Ojai is one of Ava Maria's puppies.  Ava Maria come to us from a kill shelter and she was so pregnant that we thought she was going to pop!  When she did deliver, she had five puppies.

 

Ava Maria is a 30 pound standard Dachshund so we know she is part Dachshund.  As for the daddy, well...who knows.

 

Foster Update 02/28/2010:  Puppies are three weeks old now, and starting to exhibit personalities
of their own!  They are all between 2 and 2.5 lbs, trying to climb into their mama's food bowl for snacks of their own, and escaping from the crate.  Ojai is a dark brown/black female, with a few white hairs on her chest.  She was one of the first two to wag her tail in greeting.  She was the first pup to open her eyes, but is relatively small compared to her littermates.  Her nickname is Snugglebug!

 

Foster Update 04/06/2010 -- Ojai (prounced, Oh-hi) is the smallest of the litter, but is full of personality. She loves people and other dogs.  I put her on the leash once a day, but she doesn't really know what it's all about, yet. We call her Ojai the Princess, because she loves to be carried around rather than walk on her own :-) 

 

According to www.dogbreedinfo.com, the Dachshund (pronounced dak sund) originated in Germany many hundreds of years ago. "Dachs" is the word for badger. The Dachshund was bred to hunt and follow these animals to earth, gradually becoming highly evolved, with shortened legs to dig the prey out and go down inside the burrows. Smaller Dachshunds where bred to hunt hare and stoat. Dachshunds have many "terrier" characteristics. They are versatile and courageous dogs and have been known to take on foxes and otters, besides badgers. Lively and affectionate; proud and bold, almost rash. Tenacious. Can be willful and clownish. Curious and mischievous, they are very clever and may attempt to train the owner rather than allow the opposite. Devoted to his family, some fanciers feel the long-haired variety is calmer than the other two types. The wire-haired variety is more outgoing and clown-like. All are slightly difficult to train. Dachshunds are good dogs to travel with. They are best with older, considerate children and are moderately protective. These little dogs like to bark (their barks are surprisingly loud for their size) and are compulsive diggers. They are generally okay with other pets, however, they can be jealous, irritable, obstinate and very quick to bite. Sometimes they will refuse to be handled. They should not be over fed, for this breed tends to gain weight quickly. They have a life expectancy of 12-15 years.