Sad, Happy and Just Plain Goofy

SAD. A posting on the Rolling Dog Ranch blog back in March started this way: "Of all our losses in recent years, this one hit us the hardest." Rolling Dog Ranch is a sanctuary for disabled animals, and heartbreak is among the job duties there. Ironically, this statement began a posting about Oscar, the senior member of the Ranch's dachshund community and perhaps the one animal on the ranch who did not show up because of a disability. Unless you count a heartbreak as a disability, because the little guy had had his share of it. We won't try to tell his story here. Steve Smith, one of the two founders of the Ranch, tells it better than anyone else could hope to do. Click here to read his tribute. We had the pleasure of meeting Oscar when we visited the Ranch a few years ago, and we even hoped that he might pay a visit to the Tenth And Final Dachshund Day next month at 2 Dogs Long. Such was not to be. We mourn his passing, and we send our condolences to Steve Smith and, particularly, to Alayne Marker, who gave him all the love a dog could want for the last years of his life.

HAPPY. Remember Frankie, the Walk 'n Roll Dog? We featured her a few months ago, telling how an accident left her in a cart but not downhearted. First she became a local celebrity in the Wisconsin town where she lives, then her mom, Barb Techel, wrote a book about her and began to make local visits to show, just as Rolling Dog Ranch does, that disabled animals can be happy animals with a good quality of life. After we wrote about her, we sent Frankie a couple harnesses, and she now shows up at her personal visits wearing pink, her favorite color. She's also redesigned her Web site. Why not pay her a visit?

LATE-BREAKING NEWS: Barb and Frankie's book has been named a finalist for an Indie Excellence Award, "celebrating and promoting the outstanding work of independent publishers and authors. Read all about it here.

GOOFY. There are at least tens – maybe hundreds – of dachshund videos on YouTube. We look at them and enjoy them, but we've never been moved to share them with you. Until now. We just can't get enough of this Dachshund Song. We thank Joey and Maggie, authors of The Long And Short Of It All, world's best dachshund blog, for pointing this one out to us. Turn on your sound and enjoy.