My Pledge. Love, Tootsie

This screen capture is from our Instagram account. You can find us there, too. Or here. Or in your hearts. We're there, too. XO

Find the link to our Instagram account here. We post pictures of Italian cookies, dog poetry, walkies, and the love of paws.

Am I A Wreath?

It's an existential time of year. Time for our favorite poster from our greatest hits!

Extreme Flight Practice

Times like these demand extreme flight practice. So much wind, Tube of Fur's ears flopped back. Her plane could not lift off. And the mountains did not have enough snow. Several Austrian hikers asked me what's going to happen now to the country of my birth, to the Paris Accords, to climate change. I tried to sing, to ask, "what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?" But the wind blew my words away. The wind blew my heart away. 💔 And so we wept on a mountainside.

Italian Poste

South Tyrol, Italy

Thanksgiving Abroad

We're sending love and gratitude to all this Thanksgiving. Since we're abroad in Switzerland, we're reaching for this book.

And check-out my lovely Snap-a-Danna from Dachshund Delights. Remember to shop indie for all your pawful needs -- "Canine high fashion is a SNAP with the Snap-a-Danna"!

Letter from Tootsie: My Favorite Places

I am a lucky and savvy Tube of Fur. Here are some of my favorite places where I hike, nap, and snorfle.

The woods in Idaho with my fur-brother Truffle (RIP).

The shores of the Ligurian Sea.

The shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The shores of Lake Pend'Oreille, Idaho.

And let's not forget the mountains. The Alps!

How we love to hike.

But now the world has gone upside down.

Because the USA has elected a man with no morality and no compulsion about lying. We've been told that Trump says what needs saying and that he doesn't mean what he says. But words matter. You don't get it both ways. Those who think they can define his meaning as it suits them have been scammed.

Trump denies that global climate change is an urgent threat to civilization. The Paris accords are dead. This is what the USA has unleashed. This is what the USA has done to the world.

My new anthem.

There is no silver lining to this election. Here's what you can do now:

Consider making a donation to 350.org -- on behalf of climate change. (One example, the most common sentiment to my mom in Switzerland: "What has America done? This affects us all." On the other hand, we have talked to Europeans who think the American elections do not affect them; they are mistaken.)

Consider making a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union -- on behalf of the American constitution.

Consider making a donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center -- on behalf of our sisters and brothers so at risk in America. (Two personal examples from this past weekend -- one friend's daughter had hate speech written on her apartment and her car, and another friend had hate speech written on her campus organization's door with flyers distributed across campus.)

My Bouncy Doggy Godson

I'm having a great time with my doggy godson Sir Bertie and I would like to share with you some of the reasons why this visit is totally wotten waven.

1. Watching him dog around Casa Burrow makes our day brighter and better.

2. My daily cuddle share has not been curtailed as a result of his presence.

3. His Mom, Gail, treated us to dinner! Look to the right and you'll see my mobile home, which looks like a black pet carrier.

4. I get to teach Bertie how to burrow.

5. I get to show Bertie and Gail some of our special places, like Belvedere Zucoli near Agra, Italy. The big lake behind us is Lake Maggiore.

I have one concern: I'm Bertie's doggy godmother, but I haven't taken him to church. Should I worry?

Thank you, Gail, for making the trek from Scotland to Switzerland.

Dear Readers: Be sure to visit Bertie's blog!

My Doggy-Godson Visits!

We're so excited to welcome my doggy-godson Bertie & his human Gail for a visit. They're traveling all the way from Scotland, via train, ferry, and train. (Years ago, we all met online through our doggy blogs; how pawfect is that?) Welcome to Switzerland, friends! Read about Bouncing Bertie's trip here.

It's great timing for a visit because Mom's been super homesick since leaving the United States. Though, wow, how can she be homesick when the US election seem endless and exhausting and weird? To make us feel extra lucky (and put life in perspective), Dachshund Daddy took us hiking in the French Maritime Alps last weekend. If you look closely at this Alpine Family Selfie, you'll see I'm giving Mom a French kiss.

The next photo shows the wonderful signs to alert you to guardian dogs guarding their flocks.

I even got in a little flight practice!

Protests against Dachshund Daddy end at the drop of a hat

CHENNAI, India (AP) -- A number of angry dogs staged an impromptu protest against Dachshund Daddy's inappropriate attire at Palavakkam Beach in southern Chennai, India early last week. Dachshund Daddy was walking along the ocean with his feet in the water when one dog started barking at him for no apparent reason.



Soon enough, another dog followed suit. Shortly thereafter, several canine bystanders joined in.

A seemingly endless doggy supply resulted in a full-scale barkofest with over ten participants within the first minute.

Fearing a close encounter with canines, DD sought to avoid confrontation by walking farther out into the ocean. He was already in knee-deep waters when two young women yelled at him that he needed to take off his wide brim sun hat.



DD complied, and his canine suitors (over twenty of them by this point) instantly lost interest and returned to their regular doggy pursuits.



DD thanked the two women profusely. One of them was wearing a traditional hindu dress, while the other one was wearing a hijab, proving that when different religions coexist, good things are bound to happen.

The Doggy Beach Boys

Today we're taking you to the beaches of Chennai, on the east coast of India. Dachshund Daddy was recently there on a business trip, and had the opportunity to go for a long walk on the beach and photograph some of its doggy residents. Be sure to look below the boat.

  

Chennai has a very large stray population, but most dogs look very healthy and happy, especially the ones who live on the beach.

They mostly sleep and stare at the ocean during the day, and hunt in packs at night, which is why they need to rest during the day.

Many of them dig holes in the sand to keep cool in the extreme heat and humidity.

They also enjoy the ocean breeze.

At some point during his beach walk, a number of dogs got mad at DD for (apparently) no reason at all. We'll tell you all about it next time :)

Labor Day Cuddles

My human cousins visited for Labor Day, and Mom was able to snap a photo of some very special cuddles!

#TBT: My Fur Brother Truffle

Whenever I'm at Grandpa's Idaho Home, I always miss my fur brother Truffle. He let me kiss his ears and lick his jowls and dry hump him all over. Here is Truffle with Mom and a Wisconsin cow during Mom & Truffle's great road trip adventure together back in 2006.
xo
Tootsie

A Dachshund Log Scaler

Meet the first-ever dachshund log scaler--a Tube of Fur!

A log scaler has a really important job in the timber industry. The log scaler measures timber, identifies the species (not a simple task when the tree becomes a log and many easily identifiable characteristics like branches and needles are gone!), and makes deductions for defects. It can be a super challenging job.

Actually, this log is not going to market. It will be part of Grandpa's winter wood pile. It was a Grand fir, and dead standing right next to the house, so Grandpa took it down.

Dachshund air travel

Dachshund air travel can be an enjoyable experience, as long as you keep a low profile. Can you see me here at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport?

Probably not, and that's exactly my point. It's best to stay in your carrier, but you can use your judgment and stretch your legs in low biped density areas.

Be sure to avail yourself of complimentary in-flight entertainment options, especially if dogs have prominent roles. (The movie below is "Absolutely Anything".)

And here's me with Mom and Grandpa at the Spokane airport, en route to my Idaho home.

All of this was in late July; I've been in Idaho since then. It's a working vacation because I'm on a mission to evict the resident rodents from the house. My mission requires the adoption of a nocturnal schedule, which is sometimes at odds with Mom's. There's not much I can do about that.

Sometimes Our Unicorn Shows Up in the Laundry

Meraviglioso Cervino -- the Matterhorn

Another picture of the Matterhorn from the Italian side. We're so happy we saw this mountain! It was definitely worth waiting eight years.

"Cervino" is the Italian name of the mountain. The Romans called it "Mons Silvanus," then it became known as "Mont Cervin" in French. "Monte Cervino" is the Italian adaptation of the French toponym.

The Fascists changed the name of the hamlet of Breuil, located at the Matterhorn's feet on the Italian side (the south side), to Cervinia, so that it would reflect its status as the Gateway to Cervino. The Fascist name stuck, probably because the hamlet was transformed into a major tourist destination in the 1930s under the Fascist regime.

Cervinia may be the gateway to the mountain, but it is incredibly ugly, so we recommend making your home base farther down the valley, preferably away from the main highway. We loved the quiet hamlet in the Valtournenche township where we stayed.

A Moment for the Snout

Sniff the Air. Feel the Breeze.

Swiss Dog Sign or Where Is My Neck?

Pause / Paws

Happy Anniversary to My Parental Units!

Dear Mom & Dachshund Daddy:

Happy Anniversary! Here's to your eleven years together, which includes seven of those years in happily-wedded bliss and five of those years in fur-based bliss with me, your tube of fur.

My furfriends always ask me how my parental units met, and I always answer: "God brought them together." No kidding! How else would two people meet across nine time zones, two continents, two languages, and one decade? So we have to make a special bark-out to the University of Notre Dame, in the United States of America, because that is where Mom & Dachshund Daddy met.

Thanks to all of you who read our blog -- for all your love & support along the way. It's an unhinged world. Let's keep our hearts loving and our paws petting.

Mommy & Dachshund Daddy in Venice, 2007. Don't they look young & innocent?

All of us with Grandpa last fall in Dolomites!

Love,
Tootsie

P.S. I love you, Mom & Dad.
P.P.S. I love you, too, Grandpa.

Swiss Benches

A Swiss snowboard bench.

Or is this a Swiss skateboard bench?

 

Usually Swiss benches are painted orange, but sometimes they are plain.

Mama Cow Warning.