I Heart Weiner Dogs

I have spent most of my adult life thinking I am a cat person. I grew up with both cats and dogs but my sister was the one in dog 4-H, so I never connected myself as the owner of our dogs. I have had something like 11 cats. I like cats. They are generally pretty smart, they can look out for themselves, and they like to sit on your lap when you are reading or sitting at the computer.

I just went through the list, starting with the earliest--keep in mind that I did not make up all of these names, and sometimes I was going through an unfortunate phase--

-Snoopy, a Siamese, I think my brother named him
-Paddy Paws, an orange and white that I named from some cheesy kitten book I owned
-Morgan Fair Cat, a gray Persian mix, and it was my mother who came up with that doozy
-Gato, an all orange cat, not sure if it was my sister or brother who came up with that
-Charlie, a big black and white, I named him, he is my all time favorite cat
-Kiefer, a tiny orange and white and yes, me thinks I was in the middle of my Lost Boys phase
-Ivan, a sweet, sweet tabby I owned when I lived in Ballard
-Kramer, another sweet tabby, named after watching Seinfeld one night

Current cats:
-Mr. Moneypenny, a runty black and white stray that I was originally told was a female, so originally he was "Miss Moneypenny" but the name suits him.
-Vincent, a big fat tabby, was also a stray, now a contender for "Biggest Loser" whenever they decide to adapt it for pets.
-Sack Cat, my husband's gray and white kitty. Name received after she liked to be swung around in shopping bags as a kitten.

However, over the last couple of years, I have started to have dog yearnings. Serious dog yearnings. Like how some women get all excited when they see babies, only for me, it is dachshunds. I grew up with a Corgi, so maybe I am biased towards sausage shaped dogs. But put me in front of a dachshund and I lose all rational thought. Is it those short, stumpy legs, those pointy noses and tails, those floppy ears? I think it might be the floppy ears.

My husband is not so much a dog person and is trying at all costs to keep me from getting one. In desperation he came up with the idea that we at least cannot get a dog until one of our three cats moves on to that big kitty cat-box in the sky. Two of our cats are over 11 years old, so there is hope that I might get some canine love before I turn 40 (4 years from now) but that is probably doubtful. Cats can live forever just to spite you. (One of our friends has a cat that just turned 21!)

I have channeled my dog desires through my art, painting dachshund after dachshund after dachshund. I think a lot of people see my art and assume I own one. Now I am becoming one of those crazy dog ladies without even owning one! Friends have started giving me dachshund themed gifts. Last year my mom gave us an anniversary card with two dachshunds on it and also gave Trevor a dachshund calendar for Christmas. (I thought it was funny, he didn't so much.)

And last Saturday at our big holiday wine tasting party, my friend Ann brought me a pin in the shape of a dachshund. The coolest thing about it is that it is fused glass combined with antique typewriter parts!


You can find lots more typewriter/fused glass art over at My Typo's.

And look soon at my Etsy shop for prints of "Gimpy"--the dachshund with the cone collar.

Until I find myself the proud owner of a dachshund, I will just have to keep channeling my desires into my art. That's healthy, right?