Dog profile for Benny, a male Chihuahua/Dachshund

Chihuahua/Dachshund

Photo Comments

Home:Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Ireland

Sex: Male Weight: 1-10 lbs

Dogster stats for Benny


Stars:

Leave a bone for Benny

Nicknames:
Benny Man, Wee Fella, Cranky Old Man, the Flying Squirrel, Ninja dog

Doggie Dynamics:

Energy

sleepy		energetic

Intelligence

silly		genius

Friendliness

aggressive		affectionate

Playfulness

not playful		very playful

Disposition

anxious		calm

Quick Bio:

-pound dog

Birthday:
February 14th 1992

Likes:
Eating and sleeping, in no particular order....

Pet-Peeves:
having my nails trimmmed and cold weather....

Favorite Toy:
Nylabones, nylabones, nylabones!

Favorite Food:
anything I'm not supposed to eat!

Favorite Walk:
anywhere I'm likely to find old food on the ground!

Best Tricks:
I finally figured out "sit"all by myself. I gave it a try one day after noticing that my sister, Stella, gets a cookie for sitting, so I did it too, and what do you know - I got a cookie as well! How easy is that!

Arrival Story:
I was a stray that ended up at the Santa Clara Humane Society. They sent me up to Pets Unlimited Shelter in SF because I needed surgery for a bum knee. When I got there they discovered that I had bladder stones too, blah. While I was recovering I met this corgi mix called Stella. I tried to be cranky with her, but she paid no attention to me and acted like we were old friends. Finally I gave up the cranky act and resigned myself to having a new partner in crime. We got adopted together by our mum, who worked at the shelter.

Bio:
I HATE being separated from my sister, Stella, and once climbed a 4 1/2 foot babygate to get to her! She was sick, and I was supposed to be giving her some peace and quiet to get better, but I was having none of that! My crowning glory though, was the day I managed to open up the door of the pantry in our kitchen, climb up FOUR shelves to where there was a half full bag of Stella's kibble. I stuck my head in and ate like there was no tommorrow! As soon as I heard mum's key in the door I scarpered back to my bed and lay there like nothing had happened. It was dinnertime and when mum took our bowls out of the cupboard she thought it was a bit unusual that I didn't dash over and do the "Dinnertime Dance" like I usually do - actually I was starting to feel a bit crummy if you really must know. When she noticed that the edge of the bag of kibble was damp (from my slobber) she thought that there might be water leaking down from the neighbors kitchen. Then, slowly, the penny started to drop and it dawned her why I was so quiet. She dashed over and picked me up and saw how full my belly looked. The next thing you know I was over at the emergency vet, where they took x-rays, and gave me fluids so that I could fast for 24 hours. Everyone thought it was pretty funny that my stomach looked like a little brain in the x-rays. I just wanted to go home and have a power nap. Talk about a "Lost Weekend"! **So I woke up one morning this May and we were in Ireland, not San Francisco! I guess we live here now. No big deal, I still have my Nylabone, and my bed, so it's all the same to me. ***In October 2007 wee Benny had to have emergency surgery on a ruptured disc in his back. He had woken up that morning paralyzed as the disc was putting pressure on his spinal cord. Despite his advanced years, the vet thought he stood a good chance of surviving surgery, so we went ahead with it. Well nearly 6 weeks later, despite a large scar and an "interesting" haircut, he is up and around, and, though initially a bit wobbly, has regained use of his back legs! He's a Wonderdog! ***Wee Ben left this world on January 24th, 2009. He woke up that morning with no use of his back legs - the same disc problem that surgery had attempted to fix back in '07. The vet back in Ireland had warned that Chihuahuas and Doxies had a high risk of relapse after surgery, and unfortunately that proved to be the case with the wee man. He did get an extra 1 1/2 years of active life post surgery, during which time we moved back to the States (Oakland, CA), where he galloped around on his walks like a dog half his age. He was larger than life and his loss leaves a big gap in mine. Slan Abhaile, Ben. ***July 2009 update: Well it looks like Ben will continue on in an unexpected format - he's going to appear on a greeting card! Someone from one of the big card companies saw that great photo of himself and Stella with the dark green background and want the image for a card - though bizarrely they don't want Stell in it?! Shhh, just don't anyone tell her, she'll be crestfallen! It's going to be nice to be able to send a card with Benny on it to all the folks who knew him.

Forums Motto:
If it fits in my mouth, it's edible!

The Groups I'm In:
The Celtic Connection

I've Been On Dogster Since:

August 2nd 2005