inspired by the Longhaired Wheaten Dachshund
By
New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
Copyright © 2014 New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
Table of Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1 – Our Humble Abode
Chapter 2 – Seeing Double
Chapter 3 – Shared Responsibilities
Chapter 4 – Puppy Blues
Chapter 5 –Balancing Act
Chapter 6 – Struggles
Chapter 7 – Goldi’s Birthday
Chapter 8 – More Struggles
Chapter 9 – What Now?
Chapter 10 – Wedding Bells
Foreword
Dachshund is German for badger hound; they were bred in Germany to hunt badgers and other small den-dwelling animals. The Dachshund’s keen senses, agility and long, low-lying bodies are ideal for tracking and digging for their prey. They also make outstanding pets with their affectionate and devoted temperaments and their capacity for being courageous and steadfast watchdogs.
The longhaired Dachshunds require more grooming, but are popular among breeders and people who show dogs. Nevertheless, they can also make good pets since they are quite intelligent and loyal, as we see in my latest story. The reader may wonder why I am inserting breeding and AKC registered dogs into my Dachshund Rescue Series. The reason is simple: breeding happens. And remember, often times even AKC registered dogs end up in rescues. If they become debilitated due to illness or injury, they are no longer “show quality” and are hence no longer wanted. Keep in mind the rest of the story is yet to be written for this precious dog that had such an audacious beginning.
With a Dachshund the entertainment is endless, their endurance is enviable and their versatility is amazing. Our lives are fuller and funnier than ever seemed imaginable since we got our first Dachshund. Laugh with me and cry with me on yet another Dachshund adventure.
I would like to thank my team for their assistance with my books: Al Rosario, Illustrator; Jan Lawrence, editing; Lucinda Campbell, formatting, Heather Piedmont, marketing and Drew Simenson, reviewing.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit New Mexico Dachshund Rescue and Dachshund rescue in New Mexico. Thank you for supporting our mission.
I dedicate this book to our oldest and very blonde daughter Michelle. She shares our love for four-footed critters and lovingly tolerates our Dachshunds, even though they are not her breed of choice.
--Stella Dillenbeck on behalf of New Mexico Dachshund Rescue
(Featuring the Dachshund Rescue Series by Stella Dillenbeck)
Chapter 1 – Our Humble Abode
The identical twin sisters gave each other a high five as they walked out the door of the title company. They had done almost everything together since they were born, and now they were buying a house together. All of the documents were signed and they were on their way to their new home to meet the real estate agent.
The agent was parked in front of their house as previously arranged; she had not been there long. She let the girls into the house and, after the three of them did a quick inspection of the home to make sure everything was clean and in order, she turned the keys over to them and left.
Our own home! Our very own home! The girls were excited as they looked around again. This time they jockeyed for the bedrooms and made quick decisions about where the main furnishings would go. They had a few things in their car, but most of their furnishings were going to be delivered by their parents later. Stuff piled ceiling high in their garage would be loaded up and arrive soon at the girls’ new home.
Although the twins were identical they had different personalities, different likes and different careers. The older twin had been dubbed PJ by her parents because of her passion for peanut butter and jelly. The younger twin was equally passionate about cheese and crackers; they called her CC. They could hardly wait to go buy groceries and stock the shelves with their faves. This was going to be fun. They giggled and then raced for the front door when the doorbell rang. It was Mom. Their parents were there with the U-haul and Dad was backing it up to the garage door. PJ quickly ran to the garage to open the door for Dad. CC motioned for Mom to come on in saying “welcome to our humble abode.” But Mom said they needed to get something out of the car first; there were a couple of boxes loaded with food staples and snacks and she needed CC’s help to bring them in the house.
CC laughed when she saw what was in the boxes. There was enough peanut butter and jelly and cheese and crackers to last them for awhile. But Mom assured her there was more in the box than that. In Mom’s very thoughtful way, she made sure they had all the staple grocery items they needed for the short haul. CC knew PJ would be ecstatic when she saw what Mom had brought over for them. She and Mom unloaded the boxes and started putting the items in the pantry and in the refrigerator, some in the freezer and the rest on the shelves. The girls would not have to be going to the store after all. Mom had covered all the basics.
Chapter 2 – Seeing Double
CC and Mom went to the front entryway when they were done. They wanted to see if Dad was ready for them to help unload the U-haul. Just as PJ joined them in the entryway, Dad came around the corner of the U-haul walking a puppy. Both girls squealed. It was not just any puppy, but the most beautiful one either had ever seen. She was a beautiful longhaired wheaten Dachshund. She had been carefully bathed and groomed and her wheaten fur shimmered as bright as gold in the sunshine. Talk about a gold rush!
Dad and the puppy were almost to the house when the puppy caught sight of the identical twin girls. She stopped dead in her tracks, sat down in the entry walkway and looked back and forth at each of the girls. Then she started whining and tugging at the leash to leave. They all laughed. It was pretty confusing for the little dog, but she would have it all sorted out in no time.
Mom told the girls the puppy was the parent’s housewarming present to them. Mom and Dad had been taking Dachshunds to shows for many years. They had watched the girls’ reactions when they saw their first longhaired wheaten and knew exactly what to get. She was AKC registered; her name was Gloria’s Lady Goldilocks. They would call her Goldi.
PJ was already hungry from the move and joked “where’s the peanut butter and jelly?” They laughed. CC took her into the kitchen to show her what else their thoughtful Mom and Dad had done. The girls hugged both parents and thanked them for Goldi, for the groceries and for the help moving. PJ picked up Goldi and took her to the backyard. Thankfully, the yard was already fenced and something the girls would not have to build themselves. While PJ was in the backyard with Goldi, Mom, Dad and CC headed to the garage to unload the U-haul. PJ joined them after she had laid Goldi down for a nap. They knew there was much work still to be done.
They managed to get most of the boxes unloaded before Goldi woke up from her nap. Mom and Dad left so the girls could get settled into their new home with their new puppy. The girls agreed to switch off with watching Goldi, so they could finish unpacking boxes and get things put away. They were both happy to share in the puppy care and nurturing. Today was their first day in their new home, but they knew at the onset that Goldi was going to be a priority. She was one fortunate dog to have two wonderful people caring for her needs, “even though we look alike,” PJ joked. They both laughed.
Chapter 3 – Shared Responsibilities
PJ and CC had both gone to the same university, but had different majors. PJ was in the nursing program, got her R.N. and a job at the local hospital working swing shift; she worked most weekends and some overtime. CC majored in Business Administration with a Healthcare emphasis, received her B.A. and was now working as an office manager for a local doctor; she worked Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Th
ey got an apartment together after college where meal and household responsibilities were shared; they would continue this plan in their new home. Only this time caring for Goldi was also added to the list. The twins were glad they worked separate shifts. Goldi would not be wanting for anything as one of the girls would be there for her almost all of the time.
Their home was a cute cottage-style home on one level. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom and a small garage. The yard was not very big, but it was just right for the two of them to maintain. If Goldi could talk, she would have told them it was just right for her, too.
Because of PJ’s swing-shift hours and working overtime, she took the bedroom at the front of the house and would park on the street. CC got the bedroom on the backside of the house and would be parking her car in the garage. CC would be buying groceries more often than not because of her day shift job. The girls could not have planned it better if they would have tried. It was an excellent arrangement.
CC was sitting in the living room crying one evening when PJ got home from work. PJ was alarmed because her sister rarely cried. She knew something was terribly wrong. Goldi had been missing for a couple of hours and CC could not find her anywhere. They were both pretty much near panic by the time they found her. She was not very big and was small enough to crawl underneath CC’s bed and sandwich herself between two under-bed storage boxes. Puppy-proofing the house was in order, so they fixed both of their beds so that Goldi could not get under them. Neither one of the girls wanted that to happen again.
Although both girls were initially frightened by the whole Goldi missing episode, they laughed it off later. If that was the worst thing that happened with Goldi under their care, they figured it was not that bad in the scheme of things. Besides, they were both firm believers in the “merry hearts makes good medicine” proverb, and some things just require less worry and more laughter.
Chapter 4 – Puppy Blues
PJ and CC were both careful to get Goldi out to the backyard right after she woke up in the morning. Never once did they find a “pile” in the house. But like all small puppies Goldie would simply squat and piddle whenever the urge would strike, and often in the house. When that happened, the girls were mortified. But they decided they just needed to be more diligent about taking her outside. After all, Goldi was still just a puppy, and puppies do that.
Because the girls worked different shifts Goldi slept with whichever one was sleeping. If she happened to wake up and hear the other one, she would whine. This was not working well for PJ. Between her swing-shift nursing position, her frequent overtime and the job stress, she really needed her sleep. She found herself wishing Mom and Dad had given them an older dog instead of a puppy. She discussed it with CC and the two of them decided Goldi would sleep with CC. They also bought her a dog bed to put in the living room in front of the fireplace. Goldi could sleep there if she needed to when CC was up and about.
Goldi was not alone very often, but there was a two-hour gap between PJ leaving for her swing shift and CC getting home from her day job. PJ would put Goldi in the kennel and she would howl, whine and cry; she did not like that at all. But they could not leave her out to make messes and wreak havoc in the house! At first PJ just laughed it off and would scoot on out the door. But the pup’s cries just got louder if she was ignored. After awhile it became annoying. PJ even thought about requesting a day shift, but she knew that would not work because they would have to get puppy day-care for Goldi. PJ figured it was just a puppy phase and Goldi would grow out of it. They decided puppies take much patience and Goldi was definitely testing theirs with her separation anxiety.
CC, on the other hand, got the brunt of the messes. Goldi chewed on everything she could sink her teeth into. CC could not go to the kitchen to cook, go to the bathroom or even chat on the phone without coming back to a mess. Goldi chewed on furniture, couch pillows, doggy toys, Kleenex, toilet paper, dryer sheets…everything. And she would chew it to shreds. CC also found herself wishing Mom and Dad had given them an older dog, but neither girl could stay mad at Goldi. She was just as cute as she could be. They talked about the “blues” they had, mostly to vent, but they both knew they would not trade Goldi for a hundred older dogs. They would be more diligent in meeting her needs and keeping shreddable things out of her reach. CC shrugged and went around looking for more ways to puppy-proof the house. The girls also bought some durable toys for Goldi that would withstand all the chewing.
Chapter 5 – Balancing Act
Both PJ and CC dated off and on, but neither one of them had a significant other. They did not seem to mind much. They were both popular and managed to get in social time with friends and family in spite of their busy work schedules. But they both began to wonder what they would do if the other one got married. What would they do with Goldi? How do you split a dog? It also bothered them they were not able to do things together as they had always done before. Between their different shifts and Goldi responsibility, they could not. But they both agreed Goldi must come first.
It was a good thing for the girls they got along so well. Very seldom did they bicker about anything. If there was tension between them, they would either talk about it or laugh it off. Life was just too short to fight about petty, temporary things that would change before too long. Their parents had set the example and honed this into both of them as they were growing up.
PJ and CC got very good at balancing their calendar and daily routines. Their mom and dad were quite impressed at how they managed their time together and their time apart, their job responsibilities and their home responsibilities and most of all, how they took such good care of Goldi. Their twin girls were maturing into bright, responsible young ladies. And Goldi was maturing into one gorgeous, well-behaved young pup. Yes, Mom and Dad were quite pleased with their daughters.
The next discussion between the girls was regarding whether or not to get Goldi spayed. They both agreed that she needed to be. They both had had enough “puppy.” There was no way they wanted a whole litter of them. Mom and Dad were into showing dogs, but they were not. The flip side of their decision, though, was that Mom and Dad would not be pleased. However, Goldi belonged to the girls and it was their decision; but they both dreaded the thought of breaking the news to their parents.
The girls were kind of surprised when they got around to telling their parents about Goldi being spayed. Mom and Dad were supportive! How about that? Little did the girls know that their parents also had discussions about this very thing. The puppy drama had unfolded before their eyes over the last few months and they also knew the girls were not into the dog shows like they were. They thought it was a shame that the gorgeous AKC registered longhaired wheaten Dachshund was going to be spayed. But, they also agreed to support the twins and felt it was best that the girls didn’t know what their parents thought about the situation. Goldi was their dog and their responsibility.
Chapter 6 – Struggles
When it was time to take Goldi to the vet for her spaying, PJ would be taking her in and CC would be picking her up; that way neither one of the girls had to miss work. PJ dropped Goldi off at the vet, then went back home to get some more sleep. Or so she thought. She was woken up with the phone ringing later in the morning.
The vet himself was on the phone. All kinds of red flags went up for PJ. Vets did not call clients; the office staff made the calls. She quickly froze into a dead panic as he calmly and apologetically said they would need to keep Goldi overnight. There had been some unexpected issues following her surgery. Goldi’s blood pressure was dangerously low; she had internal bleeding requiring a second surgery to stop the bleeding. He reassured her that Goldi would be fine. They were keeping her overnight as a precaution.
The vet’s calmness and reassurance did little to ease PJ’s mind. Her mother’s heart was kicking in and she was deeply worried about her baby. Vets spayed girl dogs all the time. How could this happen to her precious Goldi? But it did. Now CC needed to be told and that was no
t going to be easy. But she did make the call and pass the news on to CC. They would get through this together.
CC dropped everything and came home. PJ called into the hospital where she worked to take her shift off that evening. Now they had nothing but time on their hands. All they could do was worry. At least they had each other, so they held onto each other and cried. They prayed – lots and tried to watch TV and a movie, but could not stay focused. All they could think about was Goldi.
The next morning both of the girls went to the vet to get Goldi. PJ drove so CC would be able to hold Goldi on the way home. When they got there, they found that Goldi was doing just fine; there were no more issues and she was ready to go home. The girls profusely thanked the vet tech. What a relief! Goldi was coming home.
PJ went back to work that evening. CC took three days of personal leave so she could be there for Goldi those first few days. Again Mom and Dad were impressed. Their girls were good moms. That pup always came first and they always did what was best for Goldi. Everything else was secondary.
Goldi healed up quite nicely after her surgery. The vet had prescribed some pain pills for her to take post-surgery, but she only needed them for two days. CC returned back to work after her brief personal time off. Two weeks later PJ took Goldi to the vet to have her stitches removed. Both girls were glad it was all behind them.
Chapter 7 – Goldi’s Birthday
The girls could not believe Goldi’s first birthday was right around the corner. All the fretting and stewing they had done when Goldi was entrenched in her puppy ways was gone. Now they wished they could freeze the clock and lock her in puppy mode. Their little Goldi was growing up right before their eyes and it made them laugh to think what worried “parents” they had been during her first year of life.