[I'm sure most of you know what's coming in this post but first off, let's give a huge thank you to Jamie for helping us get this blog up and running, adding her expert opinion and fantastic energy throughout our first eight months.

Our darling Jamie is getting increasingly busy as she continues to take over the world so she has retired from our dachshund crew. Best of luck Miss Lovely and for all you readers who can't get enough, you can find here at Oh How Lovely!.

Sooooooooooo...that means we have a brand new contributor joining the WYD team today! Please give a very warm welcome to Jonathan and his two pups Jackson and Jefferson!]

What’s there to say about me?

I’m a man. A groomer. About to become a dog trainer. An owner of two spunky dachshunds.

A glutton for punishment.

When I was a boy I had a great little dachshund named Jordan. He was very well trained and helped me get through those awkward teenage years and early twenties. He had a long, mainly healthy life and left our family when I was 23. I now believe that I must have repressed some memories, as no dog could have been that good all the time. I will never know. Needless to say I was spoiled.

Flash forward five years later and I was ready for another long bundle of joy.

Jackson came in to my life after a frustrating day at animal shelters and the Humane Society. I found him at a local pet store and fell in love immediately (This was before I knew about puppy mills and would never do so again). He’s been with me since January 2004 when I found him at six weeks old. He’s a smallish, smooth standard with a rich red color and black tippings. He’s a solid 20 pounds of pure energy. Jackson very much wants to be Alpha and we are working on that. Mainly he’s a happy-go-lucky dog who just wants you to throw his ball and fill his food bowl.

Jefferson almost magically appeared in my life. A friend put me in touch with a woman whose dachshund had given birth to a litter of puppies. Three days later Jackson had a little brother. I got him in November of 2005 when he was 12 weeks old. Jefferson is a miniature, half long/half smooth. His coloring depends on the day, you can almost always see red and black, but sometimes a little tan pops up, too. Jefferson is the total opposite of Jackson. He’s mellow, generally quiet and naps A LOT more. He’s also been my little guinea pig during my trek to become a groomer. He knows he is the more photogenic of the two.

Ever since then these two guys have watched me amass a large amount of dachshund related stickers, t-shirts, knick-knacks and collectibles. They have tolerated me dressing them up in clothing and costumes. They have learned to sit, stay and come when called, but not much else.

They have become my family.