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| Name: |
Martha Stewart
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Age: |
Nineteen years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Miniature Dachshund
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| Home: |
Aurora, Ontario, Canada |
Martha
came to us as the last of four related dachsies, and right from the
beginning she wanted to be the head honcho. She is a Miniature Longhaired
Dachshund (Chocolate Dapple). Of course, she wasn't allowed to be by the
others, but it didn't stop her from trying! One of the photos shows the four
amigos: Martha, Dulcie, Betty and Princess. They all got along famously and
it was quite an event when we took them for a walk, and although people
thought we were crazy to take on four dogs at once, they were not much harder
to look after than just one.
For several years, the four of them shared one big beanbag bed and it was
hilarious watching them vie for position about every ten minutes. They went
to the spa together, ate together out of shared bowls, and generally enjoyed
racing around in the garden!
Sadly, one by one the other girls got old and passed away until only Martha
was left. She is the only one of our dogs that did not grieve for her
friends; when we came home in tears after Betty's death, Martha was right
there with a "isn't it suppertime?" look on her face, and she never looked
back. She had finally made it to Number 1!
She did have a few quirky leftovers from being one of four; we soon learned
that she felt her food dish had to be hidden even though there was no longer
any competition. There were times that we almost gave up trying to find it
because she was very determined that no one would. Behind the toilet, under a
blanket, in another room under the furniture... she tried them all. I even
have a photo of her food bowl on it's side pushed in behind the sofa!
In some ways, Martha has been the most distinctive of all our dachsies. She
has a curious bark which is more like a rooster crowing and she uses it like
a weapon, in other words just when you least expect it! Usually when you are
on the phone or deep into a book instead of her. Her coloration and
personality have always made her the centre of attention and she loves every
minute of it. It is hard to take bad photos of her because she is always
ready for a photo op. The picture of her in the shrub is my personal
favorite, and has been painted by a local dog artist and hangs over my fireplace.
As you can see in the her happy Martha photo, she has had a loving and fun
filled life, and her vet says Martha has no idea how old she is so she just
keeps motoring on. In January, she was nineteen years old and the photo of her in
the red bed is the most recent. Her hearing started to go some time ago, and
this year she lost her remaining eyesight, but in spite of those challenges,
she still runs the show. Her internal clock makes her a stern taskmaster when
it is time to be in the kitchen or go to bed, and she lets me know! Trips to
the vet for her spa day are a joy she shares with the entire staff there. She
gets hugged and fussed over and treated like the star she has always been.
I know one day she will pass from this life to the next, but I can promise
you ... she will never be gone from my heart and those of so many others that
have known and loved her over all these years.
See more images of Martha Stewart!
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Talk about Martha Stewart in Pet Talk!
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