Another Day...another Weenie

It's 

Harvey Bing!

full name: Harvey Bing-a-Ling-a-Ding-Dong-Dog

Here is my precious little baby. This dog was my third to add to the family. I didn't plan on getting him. You see...I got Newman in 2003 and he was so fantastic, my Mom decided she just had to have a male pup from the same breeder. Don't worry...they didn't come from a puppy mill. They came from a very nice lady that lives in Yukon that had a family of dachshunds and she occasionally bred them.

Harvey enjoying the sunshine on the back deck.

I let her know we wanted a boy for my Mom whenever she had another litter. We had to wait a year and a half before she had another. She emailed me to let me know that she had black & tans and a red and two brothers that were double dapple. She said we must come see them. 

Well, we went to see them when they were about 4 weeks old. So cute. Little white and brown spotted pups with pink noses and blue eyes. Mom picked out which of the two she liked the best. It was really hard to decide. 

The breeder, Lita, said she'd really like to see us take both of the brothers because she knew we'd be such good parents. I already had Violet and Newman. And Newman was still young and quite the handful. I said....I really shouldn't. I'd love to but two was enough for me.

It was hard to take photos of Harvey...since he is deaf...I can't make a noise to get his attention. He loves to sit on the deck and look out on the yard. I have many many photos of his backside. Did you ever see such a fat tail? Sometimes I call him pumpkin because he's round like a pumpkin. I also call him Mr. Sweet Feet because he has the cutest fat feet.

So the morning four weeks later that we went to get Mom's pup, I woke up in the bed with Violet on one side and Newman on the other. Newman was almost two and not tearing up things any more. I actually thought that morning....poor Mom....she's going to be chasing after a puppy tonight and for the next year....while I'll be all settled in with my two grown dogs....no puppy to chase after.

We get to Lita's and there are the two darling boys...in all their spotted, blue eyed glory. Mom's pup is a handful but his brother is quiet and sweet. Lita tells me that the one not chosen by Mom is her favorite and she really wishes I would take him. So Mom looks at me...it's just a few days before my birthday and she says..."Well, do you want him for your birthday?" Well, of course I couldn't refuse a puppy for my birthday, now could I?

We left with both of them.

All the way home with them...we kept saying to each other that they were so cute...we couldn't believe they were real. I kept thinking that over and over that they were too cute to be real and that my little one looked like a spotted flop eared rabbit. All of a sudden I knew his name had to be Harvey like "Harvey" the movie with James Stewart about the invisible rabbit named Harvey.

Mom named her's Marcus.

I was so worried that adding the third dog would bring great chaos to my life. But I needn't have worried. From day one, Harvey was the easiest of all. I did notice early on that he didn't react to noise. I'd come in the back door and all the dogs would be sleeping. Violet and Newman would get up as soon as they heard the keys in the door....but Harvey would keep sleeping. I soon realized that Harvey was deaf. This a result of his being a double dapple dachshund. I knew this was a risk when he was born. There is always the chance that double dapples will be deaf or blind. The dapple gene can cause this. I think Lita knew he was deaf and that is why she pushed him on me. Which is fine....he is perfect as he is and I've never regretted having him.

He was the easiest of puppies to raise. He is never any trouble at all. He never tries to runaway like Newman and he's not bossy like Violet. I won't go in to here all the things that Sally does that are so bad....we'll wait for her moment in the spotlight to talk about that.

Harvey watches my hand movements and the expression on my face. When I smile at him...he wiggles all over and hops toward me. He comes to me when I motion for him to with my hands. True, it's hard to get his attention if he has his back to me. And he was a little hard to house train because he couldn't hear me say..."Outside". Usually, I can get a puppy stop what they are doing by clapping...saying "No" or saying "Outside" but this didn't work with Harvey....I had to physically go get him and stop him from whatever he was doing. But like I say, he was an easy puppy and it really wasn't that difficult.

Finally, got him to look up at me.

Harvey is afraid of the big wide world. The few times he's been out in the front yard....he's run back to the backyard. He is happy just staying at the house...unlike Newman.

I call Harvey my little pot bellied pig because he does love to eat and he is very fluffy. I know this is terrible....he weighs 30lbs! He should weigh about 18 at most. So this is not good. We really have to do a diet but the other dogs do so well on free feeding, I hate to put the food up and get them where they start thinking about food all the time and stuff themselves when they do get it.

Harvey loves to play with the food bowl. He loves to flip it with his foot and watch the food fly everywhere. Something that seems to annoy the other dogs. They don't like to have to go searching for their food. They'd rather just eat it out of the bowl. But Harvey loves to do this. At night...you can hear him flipping and flipping the bowl over and over.

Harvey with Violet. 

At night when I put all of them in the bed...it's Harvey that comes up and climbs up into the crook of my arm to sleep with his head on the pillow next to me. If I am reading a book or magazine and am not lying like he wants me to...he'll cry till I put the book down so that he can get in his spot. I go to sleep most nights with him snoring in my face...which is just fine with me.

Harvey and all sleeping together like they love to do. When I am at the computer...this is usually what is at my feet or some configuration.

As all my dogs do...Harvey has his own song, sung to the tune of
"Everything's Coming Up Roses"

Harvey Bing
Harvey Bing

He's got the world, world on a string.

Harvey Bing
Harvey Bing

Everything's coming up Har-vey!
Everything's coming up Har-vey!

Harvey Bing
Harvey Bing

He's got the world, world on a string, ding

Harvey Bing
Harvey Bing

Everything's coming up Har-vey!
Everything's coming up Har-vey!

Everything's coming up Harvey, for you and for me!

Harvey Bing
Harvey Bing

and repeat until you can't go any more.



Harvey with is worried face. He has this face a lot. He worries a lot. It's a big scary world out there and he wants nothing to do with it.

That's my Harvey Bing!