MEET, COCOA!
Aka: Cocoa Pop, Boo, Peanut, etc. He is a 10 year old, short-haired, red w/black miniature dachshund.
Santa brought him to our family about a decade ago. He came with a dog crate that had his name on it and a giant Christmas box of dog things like a collar, leash, dishes, food, treats, toys and the like. He was such a cutie puppy. Small enough to fit in my one hand. His tail was black and he had a black stripe down his back. Currently he is looking rather distinguished with all his gray on his muzzle and paws. Kinda like me!

He’s a long little doggy… Sweaters don’t cover the whole weiner
We call him our “anorexic” dachshund because no matter how much he eats (and he does eat) he stays so skinny. If only I had that problem!!! He only weighs about 8 lbs. now.
Cocoa’s hobbies include: Sleeping, messing with his brother, sleeping, playing with his “Bo-bo”(that’s a long skinny dog toy that he gets quite friendly with) and did I mention that Cocoa likes to sleep? Oh yeah! Cocoa likes to sleep. 

Dogs were made to sleep in the sun
He has a fur lined cheetah print dog bed complete with matching cheetah print plush towel that he snuggles under. Wherever there is a blanket left lying around, you better check it before you step on it or sit on it because chances are Cocoa’s underneath it. Dachshunds are burrowers.

Cocoa’s favorite place!
My love of dachshunds started on my 6th birthday when my parents decided I needed a pet. We went to a policeman’s house whose dog had had a litter of dachshund puppies. I can remember walking in his front door and little dachshund puppies running everywhere and jumping all over us. I had never seen anything like it. They were adorable!
We got a female from him and named her, Honey. She was red like Cocoa but standard-sized.
Honey and I were inseparable. I fed her, brushed her, played with her, dressed her up and boy, could she play ball in the back yard! Later on we bred her and she had 2 pups-Cinnamon (male) and Nutmeg (female). In her old age, we had to put her down due to some bladder issues. Sad day! Broke my heart!
During the first years of our marriage, my husband bought me another dachshund to keep me company while he was working some nights. His name was Basil.
The best dog ever. A red miniature weiner dog too. He thought he was a big dog and played like one. He could fetch a frisbee, hold it up in the air and run as fast as his little legs could carry him. Unfortunately, he was taken from us too soon. One day he snuck (is that a word?)out the front door and got hit by a car in the street.
Another sad day!
Then we acquired Cujo. Another red miniature dachsund who we found out had been abused as a puppy. That explained a lot. We were unable to keep him with small children in the house. He was just too weird. He did go to a good home though.
So Cocoa is the 6th dachshund I have had. I’ll tell you about all the other dogs we have had along the way another time.
Oh Yeah….did you notice a theme here with the names? Yep. Spices. Honey, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Basil, Cocoa….I look forward to a Ginger and a Rosemary in the future. I just love my little doxies. Arff. Arff.