Julie & Max and Oscar

Who is in the photo at right?

That’s me Julie, I’m a homeschooling mom, swimmer, slightly obsessive pro-cycling fan, and in my spare time I blog about all of those things on Just Jules. In the picture with me are my two fur babies Max and Oscar.

Max is a male, 11-year-old chocolate lab/ dachshund mix. Yes, you read that correctly.
Oscar is a male, 6-year-old dachshund mix.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

This morning we are watching the Giro D’Italia on the couch. It’s a very common occurrence during cycling season. Max and Oscar sleep while I scream and yell at the computer or TV.

What's brewing?

San Fransisco Bay decaf K-cup with a tablespoon of Coldstone Sweet Cream creamer. These are the strangest K-Cups I’ve ever seen. They have a filter on the bottom instead of plastic. Really one of the best tasting K-cups I have ever tried.

Any treats for you or your dogs on this occasion?

The dogs are eating their breakfast and I had two fried eggs.

How were you and your dogs united?

In 2001, our daughter turned one and we decided to finally get another dog. Our beloved Labrador Sam had passed away in 1998 leaving us bereft and grieving. We went to the shelter and I saw Max. We adopted him and he’s been with us ever since despite his numerous attempts to run away.

In 2006, the kids asked for a dog of their own. Max [photo left, staring at Julie] is all about me and wants nothing to do with anyone else. We went to a presentation by the SPCA at the library and they told us we could ask for a specific breed. So we put our name on the list for a dachshund.

On my birthday we got the call to come see Oscar. We fell in love with his cheery personality immediately and he’s been with us ever since.

How did your dogs get their names?

My husband named Max after a character on Dragon Tales. Our kids were little and we watched PBS 24/7. He also is nicknamed “Cito” pronounced “see toe”; he also is now called “Old Man.”

Oscar was named that by the pound. A very unoriginal name for a doxie but it stayed. He has many nicknames so many we wonder if he even knows his real name. He is called “Princess”, “Moo Moo the madness” which is just “Moo Moo” for short.

Do your dogs have a favorite place to go for an outing?

Max loves to run and be free, so he loves to go running with his family.

Oscar [photo right] loves to be mom’s helper and goes with us to pick up the kids from their activities. He is never more animated than when he is in the car.

Squirrel, postman, cat...?

Both dogs really don’t like cats, rats or possums.

Squeaky toy, ball, stick...?

Max is far too intelligent for toys and has never been interested. There is a certain purple bear that he has an attachment to.

Oscar loves a little green squeaky mouse or a little lion. We always find them strewn about when we come home though he never plays with them in front of us.

Who are your dogs' best pet-pals?

Max only loves me. He is my stalker who at times I want to get a restraining order against. Oscar loves his “little girl”, he is always happiest with our daughter Elizabeth.

What is each dog's best quality?

Max is a genius dog. That is his best quality and his worst quality all in one. If you haven’t gathered by now, he is quite the handful.

Oscar [and his little girl, photo left] is the sweetest dog. He is just permanently happy. He always makes us happy.

If your dogs could change one thing about you, what would it be?

Max would like me to not leave his sight…ever. Oscar would like it if I fed him more often, he loves to eat.

If your dogs could speak in the movie about your life, who should do their voices?

This was a hotly contested question in our home. I first said Oscar should be Fabian Cancellara, a Suisse pro cyclist who the fans call his tweets “Fabianese” -- we speaket Fabianese to Oscar often. ("speaket" is a Fabianese word).

Then we said maybe Klugman and Lemmon since they are the odd couple.

Then we finally decided on the voices of Pinky (Rob Paulsen) and the Brain (Maurice La Marche). Max is the evil genius and Oscar is his simple minded side kick.

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--Marshal Zeringue