Darcy seemed to know how important it was to settle in and his behaviour was far better than expected in his first days with us. He was completely house trained, loving and totally adorable. There were some worrying traits though. When someone visited, even for a few minutes, he would run to the front door to try to stop them leaving, then he would cry for hours after they had left. He cried and got so stressed when my husband left for work, it was truly heartbreaking.

As I said before he didn’t respond to the name he had been given, (the famous rapper!). so I set out to find him a name, not too dissimilar from that one but one which was more fitting for a handsome dachshund. After trying different names I finally settled on Darcy, or Mr. Darcy to give him his full title, what could be more refined? It only took a few days for him to learn his name and it suited him so well.

He made himself right at home trotting around the house and garden, always in a rush and on a mission to protect his new home and everyone in it. When he wasn’t busy he would snuggle with me and sleep like a baby. He craved comfort, warmth, and company. I bought him a lovely bed and soft baby blankets but he chose an old cardigan of mine to sleep under. Yes literally under…. he would climb inside the cardigan then swirl himself round and round until he was perfectly tucked in. He was so tiny we had to pat the cardigan to see if he was in there! We had a hilarious time when he tunneled his way down the sleeve and got firmly stuck. There was his nose sticking out of the cuff and his eyes were stretched back as if he’d had a facelift. The sleeves had to be unstitched so that he couldn’t get stuck again, the buttons had already been removed, there was no way I’d be wearing it again!

For anyone who has children and loves dachshunds, this book has some valuable life lessons and stunning illustrations.

My review of Ellie The Wienerdog, It’s Hard to be Good by K J Hales is just below the book description and can be found on Amazon UK

or Amazon. com

Ages 3 to 5 years.

Ellie tries, really tries, to be good as she faces temptation over and over again. But how can a wiener dog resist? There are sandwiches and trash baskets and freshly baked ham sending heavenly smells straight to her wriggly nose. Ellie so wants to please because she loves to hear “”What a good dog!”” but she is also taunted by naughtiness because she thinks with her nose. She smells and sniffs and it’s hard for her to be good when she gets a whiff! Children, and adults alike, will find Ellie’s tale hilariously relatable. What will she do when put to the ultimate test? Ellie’s irresistible charm radiates from every colourful, energetic page as she struggles in her desire to do the right thing. Her expressions tell the story, making Ellie the Wienerdog a pup readers will come to know and love. With playful text and equally boisterous art, this book invites readers to join in the fun over and over again.

My Review

A beautiful picture book for very young children telling the story of Ellie the Wienerdog who tries so hard to be a good dog but her strong sense of smell leads her to temptation in the form of a tasty sandwich. Ellie’s family come home to find the sandwich intact and shower treats and affection on Ellie for her exceptional behavior. The book is written in rhyme by K J Hales and the beautiful illustrations by Serene Wyatt really set the story alight. I liked how the author depicted the dogs thought process in the story and the pictures enhanced the thoughts in the form of ‘thinking bubbles.
Of course, this is part of the ‘Life Lessons’ series so there is a strong underlying message throughout the story. Children will be taught that good behaviour will be rewarded and that temptation should be resisted.Sometimes by resisting temptation a much better reward will be given and that there is a tremendous sense of pride from ‘doing the right thing’. Preschools would be a great place to be taught the life lessons of Ellie and parents will love to read the rhyming text which flows easily off the tongue.

This book was sent to me by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.