Millie gets a haircut

I have a miniature wirehaired dachshund named Desi, who is, of course, the cutest dog in the entire world. That is, he was until my pet sitting clients adopted Millie, also a wirehaired mini-dachshund. She is smaller, and doesn't look anything like a doxie with her wild unclipped coat. 

Desi looked like that when I got him, and no one believed he was a doxie either. People still don't, since cream colored wirehairs aren't common.  

I took photos of groomed wirehairs at dog shows so my groomer would have an idea of what he was supposed to look like (Show dogs are hand-stripped to maintain the wiry texture of the coat- see the lovely little guy at the left). After a couple years of paying someone, I realized that if I could clip a shaggy horse (my Icelandics, Ari and Red), I could probably clip a doxie. So I gave it a try, and I do it myself most of the time now. 

I've been itching to get my clippers on Millie. Her owners love her shaggy coat but decided they'd let me clip her for the summer. She is staying with me this weekend, and they they told me to go ahead. Mary Kay, the owner, asked me what I charged to clip the dog. Ha ha ha --- I'm no pro, we'll see how they like it first! They'll be home tonight, and I am anxious to see what they think. 

I think she is adorable, and looks like a dachshund now. But she was adorable before too, so I don't know which is best! 

And Desi looks like he could stand a trim...