Ginger (with Patty Snell) and Elvis (with Jeremy Snell) are both approximately 3 1/2 years old. Ginger is serious but also quite the cuddler, often jumping up on the couch, and burrowing under a blanket.
After Patty and Jeremy Snell got their first daschund (or wiener dog as they call them), 3 years ago they named him Elvis, but it soon became apparent that he was lonely. So the search was on to find him a companion. It led them to a 'puppy mill' (that although no charges were in the offing, housed over 100 dogs) and essentially rescued another daschund. "Jeremy wanted to call her Priscilla but I thought that would be too silly." Patty said. "So I told her then it had to be Ginger," Jeremy said.
Elvis has long hair, while Ginger is a short haired variety. This is reflected in their personalities somehow. "He's really carefree and easy going and a go-getter, while she's really kind of serious," Jeremy explained. Ginger may be serious, but it's probably because she's had puppies. "Our friends and families wanted them," Patty said. So now they have an extended family and in fact get together. "We had seven wiener dogs at a wedding we went to in April," Patty continued, "and they get along great. A friend of ours who had a stroke couldn't work, so we gave him one and now he can get out and walk."
The Snell's also know a lot about the breed. "They were bred to be badger hunters," explained Jeremy, "and have hooked teeth that would grip and help them pull a badger out of a hole." Although Elvis and Ginger are of the miniature variety of the breed, they retain this trait.
Of the two dogs, Elvis is more discerning about his toys. "You can hide his favorite toy under all of them (he has hundreds) and he will dig down, pull all of them out and find it," explained Patty, "although it's not always the same toy."
"I can't have kids," Patty said," so these dogs are the light of our lives." It's clear that the love is mutual too. "If they know we're going on vacation, they will climb in our suitcase and try to go along," Patty concluded.
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Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.
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