Origins

As you can see, this blog is named "Big Paw." In dedication to the noble dachshund whose paws seem out of proportion but more so, "Big Paw" is an homage to my favorite movie as a child: Pound Puppies! I am always alluding to the movie and no one seems to remember it. I rented it this weekend so I could relive the great musical parodies and it was just as amazing as I remember! Zola was entertained also. I recommend this movie not only to children but also those entertained by talking animals and 'puppy power!'

Mighty

Small but Mighty!

Crates

We don't crate Zola, although I know there are more advantages than disadvantages, Zola isn't left alone longer than 3 or 4 hours at a time so I have just never bothered. Plus through experience I have learned she doesn't destroy things or get into trouble while she is alone. I came up on this website today: http://www.denhaus.com/, which features some amazing crate designs. Maybe I could jump on the boat and crate train her with one of these since they are far removed from the crates that resemble prisons.

This image from http://www.denhaus.com/

Creative Paws

Meet Tillamook Cheddar: http://www.tillamookcheddar.com/ .This dog is a painter/artist I am amazed at by the pieces. (Photos from ^website.)

One More

(I forgot to add in my previous post) I have been meaning to share. My friend KC sent this to me because she felt it represented Joe and I. I feel it's pretty fitting although it lacks Zola.

Riding

Today is a day made up of many post. I mentioned earlier that Zola is a 'car riding enthusiast' and although this image may incriminate me I still thought it worthy of my blog. This is Zola's typical spot when we take a drive:Zola and I, photo compliments of Joe/daddy.

Inspiration

A few post back I mentioned all of the creative doxie pieces on Etsy and I figured I would post some of my own works (Having an art degree and all). I created these shirts to help raise funds for the Dachshund rescue of North America (www.DRNA.org). The shirt never took off but I haven't really publicized them beyond small blogs. I did a couple of designs and made 3 or each (S,M,L). I thought if they took off I would try to build some capital and start a screen printing shop out of my garage. Now that I work full time I have been dragging my feet on working on new designs. If I do get around to posting them on Etsy hopefully the will take off. I also planned on adding some embroidery to the design which is also why I have yet to really push the sales.Without further ado, here hey are...

Plans

I decided for Zola's Birthday we would hit the local dog park and have a picnic. Zola loves to go for car rides and I think it would nice to take a ride with the windows rolled down. When we get to the park I will let her of her leash so she can run like mad in celebration of her first birthday! I also thought (weather pending) we could have a picnic at the park and enjoy the outdoors. Luckily, Zola's birthday is in September so I'm crossing my fingers for a cool breeze and clear skies.

Birthdays

Zola's birthday is fast approaching and I have been looking for ideas. I know I may sound a little "off my rocker," but as I stated previously, they have such a short time here (relatively speaking) and I want to make the most of it...call me crazy or not! Zola is spoiled enough and after all, it's not only their loyalty that makes them great it's also their disregard for materials and status. Just for fun I was searching for fun pup B-days and I found some pretty neat stuff from funstufffordogs.com:
I saw this bed and I thought it was so adorable. If Zola was'nt insistent on sleeping with me I would totally get this just because of it's novelty.
I'm not a bike rider, but I thought the lil doxie in the pink carrier was irresistable and worthy of appearing in my blog.I also want to make something like this. I have seen several made out of wood and such but it never crossed my mind to make one from foam. I just think it's very important for dachshunds to avoid jumping whenever possible...they are prone to back problems as they age.