Bandit Challenge ends abruptly!

With the fall of UCLA and UNC last night, the Challenge ended a bit early since no one picked Memphis or Kansas to win. So Aunt Laurie wins it all!

And that's good, because she's had a rough week. She's a staffer for Yuki, a great Dalmatian puppy...Laurie works at UCLA, yet is a Tar Heel. Yuki, right, was jumping up and down stairs early in the week and broke her toe, and now has to spend 2 weeks in confinement. (Yuki tells us she's eaten all of her toys and is now eyeing her staffer's new leather pumps.)

As for the results, Laurie's real surge came in the early rounds where it was smart to pick underdogs -- we gave more points to lower seeds since, as lowdogs, we're committed to the underdog. We're not sure if Yuki helped with Laurie's picks or not, so we'll give the cheers for both of them.

And the rest of you: Staffer Dad and Buddy Gale finished just behind Aunt Laurie. Uncle Brad pulled himself out of the cellar but still managed to finish tied with Sturm, who picked her winners based on which coach was hotter and if she'd look good wearing the team colors.

Career sports person Troy and one-time sports person Amanda did ok. They were probably one decent pick away from doing really, really well. Staffer Mom came out looking really bad, in general. (and she's pretty bummed out about the Heels....we gave her an extra lick this morning.)

We do give major kudos to FosterMom Ellen for making picks so great she managed to finish mid-pack even though she picked Georgia to go all the way. And it's the first time ever Bandit's finished bottom of the pack in any bracket pool, which says we've finally found some humans who seem to know what they are doing.

Overall Standings
Group Standings
Rank Team Name Score Correct Best Score Best Correct Champion
1 Aunt Laurie/Yuki's mom 222 39 222 39 North Carolina (138)
2 Staffer Dad 220 43 220 43 UCLA (143)
3 Buddy Gale 211 43 211 43 North Carolina (151)
4 FosterMom Ellen 209 41 209 41 Georgia (137)
5 Amanda Anthony 208 39 208 39 Louisville (120)
6 Troy Johnson 193 39 193 39 North Carolina (154)
7 Staffer Mom 185 39 185 39 North Carolina (159)
8 Uncle Brad 172 35 172 35 North Carolina (154)
8 Jennifer Sturm 172 34 172 34 Drake (159)
10 Bandit 158 31 158 31 UCLA (148)

Thanks to all who made the first lowdogworld.blogspot.com Bandit Challenge so much fun!
Let's play again next year!!!

Aunt Laurie moves to first

We're taking this opportunity between Final Four games to cheer for Aunt Laurie -- her bracket sped to the top of the heap as Memphis beat UCLA. We know she picked Memphis because she has family there, and that's OK. After all, Bandit's strategy of picking the toughest mascot in each matchup really didn't work too well.

We also know that Uncle Brad must be breathing better now that he's climbed over Bandit and up a couple slots from the cellar. Staffer Dad and our buddy Gale took a hit in the last game, but we think Gale still has a shot. His refusal to pick Kansas makes us wag.

A note before the next game starts: Billy Packer must be stopped -- click here to sign the petition. He's really annoying, and we'd like to dig a big hole and put him in it. Staffer Dad just told us Billy's not in the coaches hall of fame, and we just couldn't believe it. We thought he must be since he constantly second-guesses the coaches and reads players' minds through the entire game.

Now that Maggie's over being catty, we're going to jump on the pillow and watch the Heels and Jayhawks.

Saturday snorts

It's a busy day with lots going on for us. Staffer Dad took us on a short ride. Then, we played outside until the rains came, and then we got a bath. Generally, that's bad but Staffer Dad made sure we had our flea stuff for the month and we already feel better. We're glad about that. Maggie's had a case of the scoots, and now it's almost gone. Everyone's glad about that.

Tonight, we're getting geared up for the Final Four. Our beloved Tar Heels play Kansas, and it's going to be a wild ride. As you all may know, Bandit picked UCLA to win in the Bandit Challenge, but deep down he's rooting for the Heels. As for Maggie, she thinks Tyler Hansbrough is the fiercest ever.

And don't forget: Tomorrow's the monthly Savannah Dachshund Meet at 2 p.m. at Forsyth Park. It's supposed to be a great day! We'll see you there!

The Gate

From Bandit: For years, we've been allowed to run around the house in limited areas. Places we can't go are blocked by what the staff call a "baby gate." While we're insulted by the name, we know they really mean "Maggie Gate." Those wood and plastic blocks were the bane of our in-house existence.

A few months ago, Maggie managed to chew through the plastic lattice on it and then started running through it with no regard for where she was really supposed to be. It would've been OK but then she got into the cat food a couple times and Ernie complained. So the staff went and bought new gates.

Then the gates started appearing on the porch, across the bedroom door and in front of the kitchen. Not fair. So this weekend, Maggie figured out how to knock them down. She just wedges her nose under the corner and lifts it up. It's been a while since I've complimented Maggie on anything, but this new skill she's acquired is terrific. She's like the 'raptors in "Jurassic Park." It's no wonder that's her favorite movie. She just tests the gates until she finds a weak point, sticks her nose up under it and lifts.

As you might imagine, the staffers are not thrilled about this at all, especially since we manage to sneak out and run around the house pretty often. And Ernie is really hot that his food bowl seems to be empty all the time. Too bad.

Sing along with us

Uncle Brad's down, but not for long

As we pause between Bandit Challenge rounds, we see that Uncle Brad remains in the cellar, just below Bandit and Staffer Mom. We suspect this will be Uncle Brad's last day in the tank since he still has all his Final 4 teams hanging in, and Staffer Mom can't say that. ...Well, many of you can't say that!
We also anticipate a surge by Staffer Dad now that he picked 7 of 8 Elite 8 teams.

We're going outside to play now. The staff just put out some new plants, and we want to set a record for digging them up. Wish us well!

We hear Troyz Noiz

We made Troy Johnson's famous column! He's our favorite sports columnist, but he apparently has forgotten what it's like to lose to a wiener dog. We're not sure we can remind him this year, but we are a bit worried about that part of his bracket where he picked UConn to go to the Final 4. On the other paw, Maggie's still questioning Bandit's choice of Mississippi State's Bulldogs.

Easter bunny?

This weekend we learned that one part of Easter lore has something to do with a big rabbit that goes house to house and leaves candy and goodies for kids. We saw this bunny (right) giving out candy to strange kids near the park.

Let's get this straight:
At Easter, it's OK for kids to take candy from strange people in bunny suits, but it's not OK for kids to take candy from strange people who aren't in bunny suits.
We really don't understand this at all.

Screens and things

We've had a huge weekend! The staff had family come in from Missouri and that was fun. We ended up on the porch watching them outside, and then we saw the black and white cat from two houses down. All of a sudden, the porch screen gave way and we were free!
Staffer Mom was a bit unhappy and put up a big board next to the torn screen. That was just a dare; we had to go through that.
Staffer Dad's not real thrilled because now he'll have to replace the screen. He's also threatening to leave us in our cages now instead of trusting us to roam the porch. Maybe that screen thing wasn't such a good idea after all.

Challenge update: It looks like Amanda Anthony and Staffer Dad are scrapping for first place. They both did really well. Staffer Mom and Uncle Brad are dragging bottom, but we know they'll do better as the tournament goes on. If you're wondering how some folks have more successful choices than others and are still tanking, here's why: Underdogs got more points in the first 2 rounds -- after all, we're lowdogs and we made the rules!

A conundrum? Not.

Do we whine because Bandit's bracket is doing only fair or do we rejoice because Dook fell in the second round?

It's no contest: Woooohoooo!

(Now we'd better shut up or we'll jinx the Heels.)

Go Amanda!

After the first round, Amanda Anthony is winning the Bandit Challenge....and to answer the next obvious question: Uncle Brad is bringing up the rear, right below Staffer Mom.
Miss Ellen, queen of the foster moms, is in second place, but we fear Georgia's first-round loss hurt her more than we can see now. We understand why she put the Bulldogs to win it all, since they are somewhat fierce creatures.

See you late today after the next round of games!

Play the challenge

Hey, don't forget to join the March Madness Bandit Challenge. We've got a great group of competitors already, and we're looking for some real fun.
It's not too late!
Send us your email and we'll send you an invitation.

C'mon....there's no money, but there's a lot to prove!
(Do you really want a dachshund to beat you?)

St. Pat's in Savannah

As many of you know, St. Patrick's weekend in Savannah is a wild time. We saw pictures from the parade downtown, and we have to say that the tradition of dyeing animals green for the holiday -- goats and dogs, specifically -- is just a bad idea. The staff tells us humans also dye themselves green for the day, too. That doesn't make it right to do to dogs.

Aunt Jenn and Uncle Brad came in to see some of the green mayhem. We're not sure if they caused the blackout that ended the downtown festivities, but we're glad they came over anyway.

By the way: Don't forget to join our March Madness bracket challenge.
Hey Cricket, Pretzel and Skipper: Come on and play!

Take the Bandit Challenge!

Over the years, Bandit's had some success picking NCAA tournament brackets and winners. He's humiliated several humans whose lives and careers have been spent following sports closely.
We won't give away his strategies, but we'll just say he's ready to chow down on this year's tournament picks.

Here's the big news: We're challenging all our fans -- human and otherwise -- to take on Bandit. (Cats, too!)

Staffer Mom's helped us set up a special bracket group called The Bandit Challenge on CBSsports.com.

Here's how to join:
- Send your email address to us at lowdogs@aol.com
- We'll send you an official invitation through CBSSports.
- Sign in there and join the Bandit Challenge.
- Have your picks made by 11 a.m. March 20
- We'll send you reports on how you're doing and taunt you on the blog.

Let's play!

Lucky bunnies in the garden

Today turned interesting late in the day when Staffer Mom started her annual spring garden rescue. She chopped at the weeds with a hoe and raked out the old stuff in the garden plot. Then Staffer Dad brought in the dirt-eating machine and started churning up the area. And then he stopped: He found a tiny baby bunny. Staffer Mom looked around for a nest under the shrubbery and along the fence, but there wasn't anything. The bunny looked like he'd be a fun toy to play with; Ernie thought so, too. He was watching from the porch.

Staffer Mom took the baby and put it in a safe place. Staffer Dad started up the dirt machine to finish the garden, but he stopped again as soon as he saw the second bunny. He thought it was hurt, but it wasn't. Mom took it, too, and called a few people for advice.

As it turns out, those bunnies were about 5 days old and were born in a nest in the middle of the garden. We can't believe we missed them in all our hunting.

Wow. Those bunnies are really lucky:
- We didn't find them.
- Mom didn't chop them with the hoe.
- Dad didn't chew them up with the dirt eater, and most of all,
- Ernie didn't find them.

The staffers took them to a person in another county who takes care of outdoor animals. She lets them go back to the woods when they grow up.
We're so sorry we didn't get a chance to play with them. They would have been fun.

Carolina cool

Well, it's been a fun, fierce 2 days! Yesterday, mom let us play outside early in the drizzle, and then we got to stay in the house all day with her. Then today, we had lot of outside time and then we got to watch the Dookies fall on Senior night in their own court to the Tar Heels.
Staffer Mom held us up to get a good view of key plays, and we were so tired at halftime we had to take a nap!
Our questions about coverage: Why is Digger Phelps wearing a stupid hat? Does Dick Vitale know anyone who didn't give to the V Foundation? (no offense, we're sure it's a good thing, but he sure does talk about it a lot.)
Is that all Coach K's real hair? Does Coach Roy have any bad ties? (We don't think so, on either question.)
Wasn't it cool to see the drunk Tar Heel fans go wild behind the Gameday team in K-ville? (Staffer Mom says she would never have done that and doesn't know anyone who would have done it either.)

Coming soon: Beat the Bandit! (not literally.)

Challenge is on

It's March and we're ready for the madness. Outside of October's Savannah Wiener Dawg Races, there's only one other competition we live for: NCAA basketball and its lead-off event, the ACC tournament. As careful readers will remember, we wear our Carolina Blue Tar Heel collars proudly.
And when it comes to the final weekend of the regular season, we tell you Dookie dogs: Bring it.

New blog friends

Hey all! Check out The Long and Short of it All for more fun wiener news. This is a great blog by Joey and Maggie -- no kin to our Maggie. They collect all sorts of dachshund news and pop culture info about dogs like us. And of course, that's important stuff to know.

We need a nap!

And boy did we earn it!
Today was the monthly gathering for the dachshund club in Forsyth Park, and the weather was wiener-dog perfect!
Lots of friends and their staffers showed up. We saw chocolate dapples, chocolate-and-cream dapples, a pretty longhair, a 12-week-old puppy, and many more. We met a young, happy friend in need of adoption. His name is Ethan, and he's a small black-and-tan like us. If you'd like to adopt him, or someone like him, click here.
We played so much that we ended up sleeping all the way home in the limo.
Here's a link to the pictures of the old and new friends we saw today.

Beautiful day to dig

Wow. Spring's here, and we've had a great day. Bandit dug out a 20-foot mole trail, and Maggie found smells from all kinds of small rodents around Staffer Mom's daylilies. Tomorrow, we're targeting the bushes behind the garden. There should be some real action over there under the mulch. We also hope to go to the park and see our buddies in the dachshund club. What a great weekend!

Fierce fun

Staffer Mom found a great web site, and we must share. It's all about adults doing kid stuff -- something the staff seems to enjoy, especially when they are at the beach. When they get together with Aunt Jenn and Uncle Brad they do strange things like shoot sparklers across the deck and try to see who can eat the most pancakes. They always seem to making some strange food or colorful drink. This site is perfect for them!
Here's what we liked best -- and we found a reference to it already on The Daily Dachshund, our fave site. It's cupcakes and chocolate icing built to look like a wiener. You can't top that!

Never with a wiener

Why?
1) We're very solid dogs.
2) We'd only be used for footlights.
3) We eat too much dirt.

Notes from the last few days

Some catching up with all that's going on:
- We have good news! A dalmatian puppy has adopted Aunt Laurie. Its name is Yuki, and it doesn't -- contrary to popular myth -- follow around beer trucks or fire trucks. (They do some weird stuff in California, but that's not part of it.) Here's a photo of Yuki. The cat in the other picture is Aunt Laurie's cat, Xerxes. He's been around a bit, and we have a lot of respect for him. We're pretty sure he can kick butt in any fight.
- The Dookies have lost two basketball games. We're very happy about that (and so is Staffer Mom). We are also thrilled that one of the losses was to Wake Forest. We have a soft spot for the Demon Deacons because of Aunt Jenn's affinity for them and Staffer Mom says her dad was a fan, too. So, if it needed to be done, we're glad Wake did the deed. Next up: March 8 and a Tar Heels rematch with the Dookies.
- And, we had a nice weekend at the Doggie Spa. Staffer Dad says it's just the vet's office, but they treat us like we're in a spa and that's important. The staff went out of town, so we seized the opportunity for some nice "me time" for us. All in all, a good few days.

Squirrel tale ends

So, we know you must have been wondering what happened to the way-cool dead squirrel from Tuesday.

Ever since we dug up Staffer Mom's favorite cat, Mr. Tibbs, he won't let us play with dead things. Staffer Dad really wanted to keep this one for a bit. The first day it stayed buried in the garden, but Bandit got a little worried even though it had been drizzling and the staff hadn't been around. So, late the other night, he dug it up and put it close to the house where he could get to it. There's a great place to hide things under the big noisy thing next to the house. It seems to pull a lot of air into it, so Ernie doesn't go near it. Apparently it has something to do with the heating or air conditioning in the house, but we're not really sure.

Anyway, we put the dead squirrel there and didn't really get a chance to go back to it that night. Staffer Mom was inside most of the night and complained a lot. "It smells like something died in here!" She was pretty annoying about it. We thought it smelled really good, but she was in a very foul mood about it. So, this morning we ran out and decided it was time to move the squirrel. If the house smelled badly, then maybe they'd be preoccupied with figuring that out and not notice us trying to move it.

Sadly, Staffer Dad caught us. He took away the squirrel and now it's gone. But it was fun while it lasted. We've got to figure out how to get another one. And, we're really sorry we didn't get pictures for you.

Check out some new places

We've added a few new blogs to our favorites this week, so you may want to take a look. The Daily Dachshund is really interesting and full of very good info on dachshunds and other types of dogs. We enjoy the jokes:
Why did the cowboy get a wiener dog?
Because someone told him to "git a long, little doggie."
Today it's featuring a video of wiener dogs racing on a hockey rink. It's sort of like NASCAR. You only really watch it to see if anyone spins out.

Another one, StuffOnMyWiener.com, is just what you might expect -- ok, most of you -- pictures of dachshunds wearing hats, clothing, paper cups, or nothing.

And no, we haven't said much about this year's Westminster Dog Show. We were very happy for Uno, the winning beagle. One of our best friends is a beagle, Sidda, so we can vouch for the breed's capacity to manage staffs well and be charming when necessary. We are also very impressed with their ability to dig. While not as refined as our own, her ability to dig and torment her staffers while doing it are amazing. The beagle win gives us hope that a dachshund will get to the Best in Show ring soon.

Dead squirrel day!

Today started out great! We ran outside on our first run this morning and there it was! Bandit found a dead squirrel over in the corner of the yard! But, we had to eat our breakfast first, so he left it over there and as soon as we were finished he brought it back toward the house where it would be safe.
We really didn't think anything would happen to it until Staffer Dad came out of the house and insisted we not bring it in. Bandit was really smart. He took it to the garden and buried it. He'd already dug a hole, so he just dropped it in and then worked really hard to get it covered up before Dad could get over there. We were really lucky, too, because the staffers were dressed to go to their day jobs and they weren't going to dig it up right then.

So all day it's been there, marinating in Staffer Mom's good garden soil with fresh compost. We cannot wait to get back out there and pull it out. This is going to be the best!!

Better water for us

Staffer Mom found this announcement the other day.
It's about a new specialty water for dogs called "Fortifido." It's about darn time.
What a fierce idea!

After we've been outside digging for a couple hours, we need more than plain old tap water or garden hose water in a bowl. And this will make us better diggers right? The info says we'll get stronger bones and more energy. It must be true, right? Or they wouldn't say it, right?

Try this

We still feel pretty badly about being gone for so long, so we're sending you this computer screen cleaner shared with us by our friend Robin. She's always looking out for cool things for us.
(Also, the link's also a good thing because it reminded us of our old fun, friend Melanie and her love for pugs.)

We're back!

Finally. Today, Staffer Mom finally got one computer up and running on the Net after many calls to the "DSL People." All we heard were snippets of conversation about things called modems and routers. She said every technician she talked to was very nice, but all had trouble understanding her Southern accent and were all named Smith. She thought that odd.

We've been very busy. We've made some magnificent holes outside the back door, and we've gotten in trouble once. Apparently Staffer Dad does not want us to go visit the neighbors before he leaves for work in the morning. He's always encouraging us to be nice to people and gracious to other animals. I guess we found that it's one of those rules that applies only on his terms.

Anyway, we're very glad to be back online, and we've been collecting some things to share. Thanks to all who emailed and commented with good wishes.

Sorry...we'll be back shortly

So, it's been nearly a week since we posted, and we are SO sorry.
We've got so much to tell you , but the staff's DSL modem decided to go to Rainbow Bridge and so there's been no internet access in our house. Staffer Mom's taught us a few new words over the situation, but we're told we'll have the Net back in a day or so. Staffer Mom said she'd send this out to you from somewhere else. If you get it, she must have stopped at her favorite bread place to use the wi-fi.
Talk to you soon.

Monkey does Mardi Gras

We wish we could've been there. These photos came from Aunt Karen and our fun friend Renee. Enjoy!