The New England
Spring Fling '99

New England just had their 1999 Spring Fling. Here is the recap.

Why was I thinking that this year's New England picnic was going to be smaller than normal? Anita from Vermont giggled and kidded me yesterday as the yard swelled with more people and dogs than ever before. I really missed the few who couldn't make it, especially those that have been in attendance since year one. Judy, Kenny and gang, your presence was felt here, in spite of your absence.

We had so many wonderful canines and humines with us. My vet, Dick and his lovely wife Charlene, and daughters Kim and Hannah (and friends), who are all owned by 3 of the most gorgeous long hairs, (next to Klaus and Liebling, of course), came to witness this incredible event. Their standard Dachshund's names are Bond, Sunny and 8 month old Waylon, who is just so incredibly adorable, that I can now picture my family being owned by one. Bob wasn't quite as impressed. :-) Nancy, our vet tech, arrived with her son Kyle and sweet Dachshunds Sadie and Tess. Catherine, my friend and CCD assistant, and her niece were there, as was my buddy Lisa and Andrew with teeny Sophie and loves-to-run Molly; Lueree with Pookie, Clover, Chili Dog, & Ecco and her neat humine friends, Mrs Bubba and Mercedes; Joan and Scotsman Nick with Klaus and Liebling; Anita and Grandma Bee with Sara Lee, Murphy Brown, sweet Dee Dee and of course, the beautiful Agnes; Rebekkah with Jack and her friend Sharon; special friend Meg, who was escorted by her buddy, Pork Chop; and last but not least, our own Pat Cate with Smudge, Spike and Tess.

There were many honorary Dachshunds to be found at the Fazio's this year. From Greyhounds (Lueree's beauty, Ecco) and Wheaton Terriors (Lisa's Molly) to my own very well behaved (whew! What a relief.) Goldens.

Instead of the partly sunny and cold windy weather forecast that was predicted, we actually had the sun with us the entire day. Thank goodness for that, since the winds did get a bit nippy, at times.

So many dogs could be seen, at any moment, running, rolling and jumping, and when all was said and done, finding a nice shady place to stretch out for a power nap. I must say that my Paco had the best time of all! Every time I looked - there he was, with either Grandma Bee's Murphy Brown or Anita's Sara Lee, (See? He knows which females to hang with. Not only the adorable ones but the famous ones, too! :-) taking turns rolling balls, digging for something smelly, bobbing for wiener dogs or rolling around on the ground together. The Dachshund race and Wiener Bob were pretty spectacular, with the race including at least, I'd say, 20-25 Dachshunds all set to spring toward the finish line (all at the same time!). Needed an instant replay to ascertain exactly who won, since everyone was in tears laughing so hard that nobody caught who the heck got to the finish line first. Seeing my Bobby crying with laughter was a delight in and of itself. The Bob? Well, what can I say about the Bob - they all caught on pretty quickly; that in order to get a morsel that Auntie Anita threw into the pot, they had to get wet, and get wet they did. When Anita turned it into a free-for-all, many were taking turns getting absolutely soaked. It was either Sunny or Bond (Dick's long-hair standards) that drew the most attention, with his Jacque Cousteou-type dives in and out of the water, over and over again. He was pretty wet, from head to toe, by the time it was all said and done.

Now, to go rest up with my still-tired pups. I've never seen them so bushed, yet content.

Thank you for helping to make this such a special day.

Roberta, Jean N. and Robby P, thank you too for your well-wishes and prayers for a nice day yesterday. I'm sure that your positive thoughts and prayers had a lot to do with it, too. Roberta, not only is it the computer that has gotten us all together, but especially our dogs. It was the need to learn about this special breed, when Pork Chop first arrived, that allowed me the pleasure to meet everyone.