Great 2015 Calendar Giveaway Winner!

Waggy tail, please! If you left a comment as part of our Great 2015 Calendar Giveaway, Mom wrote your name on a piece of paper, placed it in a hat, and let me pick the winner. (Sorry, there are no photos of the process, because Dachshund Daddy went on a solo hike today and took the camera.)

Cross your paws and hope that you won!

Here are a few of our entrants with links to their blogs:

The Hailey and Zaphod Chronicles (We love mountains, too.)

The Swiss Cats (They said they didn't need to enter since they knew the answer, but Tootsie insisted we enter you.)

Rottrover (We like the photographs, too.)

Casey @ The Legacy Chronicles (Thank you for the waggy tail.)

Monte Generoso is the mountain on the cover of my 2015 Swiss Alps Calendar. "Generoso" means "generous" in Italian.

Barks and congratulations to the winner of our calendar (with a link to her blog):

Amber DaWeenie (We agree - next year Dachshund Daddy should make a calendar of my cartoons.) Congratulations!

Barks and congratulations to our runner-up, who will receive one of my signature magnets (with a link to his blog):

Mr. Pip (We love that you were going to research.) Congratulations!

Please send an e-mail to Mom with your preferred snail mail address.
Mom's e-mail: idahobuzzy [at] yahoo [dot] com

Thank you, all. Keep on wagging!
Tootsie

P.s.: Mom said we should add a link to Tootsie's Shoppe (over at Zazzle).

Sharing Sunday Thank You

A special bark-out today to our friend Molly the Wally for sharing our post dedicated to our dearly departed Truffle. You can wag on over to Molly the Wally by following this link.

And barks to our dear god-dog-son Bouncing Bertie for nominating me for Sharing Sunday. You can bounce on over to visit Bertie by following this link.

Thank you! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Angel Wings

Thank you, Easy, for my angel wings. We love them!

A Squiwwel from Budapest

Born in North Carolina and raised in New York City, Asta is my wirehair fox terrier fur friend and fellow American expat based in Budapest, Hungary. While in Budapest for a conference, Dachshund Daddy was lucky enough to meet her.

Asta writes a fabulous blog, Asta's World, where she replaces her "r's" with "w's": she wwites like I talk!

DD enjoyed a fun-packed afternoon of sightseeing and a lovely evening of fine dining with Asta and her wonderful parents.

Asta sent me a special present, which Dachshund Daddy brought home from Budapest. I had to look away, because the anticipation was too great.

A squirrel!

Asta gave me a munchy squirrel. A squiwwel!

Dear Asta, thank you so much for this special squirrel. I can't stop munching it.

Love,
Tootsie

Pet Blogger Challenge 2014!

1. How long have you been blogging? Please tell us why you started blogging, and, for anyone stopping by for the first time, give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

My 27 month old blog is all about my bicontinental adventures in the Swiss Alps and the American West. I'm a rescue miniature dachshund, and my parents gave me a new leash on life. (I don't like to call it a new lease on life because leases have a pre-determined duration, but my parents are mine fur-ever!)

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2013, that made you most proud.

The sweetness of the comments that my fur-friends leave on my blog.

3. When you look at the post you wrote for last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge, or just think back over the past year, what about blogging has changed the most for you?

Steven Spielberg called us to negotiate the movie rights for a remake of Jaws based on my blog!

4. What lessons have you learned this year – from other blogs, or through your own experience – that could help us all with our own sites?

Going viral is random. My one post that went relatively viral (over 1000 hits in a day) featured a picture of a dachshund sticker on a tourist train in Lugano, Switzerland. Dachshund Daddy had taken that picture as he was stuck riding his bike at granny speed behind the train. My godson Bouncing Bertie, who writes an incredible blog, hit the Zeitgeist with a picture of US flags on dog poop. Could it possibly get any more random than dachshund bumper stickers and US flags on dog poop?

If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Finding a sponsor, even if it doesn't pay much. Money is like pee in the ocean... no matter how small the quantity, it adds up.

5. What have you found to be the best ways to bring more traffic to your blog, other than by writing great content?

Make your blog look like any Italian city. You'll definitely see lots of traffic!

6. How much time to do you spend publicizing your blog, and do you think you should spend more or less in the coming year?

I publicize my blog 24/7, especially when I'm napping.

7. How do you gauge whether or not what you’re writing is appealing to your audience?

I have a remote wagometer that I use to measure how much wagging is happening at each IP address and at each IPoo address.

How do you know when it’s time to let go of a feature or theme that you’ve been writing about for a while?

I use my remote wagometer for that, too.

8. When you’re visiting other blogs, what inspires you to comment on a post rather than just reading and moving on?

I leave a comment if and only if my remote wagometer indicates that the author of the post in question was wagging while she or he was blogging.

9. Do you do product reviews and/or giveaways?

Yes! I would like to do more giveaways to promote my Zazzle products and show my fur-friends how wotten waven they are. ("They" refers to both my fur-friends and the products; don't you love the subtle ambiguities of the English language?)

If so, what do you find works best, and what doesn’t work at all?

For product reviews, always speak the truth. For giveaways, keep things as simple as possible.

10. When writer’s block strikes and you’re feeling dog-tired, how do you recharge?

I burrow, go for a hike, and wag. Not necessarily in that order.

11. Have you ever taken a break from your blog? How did that go?

Never a real break, only mini-breaks, as it befits a miniature dachshund. I do take comfort breaks as well. And naps.

Have you ever thought about quitting your blog altogether? What makes you stay?

No, not really. It's so much fun!

12. What goals do you have for your blog in 2014?

I would like to draw more attention to Tootsie's Shoppe, my quirky Zazzle store. I use it to showcase all my doggy products, which I'm having so much fun designing. There's always new stuff, like this very rare painting featuring my great-great-...-grandmother Bettina.

"Madonna with Dachshund" Artistic Notebook by BicontinentalTootsie

Merry Christmas, Easy!

Today's post is dedicated to my fur friend Easy Rider, who writes the hilarious Easy Weimaraner blog from his home in the North of France.

In early November, Easy selected me as one of the winners of his haunted Howl-o-Wheemeraner house contest and sent me an incredible package of goodies with a sweet note. Can you see what I'm sinking my teeth into?

Look at all the pawesome goodies Easy sent me!

Here's my new all-time favorite toy: the yellow squeaker. That's what I was sinking my teeth into into the first photo of this post.

And here's Mom and Dad's favorite piece of doggy clothing ever designed: my angel suit.

It's so sweet! Don't you love my wings and my sassy look?

Dear Easy, thank you so much for the gifts, and thank you for the Christmas card you sent us! Merry Christmas to you and your staff!

A Tootsie-themed surprise is coming your way; get ready!

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of our Fall 2013 Burrower's Choice contest! We were happy to have entries from as many as three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia).

As per standard operating procedure, the name of each eligible participant was scribbled on a piece of paper, and all pieces were placed in Dachshund Daddy's wotten waven sun hat. One of the aforementioned pieces of paper was randomly selected by my paw. Can you see it?

And the set of four Time to Burrow cards is presented to... Bouncing Bertie!

Congratulations, dear Bertie. Please send Mom an e-mail with your mailing address. Mom's e-mail is idahobuzzy AT yahoo DOT com.

Dear Bertie, your suggestion to create a card with a Wirehaired Fox Terrier will soon be implemented.

Thanks to all the wotten waven readers and fur-friends who participated in our contest!

Virtual Tacos

October 4th was National Taco Day. Because I'm on a strict Swiss German doggy diet, and eat only kibbles, carrots, green beans, and sweet potatoes, I never join Mom to eat at her favorite summer eating place in Sandpoint, Idaho: Joel's Mexican Food.

Because I am a savvy sausage, I looked up the definition of tacos on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia defines tacos as "a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling".

Mom says this is as close to real tacos as I can ever hope to get. I was glad to see most of my fur-friends fared better than I did with their tacos.

If Tootsie and Bertie had puppies

A while ago, in a comment left on my blog, my dear friend Bouncing Bertie wondered what our puppies would look like if Bertie and I could have them. Due to my spayed status, we will never know for sure.

But Dachshund Daddy thinks he knows. Meet Chuchu the doxie-terrier and Bubu the wirehaired fox dachshund!

Chuchu would really love to bounce like her dad, but her dachshund body upper-bounds the extent of her bounces. Bubu would really love to hunt marmots like her mom, but her wirehaired fox terrier body is not designed to get into their burrows.

Despite the mismatch between their instincts and their bodies, they look magnificent. Do you agree?

Bouncing Bertie writes a fantastic blog from his home base in Aberdeen, Scotland. You may have already fallen in love with him, like us, but if not, start with this post.

A Poster for My Friend Bouncing Bertie

We see this sign on one of favorite walks along Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

It always makes us think of our friend Bouncing Bertie,

a wire-haired fox terrier who bounces.

Wag on over to visit Bouncing Bertie's blog.

DIY: Dog Fence

This post is underwritten by our partner Dog Fence DIY, the most affordable resource for wireless dog fencing.

Mom was contacted by Dog Fence DIY and asked if we might participate in a blog campaign for this neat company by sharing our thoughts about “How Your Dog Makes a Difference in Your Family.”

Since I’m a dog, I’m giving the blog over to Mom—just for today—so Mom can write about me.

Dear Tootsie,

Thanks for letting me take over your blog to tell you how you make a difference in our family. In the interest of transparency, for this post, we will receive a gift-card to Amazon from Gayla Baer, a media specialist, on behalf of her client Dog Fence DIY. Thank you, Gayla and Dog Fence DIY!

(Amazon has lots of doggy items, Tootsie; just let me know what you might enjoy.)

How do you—our miniature dachshund—make a difference in our family? Oh, let me count the ways! The difference you make in our lives is infinite; I’ll name a few.

1. Because you are down low you see things in a low-down way. You are our little reality check.

You are always able to change our perspective and our perspective is always changing when we bend far over to say hello. For example, the other day, you were burrowed under a blanket. I could not find you. You helped me get some exercise bending up and down and looking for your latest burrow.

But searching for your latest burrow is not the only exercise we get. Dachshund Daddy and I walk all the time because of you.

And exercise is the least of it, right? You with your little legs, which carry you far; Dachshund Daddy and I with our big legs that can only try to keep up with you...

2. Because you are funny, you make us laugh.

You are always able to waddle forward through life. No matter how high the couch or how high the bed or how high the aspiration, you always leap. No matter how unsuccessful, you always leap again. We’re forever catching you and stopping you before you jump … to keep your long back safe and our nerves intact. You're our little munchkin.

I’ve never known a dog who looked less dog but was more dog than you. Yes, you have a snout and paws and floppy ears and a tail but you’re something more than dog, too. You look very small when placed next to the big dog Truffle. It’s amazing you were shrink-wrapped from a big dog to live this life in a little dog body.

3. You make Dachshund Daddy’s heart explode with happiness.

4. You make Grandpa’s heart explode with happiness.

5. You make my heart explode with happiness.

We love you. We cannot imagine life before or after you. There is only now in Tootsie time.

Love,
Mom

Thank you,  Dog Fence DIY, for this opportunity to express our Tootsie love.

Joey - We Shall Miss You

We just learned today that one of the most wonderful leaders of the dachshund community has passed away: special Joey. Our hearts go out to Carson & Rowdy over at "The Long and Short of It All."

Mom first started reading Joey & Maggie's blog when she learned that I might come into her life. She learned about all the low-down things, including that dachshunds love to burrow (um, duh).

Many readers will know that Joey & Maggie were the long-time hosts of this wonderful doxie blog and that young Rowdy joined the blog after dear Maggie passed away.

Many of our low-down friends, such as Lovable Lily, have already left comments. Please head on over to pay your respects to fine Joey, a little low-down guy who loved to wait for dinner in the bathtub and never let his human dad out of sight.

Rest in peace, dear Joey. We miss you.

Love,
Tootsie,
Tootsie's Mom,
and Dachshund Daddy

Pet Blogger Challenge 2013!

1. How long have you been blogging and provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories.

September 2011 - that's when I started barking out at the dogosphere.
Here are my answers from last year!

May I send a special bark out to all our fur friends and their humans? Wags to each of you for being my friend.

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?

My number one goal was to help Mom write again after the passing of her mom.

Here we are along the Ligurian Sea over the holidays.

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?

A little bit of both.

4. How often do you post?

At least once a week, but typically 2-3 times a week.

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed?

A schedule helps any creative endeavor. Then, when the dachshund muse visits, one is well prepared.

If you publish on a schedule, why? How strict are you about your publishing deadlines?

As strict as a Swiss-German pedestrian reporting the license plate of a car that exceeded the speed limit by 1 km/h.

I like publishing on Blog Hop days such as Monday Mischief, Wordless Wednesday, and Black and White Sunday.

What do you do for inspiration when it feels like you’ve covered every topic?

We hike all the time, so we get inspired as we perspire.

Here I am looking out over Lake Lugano in southern Switzerland.

If you don’t publish on a schedule, why? How do you think your decision affects your audience?

Writing a blog is very much like pooping: regularity is a plus, but when you have to go, you have to go.

Do I have to pose with one more wreath? Holidays are over!

How do you know when a topic is “post-worthy?”

Anything in my life can be “post-worthy”. Even checking pee-mail is post-worthy against an alpine backdrop.

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? How much time visiting other blogs? Share your tips for staying on top of it all.

I'm not a 9-to-5 dog, so I never keep track of my hours. Sometimes I blog as I'm napping.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

I believe in the quantitative assessment of the performance of my blog. The number of (non-spam) comments is certainly important, but my preferred figure of merit is the number of hits from IP addresses located between the tropics, as they generally correspond to the hottest readers.

Do you look strictly at the numbers, or do you have a way of assessing the quality of those interactions?

I have empirical evidence that the success of a post can be predicted by the number of times I wag within the 24 hours prior to its publication.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

I would like to get better at monetizing my blog. I would like to achieve canine financial independence, i.e., generate enough income to pay for my dog food, vet visits, and my $50 yearly Swiss doggie tax. (As a dog, I qualify for flat rate taxation in Switzerland.)

Dog-blogging income would also help with the cost of flying back and forth between America and Switzerland. Why don't airlines offer frequent flyer doggie miles?

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

Essentially two goals: (1) to find a sponsor; (2) to keep on wagging.

Thank you, Amy, for hosting the challenge!

Kindle for Borges: "Tootsie and I"

Coffee with Canine Interview

We are thrilled to be interviewed over at Coffee with Canine. We would be grateful if you would wag on over and leave a note there at the interview. Thank you!

Thank you, Marshal, for interviewing my mom (and through her, me). We love the Coffee with Canine blog.

Bassetmomma left us a note there over the weekend; thank you, Bassetmomma! And thank you, dear readers, for taking a look.

BlogPaws 2012!

BlogPaws is happening right now in Salt Lake City, Utah.

We're excited that Bicontinental Dachshund is a Finalist for the "Best Newbie" blog at BlogPaws 2012! It's a wonderful affirmation of our connection with YOU - our readers. Thank you.

A bark out: I received the sweetest note from Kelly at Freekibble congratulating me on my status. It really made me wag. Thank you, Kelly. And thank you - Freekibble.com - for all you do on behalf of pets. It is wotten waven that Freekibble.com will be donating to shelters chosen by the BlogPaws finalists.

Here's some information about Freekibble: "Freekibble.com was created by 16-year-old Mimi Ausland, when she was 11 years old, to help feed the homeless dogs and cats at her local animal shelter. 'There are 10’s of thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal… and they deserve it!' Mimi was named the ASPCA and Humane Society of the United States Kid of the Year because of the impact Freekibble has had on feeding animals in need, and for the awareness she has created for shelter pets."

Halo, Purely for Pets is also supporting the awards.

I wish we could attend BlogPaws, but Mom says the logistics of changing our international plane tickets from Switzerland to Idaho were daunting.

"Couldn't we take the train?" I asked.

 

For a moment, I had forgotten about the Atlantic Ocean.

If you're at BlogPaws, drop us a note! We're there in spirit. And virtually! BlogPaws will be streaming live.

In another note of pawsomeness, Mom's memoir "Body of a Dancer" (Etruscan Press, 2011) is a Finalist for Foreword Review's Best Book of the Year in the Autobiography/Memoir category. This award will be announced this weekend, too. Talk about an embarrassment of riches! I'm wagging.