We met Mandy one rainy, cold day over 10 years ago. We were visiting my mother when there came a knock at her
door. I walked to the door with my mother and when I looked outside, here was a little girl with a Dachshund in tow. The little
black and tan Doxie was soaked to the skin and shivering with cold. The little girl asked if the dog belonged to us and we
told her no. She then said that she would walk around the neighborhood for a while longer, trying to find the Doxie's home.
I told the child that if the dog's owner was not located to bring the dog back and we would adopt her. In just 10 minutes
there was another knock on the door. The girl said that her grandmother told her to sell the dog to us for $10.00! I politely
declined and the girl said, "Okay, then, you can just have her," and she left.
On the drive back home, we went back and forth as to what we would name our new furbaby, finally settling on "Mandy"
because it was a popular German name and Dachshunds originated in Germany. We had no idea at that time what joy Mandy would
bring us and how much we would grow to love her. We didn't know this dog at all - not her personality, not her devotion,
not her love. We felt were taking a big step in adopting this dog. Perhaps one we would be sorry for.
We soon discovered that Mandy was housebroken, so whomever had had her previously had done a great job. Doxies are known
to be difficult to housebreak. She knew how to sit, but that was about the extent of her knowledge.
Though I'm not a believer in that an animal must be trained to do tricks, I do appreciate well-behaved pets. And Mandy
was the perfect little lady.
We took her to our veternarian right away for vaccinations and spaying and she settled in as though she had been a part
of our family all along.
