We’re celebrating Emily’s “bark mitzvah” today; which is to say Mimi has officially turned lucky 13! And we’re beyond grateful because 5 weeks ago this Monday, Emily woke up with two wobbly back legs and a very uncertain future. So we’re thrilled to share with you all that Emily is walking again!!! She can’t really jump up or take stairs right now, but that’s just fine with us. We say she has limited mobility, and again, for us that’s a big win. She actually adorable when she gets excited and start to do this little hop. Paws crossed she continues to improve.
Okay. Please join us in wishing Emily “Mimi” Sue a very happy and lucky 13th year of life. We spent the day together at home with the pack, gobbling treats, napping and snuggling. What a beautifully charmed life we have.
If you’re keeping track at home, we now have a 11-year-old blind red smooth miniature dachshund, Lily Blossom; and a 13-year-old marginally mobile smooth black and tan tweenie dachshund. Affectionately known as our girls. Along with cousin Milo, everyone’s favorite smooth red dapple. Our girls might not be perfect, but they’re perfect for us and our life.
Love ya! Spoil them while you can. We do. Every. Chance. We. Get.
First. Thank you to everyone who shared their love and support during this emotionally challenging time. Three weeks ago this Monday, Emily’s back two legs just stopped working properly. She had trouble standing and could not walk. The path to improvement and recovery has been slow, and mid week two was especially sad and taxing. However, by the end of week two, Emily got better. Her appetite has returned. Her bowel movements have been good and consistent. And she’s now able to stand and even walk a little. Nonetheless, we are being steadfast in our conservative crate rest. According the Dodger’s List we probably need to keep Emily on crate rest for a total of EIGHT weeks so… we still have some road ahead of us.
We did one injection of Librela that initial Monday, but after some scary reading online via varied message boards on social media, we are strictly sticking to conservative crate rest and Vet CBD oil as needed. Wish us luck friends and please continue to keep us in your thoughts. We welcome all positive healing thoughts.
Today we woke up ready to celebrate my spouse’s birthday, and instead we were greeted with Emily’s wobbly back legs when we took her outside to pee and poop. Ugh. Heartbreaking. A dachshund humans’ worst nightmare. Emily “Mimi” Sue turns 12 next month and now this happens. Sigh.
As a family, we’ve been very lucky with our dachshunds and their backs. Rufus had three episodes, in 17 years, if I remember correctly. And they were all treated with conservative crate rest, cold laser therapy and some pain meds.
When we got to the vet’s office around noon, our long-time trusted veterinarian recommended Librela. One shot. I know this relatively new drug has received mixed reviews, but our paws are crossed and we’re hoping for the best. We’re now going to wait and observe.
Emily has peed twice since we’ve been home and even pooped once. She’s ate some cooked chicken, but refused her dry kibble. She has had some water so we remain optimistic. She seems to be pouting a little because she’s on crate rest.
So if you’re keeping count, we have one nearly blind hound (Lily Blossom at age 10) and now a wobbly / semi-paralyzed one (Emily Sue). We got laugh to keep from crying. But we wouldn’t change it for the world. We love our girls and are extremely grateful to have them in our lives.
This is where you can help! First, we welcome all good and healing thoughts and prayers. Second, if you have any feedback on Librela OR other alternative drugs and treatments, let us know in the comments. Thanks in advance for all the love and support. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.
After a 909 day hiatus; nearly 2 years and 6 months, post Rufus’ passing, we’re back! For me, it has been a long and hard road back to life without him. Thank goodness for our girls, especially our sweet little Lily Blossom.
Nonetheless, we have finally returned to our Adventures with Dachshunds and friends. Today was an exceedingly exceptional good day centered around our dogs, the great outdoors and photography.
Big THANKS to our nephew Sam and his adorable Yorkie pup Shadow for encouraging us to get back out there in the world.
Hello friends. 👋🏼😊 It has been a minute since we have offered an official update, so how about we do that now. Overall our pack is healthy, happy and safely staying close to home these days. We are grateful for our life together and really don’t have any complaints. #Blessed #Lucky
Since Rufus’ passing, nearly a year ago, we really struggled to find our new normal. The girls have received lots of attention these last 10 months, but the girls are very different than Rufus and so our routine and habits have had to changed.
Emily Sue
Emily Sue. Emily will turn 11 this November. Yay! Despite being a few pounds overweight, she seems very content with her life. She remains healthy. She had zero extractions this February during her annual anesthetic cleaning. We have changed her diet to a prescription low-fat dry kibble to help offset the weight gain. Paws crossed; we hope it helps. Only time will tell.
Lily Blossom. Lily will be 9 this July, and unfortunately she is slowly going completely blind. She’s bumps into things a little more often, and occasionally gets stuck in unfamiliar environments. It can be heartbreaking to witness, but she doesn’t seem to be having a pity party about it. Dachshunds appear to be very resilient and a model for their human counterparts on how to keep moving forward in the face of adversity. Lily did have an abscessed tooth removed in March after being cleared by her cardiologist for the cleaning. Despite being an expensive sassy sausage hound, Lily seems to be maintaining a good weight at 9/10 pounds.
The biggest contrast between our girls and Rufus: their lifestyle. Rufus was a very active dog; he was always interested in the next adventure. He enjoyed walks around the neighborhood, rides in the car, frolics on the beach, hikes in nature and monthly visits to the dog parks. The girls do not show much interest in regular outings. Our sweet shy girls often remember me of very affectionate and loyal lazy cats. 😂👍🏽
We hosted a monthly meetup earlier this year, and the girls seemed very indifferent to mixing and mingling. Rufus loved our meetups and was a group ambassador; greeting every human and hound that came our way. The girls stayed close and seemed to show little to no interest in others.
I think the outings can be a little stressful for Lily so we get it. She thrives in the familiar. As long as she is being carried or stowed safely in her dog bag, she’s very happy to be out with us. When we do take Emily for short walks, I usually carry Lily while Emily saunters from one smell to the next. Whereas Rufus would race to the door anytime we would leave the house, begging to tag along, the girls do not. They’re great about offering us a very warm and loud welcome home when we return, but have little interest in putting on their harnesses and going with us.
Lily and Emily
Next Chapter. Many have asked if we plan to get another dachshund, and I’d like to believe we will because three was good number for us, but… now doesn’t feel right. I continue to morun Rufus; it gets more bearable daily but… it’s still a challenge for me. Additionally, I believe we owe it to the girls to shower them with all of our attention and love. We don’t know how Lily’s heart murmur and blindness will progress in the years ahead, and I really want to help Emily lose her extra weight. Maybe we’ll revisit the matter of acquiring another dog in 2023/2024. Two is our number for now. But we remain open to whatever the universe provides.
Instagram: In April 2022; our instagram account was hacked. Boo! We had the account for 10 full years, and naturally we had curated a beautiful collection of memories. To lose them all was devastating. Many of them were obviously of Rufus. 🥰✌🏼🌈 The photos are not lost forever, I have backups spread across multiple hard drives and iCloud, and I do hope to recreate a new and improved IG account celebrating the past and present. If you want follow along, please do! Our new IG handle is @MrJohnnyOrtezTibbels. All are welcome.
We also have a TikTok at the same handle name, but have only posted one video. Follow along there as well, and perhaps we’ll create more TikTok content too! Our Twitter handle (since 2009) remains @jortez. And our DOGS Facebook page continues to be https://www.facebook.com/DOGSnonprofit. You’re welcome to tune in on whatever social media platform you like best. The content will vary slightly from each site, and in the absence of an official entry here, I’ll do intermediate updates on social media. So for the very latest and greatest follow us and get your daily dose of dachshund delight! We’ll be showcasing Emily, Lily, Rufus and friends of yesteryear and today.
I believe y’all are now all caught up and current. Remember your comments are always welcome here and on our socials. We enjoy hearing from you so please don’t be shy. Update us on you and yours now!!! Love ya!
Affectionately yours, Emily, Lily and their humans. 😘
The hits keep coming. 2021, has brought our family some highs, and some extreme lows. Our shy and nervous nelly Lily Blossom is most certainly going blind. Here is what the Veterinary Eye Clinic said exactly:
Lily Blossom’s recent vision loss is due to sudden acquired retinal degeneration. Ophthalmic examination revealed that Lily Blossom had markedly reduced vision responses in both eyes. She still had some light perception and shadow vision, but minimal functional vision. Pupillary light responses were present but decreased. No anatomical changes were noted in either eye. Electroretinography revealed that Lily Blossom had a marked decrease in photoreceptor function in both eyes. These findings confirmed that her vision loss was not secondary to a central lesion but due to sudden retinal degeneration.
Vision loss occurs due to loss of function and death of the photoreceptor cells in the retina that capture light. The cause of the disease is unknown. Unfortunately, the loss of vision is permanent in most patients. The disease is not painful. Lily Blossom’s increased appetite and weight gain is also part of this disease.
Our sweet Lily Blossom turned 8 this year, and if we’re being perfectly honest and transparent, we’re upset by the news. We’re sad. We’re nervous. We’re scared. I worry if we’ll be successfully able to meet the new challenges ahead of us. Above of all, we just want continue to give Lily a wonderful and extraordinary life, and pray we have the skill set and resources to do so.
Lily Blossom November 2021
Thankfully, I have known and photographed many special needs dachshunds (blind and paralyzed) over the years, and luckily the precious pooches that I’ve known, despite their physical limitation, remain cheerful and jolly.
If there’s a singular silver lining; it’s Emily Sue. About three years ago, we got word from Emily’s rescue organization that one of Emily’s littermates was going blind. Worried that perhaps it was heredity, we wanted to have Emily checked. We started with our regular vet, and he was unable to offer anything conclusive, and instead recommended the aforementioned eye clinic. At the time, we were consumed Rufus’ constant care and delayed our visit. And then there was a global pandemic. Boo.
Finally, after all of this time, we made our trip to the canine eye doctor. Emily seemingly has some advanced cloudiness in her eyes, but the doctor confirmed her vision is perfect for her age. She turns 10 this month. Yay!
Okay friends, this is where we need your help. What can you tell us!? In the comments here or on social media, please share your favorite resources, websites, etc. that can help ease Lily’s transition from sight to blindness (for both her humans and our hounds). It’s heartbreaking for me, because I imagine it’s hard to have one’s world just gradually go dark (permanently) — but perhaps that me applying our human standards and expectations. Maybe Lily’s canine perspective is different. Only time will tell. Wish us luck, and your continued love and support is appreciated (probably now more than ever).
The year was 2004. My then fiance and I had just wrapped principle photography on a motion picture in NYC, and we were finally back home in our bed in LA resting and recharging after a very hectic six weeks. This was our first Saturday when we didn’t have to be somewhere or do something. We woke up that morning, and after 17 months of consideration, we decided today was the day we get a dachshund!
We went down the block to our neighborhood Starbucks and grabbed a newspaper. Yes. A newspaper. Remember those friends? We found two breeders in the greater LA area selling puppies. At the time we were naive about dog breeders and rescues.
Needless to say, we drove a little over an hour to some suburb that I was not familiar with, and met three darling dachshund puppies. The first two handsome hounds were 8 weeks old. They were precious, but one of them pooped on me. I wasn’t mad though, and as we were considering them, the kind people informed us that there was one other pup available from another litter. He was 10 weeks old and the last one from said litter. They called him Little Napoleon, because it was clear he was primed to be a top alpha dog.
This dog walked in from the barn, and wasn’t carried like the other two. He pranced in with an erect and wagging tail. He came over to me immediately with confidence and gave such a warm welcome. He then seem to excuse himself and proceed to checkout the rest of the room before coming back to me. At 10 weeks old, he seemed fearless to me. I could tell immediately he had a big personality. And I loved that.
During the car ride home, I held this puppy in my lap. For over an hour he just slept, snuggled closed to me, and by the time we got home, I was in love. I believe when we finally arrived home, this dog and I were bonded. And this was the beginning of a beautiful canine love affair for me. The dog was Rufus, my red smooth miniature dachshund.
Since 2004, October 30th has only fallen on a Saturday one other time (2010). Today, on this Saturday, October 30th, it has been 17 wonderful years of Rufus for me and my family. 🥳
At the beginning of the month, I was reviewing all the upcoming birthdays, anniversaries and holidays with my spouse at home in our living room. October is the start of the holiday season for my family. In October we celebrate my spouse’s birthday, our wedding anniversary and the anniversary of getting Rufus and Halloween. I was sitting there itemizing these important dates out loud, and when I naturally got to October 30th, I just lost it. I started crying realizing this, normally a time of celebration and cheer, would be a somber one for me (this year).
In the last 17 years, I loved dressing Rufus in many different dog costumes and sharing them online; we even entered and won a few contests over the years. Most notably we got to meet Cesar Millan. Gosh. There are so many wonderful memories together.
Some of my favorite Rufus Halloweenie Dog Costumes 🥰✌🏼🌈
I know this first holiday season without Rufus (in the physical) will be filled with many mixed emotions. Ugly crying to big smiles of gratitude.
After much resistance, I finally, with the help of my spouse and nephew, found the courage do Halloween photo shoot. Normally, I dress up the dogs, but this year we did it a little different, which seemed fitting since it’s a year unlike others.
Enjoy the photos friends. Emily Sue and Lily Blossom were stellar models like usual, and I remain grateful for them during this continued grieving process. And in this time of pain and healing, I’m reminded of this one friend who told me that she waited 18 years between her first dachshund dying and getting her second. When she told me this story many years ago, I remember thinking to myself, wow that’s a long time to mourn. Today, I completely understand what she meant and what she must have experienced.
Thanks for being there for us friends. Have a happy and safe Halloweenie.
As an amateur dachshund enthusiast turned professional dachshund photographer, I loved to photograph Rufus. As you can probably imagine, I photographed him a lot in 17 years, and he was my inspiration to graduate from a simple compact point-and-shoot camera to my first DSLR. I estimate that I have amassed over a 1 million photos of Rufus, and my collection of pictures (even the early raw out of focus ones) bring me so much pride and joy today.
However, for this post I want to pay homage to all of the many other professional photographers that did me and my family the honor and snapped some sweet keepsakes of our regal Rufus and us.
Normally, I reserve this space to highlight my own original work with the breed, but today I’m thrilled to share with you some of the precious portraits others have taken. And to encourage you all, to please invest in getting your own professional images, at least once or twice, with the photographer of your choice. You’ll be grateful you did. Promise. Sometimes, it is just nice to see what others capture; to see our precious pups through their lens.
Enjoy the photos friends. Looking at them all together here makes my heart sing. May they also make you smile. Love ya! 🥰✌🏼🌈
Photos by: Gregg Segal, Seth Casteel, Robyn Davis, Eric Raptosh, Andy Stolarek, and Grace Chon. 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
A popular pop cultural social-media trend is Throwback Thursday. I think it started around 2013; according to the internet, and as of late has been less trendy as more people are doing Flashback Friday. I’m a fan of both, but why not celebrate Throwback Tuesday!? Thursday is generally a high traffic social media day which is why Thursday was originally picked, but… I want to propose #ThrowbackTuesday, #RememberingRufus. 🥰✌🏼
Tuesday is the day of the week that we said goodbye to Rufus, and today is 10 weeks since he left us. And for anyone keeping track, I finally stopped crying everyday. The Monday after, what would have been his 17th birthday, the tears just inexplicably dried up. I still get emotionally triggered by the weirdest things, but I’m glad to be more emotionally stable. I feel like I’m truly transitioning from the deep grief and pain of his loss to the daily celebration of a beautiful life well lived. Thank you friends for all your support and encouragement during this terribly difficult time.
Going forward we plan to celebrate Rufus each Tuesday. We want to create new memories with the girls, and are actively doing so. I have taken all my love and showered it on them; one might say it has been a deluge of love for our lady hounds. But of course, not one day has passed that I don’t think of my best boy Rufus, and having a designated day for his remembrance works nicely. I think the serve grief and pain I was experiencing 24 days isn’t gone, but has simply moved from the foreground to the back; giving me space to accept and practice our new normal.
Today’s Remembering Rufus takes us back to 2017; when we visited Joshua Tree for the day. Rufus had such a good time this day. We all did. The sights. The smells. The bonding. #ProofIsInThePictures friends.
Please feel free to share your favorite memories of Rufus in the comments here or on social media. Love ya!!!
Our new normal. Tuesday is 8 weeks since Rufus gained his wings and left this plain. If you’re not already following us on social media, please do, and if you are, then you already know this Monday our Lily had to visit the vet because she had some blood in her stool.
To be completely honest, as I’ve shared previously, it has been difficult accepting this new normal. And, I have been uninspired to photograph anything canine related. My dachshund fine art photography originated with Rufus, and with his passing, it’s been tough to resume my passion.
Lily Blossom getting healthy.
Luckily Lily is going to be fine and we don’t think it’s anything serious. However, the scare awoke something in me. I remember thinking to myself, I don’t want my sadness for Rufus’ passing to prevent me from enjoying what I still have. And 56 days later, I took my first photo excursion with my girls.
The experience without Rufus was a little odd at first, but I genuinely loved making new memories, having new adventures and bonding with our sweet girls. And they made me proud today continuing the tradition I started with Rufus 17 years ago.
I suspect Rufus will be part of my days for as long as I’m here. Every time I look at our bed, grab fresh laundry or take a photo of a dachshund, Rufus will be there with me. And I think he’d want me to keep taking photos and celebrate each day as the gift it is.
So, how did our girls do? Super hound models of world? Let us know friends.
Thanks for the continued love and support friends. 🥰✌🏼🌈
Emily Sue & Lily Blossom being super hound models.
rufusontheweb 