Kaiser was wanted for so long before we even got him, and after I begged my then boyfriend (now husband) for a Dachshund for one year, he finally agreed to let me get one.  Kaiser was born on April 26, 1993, and came into our lives on August 22, 1993. We drove four hours to get him from a woman who bred Dachshunds for show and temperament. Kaiser kept his sweet temperament for his entire life, and was happiest when he was cuddled up amongst his entire family. Kaiser was a small dog with a large bark, and an even larger heart. During labor with my first child, Kaiser did not leave my side, and was not happy again until I returned from the hospital. He then greeted me and my newborn daughter with wet kisses of love. At first, my daughter hated these kisses, but she grew to love them as our entire family did.  Instead of being jealous of the new baby, Kaiser became our baby monitor, and was much better than the electronic baby monitor at telling us if our baby was upset. Kaiser was equally loving towards my son when he was born, and as my children grew older, he became their favorite playmate.  He chased them through the house, allowed them to use him as their patient, and especially loved the games involving dog food.  Kaiser loved all food, and learned early on that he could flash his sweet brown eyes at anyone for a bite of food.   Many a guest at our house lost a steak or hamburger from being foolish enough to leave their chair pulled out from the table with Kaiser on the loose.  Besides companionship and food, Kaiser’s other favorite was sunshine, and during the summer months, he would lay in the sun until his little Dachshund belly turned brown.  Kaiser’s and my favorite time together was going to bed at night.  He would cuddle up as close as he could get to me and stay that way throughout the night.  I often wondered how he could breathe under all of those covers, but I guess his long snout must have helped him.  During his last month of life, Kaiser could no longer sleep with us due to incontinence from both Diabetes and Cushing’s disease, and I missed his warm body terribly.  We were fortunate enough to have Kaiser for one more Christmas, but not for one more New Year’s.  We euthanized him on New Year’s Eve.  We will miss his cuddles and kisses, his loving glances and protective barks, and all of the love and joy that he brought into our lives.  We look forward to seeing sweet Kaiser again one day in Heaven.