Dearest Tootsie, wonderful and true, we miss you so much. You've been gone for two years, but you will always be in our hearts.
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| Tootsie asserting her decisive personality in North Idaho (Dec. 2015) |
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| Tootsie taking a well-deserved break in Dachshund Daddy's arms during a walkie above Lake Maggiore, Italy (April 2015) |
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| Tootsie resting on Mom's lap during a road trip across the Appennines (June 2012) |
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| Tootsie enjoying a maritime break in Lavandou, France (May 2013) |
Ten years ago to this day, Tootsie waddled into our lives and changed our hearts forever. Our hearts expanded to include this lowdown tube of fur who was fierce and funny and obsessed with food, walkies, and cuddles.
Our first photograph together:
Dachshund Daddy promised Tootsie that he would carry her on walkies in her senior years. "One day, I will carry you everywhere." And he did. People in our town still think of us as the couple who carried their little dog everywhere.
When Tootsie passed away last year, two months into the global pandemic, our hearts were broken. They still are. To be a dog-less dog person is to know that you are less of yourself, for a time, but that you have been made a better self by your pup.
Dearest Tootsie, we send you all our love in the Great Beyond today on your Gotcha Day anniversary. And we send all our love to you, our friends.
Stay safe out there. It's a wild world.
Xo
Renée & Dachshund Daddy
One of Tootsie's favorite places was the park at the mouth of the Magliasina river. Sometimes, depending on the currents and other factors, a sandspit forms in the shallow waters where the river meets Lake Lugano. It's so much fun to stand on the sandspit!
The mountains in the far distance are in Italy, while everything else you see is in Switzerland. That's why every duck in Lake Lugano carries a passport.
We're super excited about America's first dogs, Champ and Major!
Angel Tootsie wishes them all the best. Here's a screenshot of the original announcement on CNN, Canine News Network.
Dearest Tootsie,
Do you remember your spring naps by the lake?
Or your naps on the trail?
You elevated napping to an art form!
Love,
Mom and Dad
Dearest Tootsie,
Today I'm thinking of you wrapped up in your green winter coat just below the top of Monte Reixa.
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| January 2017: Tootsie and her mom in the mountains above the Ligurian coastline on a clear winter day. |
When you didn't feel like walking, I was always more than happy to carry you in my arms. That's because when you were in my arms, you were right next to my heart. You're still there, and always will be.
Forever yours,
Dachshund Daddy
