SeQueL | Dangerous Common Sense

SeQueL, November 21, 2008 – November 23, 2021
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SeQueL, November 21, 2008 – November 23, 2021

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SeQueL, November 21, 2008 – November 23, 2021

Grand Champion Lilliput’s Royal Munchkin of Wagsmore

From the moment SeQueL arrived at Ozdachs on March 8, 2009 she was the guiding spirit of our second pack. She was the fifth dog Geoffrey and I had, so we thought we knew how we would train the three-month-old girl. Instead, starting on the first day, SeQueL explained to us what she wanted and what we needed to do. On Day One we were puppy whipped.

Throughout her entire life she did not whine. Instead she communicated with her eyes, with happy enthusiastic barklets, and with terrific gruntled noises when we were doing the appropriate thing. Her enthusiasm and happiness permeated her pack and our lives.

When she arrived three members of our original pack greeted her. Syntax, Vector, and Array were delighted to see an energetic puppy around them, but they were older and happily yielded the center of attention to the newly arrived play machine. From her early days here, SeQueL has set the tone and standards for pack behavior.

SeQueL trained to become a show girl, and under Geoffrey’s handling became a Champion and then a Grand Campion. She loved the attention she received in the ring and the adoration given her while she was sitting on our laps waiting for her turn to strut her stuff. To the end she jumped into crates whenever we offered because she thought she might be going to another dog show.

SeQueL always treated members of the pack with openness and joy. She seemed delighted to have relocated to our home. She made friends with the older residents. Then when Paris came to live with us, SeQueL welcomed her without jealousy as a full-fledged pack member. That was SeQueL’s imperative: everyone in the pack would love each other.

SeQueL spent a lot of effort finding in-home playmates. Initially, the other Ozdachs were older and wore out easily. One of the reasons we all wanted her to have puppies was so she would have someone to chase around the house. Even that was not enough sometimes!

SeQueL was a spectacular mother to Zenith and Array. She watched over them and clearly enjoyed their company. Syntax, our first mother dog, did a great job of whelping and taking care of the small puppies, but when the nursing was over, she created some distance between her and her children. Not SeQueL. Up to her last month of life, SeQueL would chase, be chased, growl and play with both her children and her grandchild, Auroara.

All of SeQueL’s pack gets along and cares for each other. In SeQueL’s last days, Zenith and Paris slept close to her wherever she was, cuddling her with their bodies. Apex and Auroara would also check in, lick, sniff, and love.

SeQueL’s spirit has guided the Ozdachs for twelve years and her memory will continue to empower and comfort us.

Please see some of our favorite photos of her at https://bit.ly/SeQueL or visit her gallery at https://ozdachs.smugmug.com/Dachshunds/SeQueL-2008-2021/.

By Galen Workman|2021-11-24T06:29:05-08:00November 24, 2021|dachshunds|2 Comments

Day 77 — A Family Day

The pack doesn’t take its normal daytime nap when Geoffrey is home. Instead, today was mostly constant in/out/up/down. For Aurora, of course, the motivation for all movement was PLAY!

I went to church and by the time I came home and did some stuff it was late, so no visitors today. We did discover that Aurora doesn’t seem to want lunch anymore. She’s enthusiastic about breakfast and dinner, nearly cleaning a big bowl of wet puppy food and kibble.

Aurora also has discovered that she can use the human’s fixation on bodily functions to get trips outside whenever she wants. She runs to the very back of the bricks and often to the way back. She smells and does taste testing for everything!

Fortunately we removed dangerous plants — like foxglove — when we had our first litter in 1995. Now we just have to keep patroling for foreign objects and interloping predators.

So far so good.

We wound up the afternoon posing for a family picture. Sorry that we didn’t have someone at the camera to get the girls’ attention… especially Apex’s.

But, here’s what the Ozdachs looked like this afternoon.

Day 77 — The Ozdachs Pack

By Galen|2018-12-09T17:53:01-08:00December 9, 2018|dachshunds|0 Comments

Day 27 — MUNI Meets Her Grandmother and Aunt!

I came back home from the gym this morning, and Geoffrey announced that he’d introduced MUNI to Aunt Apex in the whelping box. The meeting went well.

When he brought Apex into the TV room and approached the box, Geoffrey said that Zenith was in the box with MUNI, wagging her tail in greeting. Apex sniffed and met MUNI. They seemed to get along. Geoffrey reported that he removed Apex only when she started digging at the towels trying to rearrange the decor.

Later I was invited in to witness MUNI’s meeting with her grandmother.

SeQueL and MUNI meet meet in the whelping box

Day 27 — SeQueL and MUNI meet

SeQuel was eager to come into the TV room, as the adults all have been since MUNI arrived. Today all three girls in the room were well behaved. SeQueL and MUNI sniffed each other. Zenith moved away from the pair and accepted pets from Geoffrey.

MUNI looked interested in seeing if there was any food available from SeQueL. SeQueL for her part did mom cleaning of the puppy and eventually got bored and moved away. Happily friendly and low key.

SeQueL and MUNI check each other out in the whelping box

Day 27 — SeQueL and MUNI check each other out

We are a bit puzzled about how to introduce Paris to MUNI. Paris, our blind girl, has stood at the gate and expressed interest in going inside for weeks. But, we don’t know how she’ll react to a squirmy puppy she cannot see. So, we’re cautiously keeping her away from MUNI for the moment.

MUNI is still crawling, not walking, but she can build up momentum as she lurches around the whelping box.

After the meeting with SeQueL, I brought in a tiny plate of watered down wet puppy food to see if MUNI would be interested. She walked toward the food, and into a bit. Seemed to taste it but decided it wasn’t for her yet.

Laster, at dinner time, Zenith was given her food to finish in the whelping box. (I don’t think I mentioned that Zenith started getting finicky about eating her food with the pack. This morning and again at dinner Zenith stopped eating in the kitchen. However, when I moved her and her bowl of food to the TV room she finished her food — and, at dinner, asked and gobbled down another portion. ) While Zenith was chowing down on the wet food, MUNI came from another part of the box to investigate the food smells. She is interested, but just not quite ready.

We are sensiting a possible dilemma. Zenith is increasingly comfortable leaving MUNI in the whelping box. MUNI on the other hand, is now aware when she’s alone. And, she doesn’t like it! This wouldn’t be problem if MUNI wasn’t an only child, but… she is!

Today was another milestone day! MUNI met her blood relatives!

By Galen|2018-10-20T19:33:30-07:00October 20, 2018|dachshunds|0 Comments