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.)

Labor Day Cuddles

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

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.

Grandpa's Snow Limerick for the Down Low

In choosing one's path through the snow

It is wise to explore why you go

'Cuz when cold and tired

Or otherwise mired

It's best to be with those you know

--by Tootsie's Grandpa, BGD.

As Grandpa says, "A Great Dane would have a very different snow experience." Here I am with Mom and Grandpa in Idaho.

Happy First Monday of 2016!

Happy New Year!

May all your paths in 2016 be clear.

From our family to yours: Happy New Year!

Happy Boxing Day!

This is a picture of me from Boxing Day in 2013! I have a bit more grey on my snout now.

Merry Christmas!

Return to Switzerland: Please Send Cawwots

Mom and I are back in Switzerland with Dachshund Daddy! We had a great trip to the United States, our country of origin. Mom did lots of writing events. Thanks to Grandpa for making everything so seamless. Dachshund Daddy loves his homemade banana bread, which Grandpa specially made for him.

Here I am with Grandpa in our gorgeous Idaho woods the day before we caught our flight. Look at the moss! Super soft on my paws.

And here I am all ready to burrow into my bicontinental travel house. Mom says I did awesome in the air! Her seatmates didn't even believe I was there -- all tucked up under the seat in front of Mom. But, oops, I pee'd on Astroturf in the "Small Terrace" roof garden in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Sorry! I don't like Astroturf, but I really had to go, and by the way, I think it is terrible that the women soccer players have to play on it instead of real grass during the Women's World Cup in Canada. Another stupid bozo move by those duds who run FIFA.

Dachshund Daddy took us for gelato tonight... across the border in Italy. Well... we all went, but only Mom and Dad were allowed to eat ice cream. And pizza. They had pizza, too!

Would someone send me some cawwots, please? And would someone send Mom and me a cure for jet lag, please? (Nine hour time difference, so for me, breakfast is dinner and dinner is breakfast.)

We miss you, Grandpa!

Love,
Tootsie

Dear Grandpa -- Thank You!

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you for a wotten-waven special time together. Not only are you the best grandpa in the world... you also give the best cuddles. And cawwots. And you let me hunt AS MUCH AS I WANT. And you help reassure MOM that I'm OKAY, so she can go do her work while you and I get to stay together.

I love you.

Mom loves you, too.

Love,
Tootsie

Dog Shaming

I am concerned about dog-shaming, so I checked this book out of the library. (Mom and I have been in Idaho, and we love our local library.)

A Moose in Idaho

Grandpa sent me this picture of an Idaho visitor!

Napping Paws

Sunbeam Interrupted

Dear Grandpa,

We love you. Thank you for a wotten-waven summer!

Mom calls this photo, "Sunbeam Interrupted." Please remember how I taught you to hold down sunbeams; it's hard, important work!

Love,
Tootsie

Good Memories: Truffle & Tootsie

A photo of me and Truff from last summer. Big hound. Little hound.

The Honey Badger

Mom got me a video from the library. She thought it might help give me a respite from processing losing Truffle. We watched the video together, and I could smell wild animals.

There were lots of excellent sounds in the video, particularly the hyenas. Their sounds make me shake.

Dachshund Daddy is back at work in Switzerland, but Mom and I are here in Idaho for another week. Dachshund Daddy didn't really believe Mom when she told him she got me a special video from the local library.

Did you know that honey badgers are not badgers at all but are weasels? They live in South Africa, and they are "masters of mayhem"!

Tootsie and Truffle in Conversation

We miss you, Truffle.

Our Beloved Truffle

Dear Hearts and Kindred Spirits,

On the morning of July 30, our beloved Truffle crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. As our very special vet Dr. Ward helped him peacefully transition, Truffle was surrounded by his loving family: Mom, Tootsie, Dachshund Daddy, and Grandpa.

Truffle's earthly remains are planted in our Idaho garden. His green collar is clipped on the fence. In death, he joins beloved doggies: Terra, Max, Brycie, Keisha, and Daisy. Truffle's memorial service included a reading of Mark Strand's great dog poems. Here's a link to Strand's "Great Dog Poem #2." Mom substituted the name "Rex" with "Truff."

Our loyal, lovely, faithful Truffle lived a long, rewarding life. In 2001, when he was about two years of age and his name was Robert Moose, he was adopted by Grandma and joined fur-siblings Max, Bryce, and Keisha. Over the years, he grew very close to Mom and Keisha. Keisha and Truffle loved to French kiss.

In the fall of 2006, Mom took Truffle on a road trip across the country, all the way to Bar Harbor, Maine, and back to Idaho.

In his thirteen year tenure at the family home in Antelope Valley, Truffle had to watch all his friends leave, including young Daisy, whose premature death after an ill-fated encounter with a moose left the whole family broken-hearted.

Thank you, Truffle, for being our faithful friend and my fur-brother. Thank you for welcoming me to the family.

Mom's note: The day before we helped Truff pass over, Truff howled inconsolably--from pain or confusion. While Truff could howl a hound's lament, this was something quite different. Grandpa, who was his best friend these past years, knew it was time. We didn't want Truffle to suffer. I sat with Truffle on the couch and heard, very clearly, in my brain, "It's time." I have heard all my dogs say this to me, at the end, before their transition. 

After Truffle passed, Tootsie walked close to him and cuddled up next to him, putting her short leg on his haunch.

Here is Professor Emeritus Truffle on the couch.

We wish to thank our special vet Dr. Michelle Ward who provided graceful, compassionate care to us in our time of need. Thank you.


Love to all,

Tootsie and Family

P.s.: You can read more about Truffle's life in this very special post written by Mom in 2010.

My Fur-Brother Truffle

In Memoriam: Sweet Sir Yugi

Dear Hearts and Kindred Spirits,

With sadness, we share: Sweet Sir Yugi has traveled to the Rainbow Bridge.

Yugi was originally from Canada and divided his time between British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Here's sassy Sir Yugi as a ten week old puppy in early 2004.

Yugi visited us at Camp Idaho for Christmas, and we had a blast. After surviving cancer last summer, Yugi looked like a puppy again. He carried his Frisbee through the snow, talked, napped,

cuddled, and gazed adoringly at his super special Mom. Our hearts go out to her and to all who so loved Yugi. A very good dog. A great dog.

Yugi passed away after he got back to his home on the West Coast. Sweet Sir Yugi had not been feeling well, but he had rallied. He spent a lovely evening eating dinner and walking with his favorite people on December 27th. But Yugi woke up in the middle of the night and had to be rushed to the emergency vet.

Thank you all for the Power of the Paw when Yugi was not well. It made a big difference and helped him survive his cancer.

Among Yugi's many fine qualities was his love of dog sports, his love of the water, his sweetness, and his wonderful sense of humor: he brought me a hot dog costume for Christmas! Yugi's Mom is a penguin scientist, and Yugi spent a lot of time helping her out with her research, because with him she had the best Lab ever.

As some of you may remember, Dachshund Daddy created the Be Like Yugi video for Sweet Sir Yugi. We've been watching it a lot these days.

Also be sure to check out Yugi and my Shakespearean moment.



Sweet Sir Yugi, we miss you so much.

Run free in Heaven, Sweet Angel Yugi.

With love,
Tootsie