Tommy is doing GREAT. What a SMART fellow he is! He and I visit my mother's home every day so that has become his second home where he even has his own food & water bowls, bed and toys.

I did a DNA test on Tommy to discover his pedigree and discovered he is approximately 4/5 Dachshund and 1/5 Parson (Jack) Russell Terrier, which certainly explains some of his non-Dachshund traits such as the long legs, among other characteristics.

A young couple who reside two doors away from my home, recently adopted a St. Bernard pup. He is HUGE compared to Tommy, however the two get along quite well; at least Tommy patiently tolerates the slobbers and licks from Guiness. I think Guiness is fascinated with Tommy's much smaller stature. It will be interesting to see how the friendship develops between the two.

Tommy and I take up to 3 walks each day; early morning before I depart for work; mid-to-late afternoon; and a final one in the evening. Each of the walks incorporates off-leash time which he LOVES. He races around and then stops to look for me before continuing on. The local fairgrounds provide an exceptional off-leash area for him. In fact, all of the attached photos were taken there.  Tommy has been an incredible addition to my life and I believe he is very happy with me.

Update October '20

Tommy is alive and thriving (and sitting beside me as I type this) although for several years now he has been my mother’s dog. I am simply the servant who feeds & walks him; otherwise he is VERY devoted to my mother and literally pines for her when she is out if his sight. His devotion switched from me in 2017 when I was gifted with a couple of laying hens from a relative. He became jealous of the attention they were taking away from him. One day, he simply refused to depart from my mother’s home following a visit there and never spent another night in my home. In 2018, I moved in with my (now) 82-year old mother so he has all his needs and desires fulfilled between the two of us. Simply put: he is spoiled rotten!

Shortly after adopting him, he underwent a DNA test (gum swab) to determine his breed genetics, and we learned he is 4/5 Dachshund and 1/5 Jack Russell, which explains his longer legs and shorter ears, however his personality is definitely 100% Dachshund based on my experience as an owner of 4 previous dachshunds.

He still LOVES his twice daily walks (down from 3 in the past) but is otherwise fairly active for a dog his age. He had dental surgery in the early summer to remove some loose teeth but is in excellent health and fit as a fiddle.

Back to Happy Tails page