Name: Buttons
Nicknames: Bun-Bun, Sir Bunaparte
Species: Canine
Breed: Long-haired Dachshund
Hair Color: Red
Eyes: Brown
Height: 8 inches
Weight: 17 pounds
Length: Very long
Birthdate: March 17, 2004 — a German dog born on an Irish holiday?
Birthplace: Kansas
Current Home: New Jersey
Favorite Food: Cheese; Ice Cream
Hobbies: Blogging, rolling my yellow soccer ball, fetching my little red ball, sleeping, barking, and chasing my cat brother, Salem. Dieting.
Family Members: My 16-year-old sister who is a student and a poet, my cat brother, Salem aka Rico Suave, and my Mom who is an author and a licensed psychologist. There is also my Nana, who lives away from us in an ungated idyllic town in Pennsylvania (pop. 216), close to a great lake that isn't Erie, Huron, Superior, Michigan, or Ontario.
Penpals: Sis, Mary Lou, Herb
Favorite poet: My sister, Mirabella, and Ted Kooser
Favorite artist: Warhol — The Dachshund
Dislikes: C-A-T-S
Passions: I love Kleenex. In fact, they are something I think about all the time.

I first met my mother and sister in the pet store almost four years ago. Alan, the animal tech, took me out of the cage and put me in a play area to interact with these two.

First thing I did was climb into my future mother's purse. My soon to be sister said, "Aw, look Mom, he must be so exhausted, he's in your purse." Silly, silly females that they were - I wasn't tired. I was going after the Kleenex that were sticking out of the open bag.

What a treasure trove that was — white, fluffy, sweet smelling tissues, hundreds of them (well, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration). Oh boy, I thought to myself, old Buttons has hit the mother lode this time.

Sadly, they pulled me out of the purse, plunked me into a hard plastic cage, and we set off for my new home. I cried some on the way, but that was my grief reaction at being separated from my first love.

It took the two of them a long time to discover how much I adore Kleenex. If my mother leaves her purse on the floor, anything in it is fair game. But I am interested in only one thing, and you already know what it is, so I am not going to repeat myself.