A nap by the lake

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

Hike 10 of 2019

Termine, Switzerland: We tested our agility skills on the percorso vita! 🐾🐶🐾

Hike 8 of 2019

Hike to the Bolle di Magadino in Switzerland. 🐾🐾 This is a wetland area at the mouth of the Ticino River, across the north end of Lake Maggiore. Dog met: A four-month old puppy Chihuahua named Lina and two Border Collies. (We cannot remember their names!) 🐶☀️

And we saw this pawsome doggy DACHSHUND sign!

Hike 7 of 2019

This is another hike we do a lot during the winter. It's near Sessa, Switzerland and also an extension of Hike 3. Dog met: Pinko, a four-year-old standard dachshund who is afraid of cats. His mom thought Pinko thought Tootsie might be a cat, but eventually Pinko sniffed Tootsie's butt and all was well with the world. 🐾🐶🐾

Here's what the humans ate after the hike. Tootsie got a carrot biscuit treat made especially for dogs.

Hike 6 of 2019

This trail goes to the Sessa Gold Mine, which operated until 1952. (It's now a museum.) Note that these kinds of vineyards are common in Ticino, Switzerland, terraced and tidy. (Merlot is common here, but we don't partake.) Dogs met: a fine medium-sized lab mutt guarding her home with barks and wags; she didn't tell us her name.

Can you find Tootsie? She's inside her "Take-a-Long Bag" from Dachshund Delights!
🐾🐾🐶💛

Hike 5 of 2019

This is one of our favorite walks (or hikes, depending on length) along Lake Lugano.

The photograph demonstrates our best Swiss doggy manners. We love all the dog signage in Switzerland that speaks directly to doggies. The poopy trash cans are pretty spectacular too. (On the side is a dispenser for poopy bags. Scoop the poop!)

We always make time to cuddle on our hikes.

And these are some human treats--not for Tootsie. (Dachshund Grandpa, check these out!)

Hike 4 of 2019

Hike 4 of 2019: Monte Clivio, Italy.

This is a super-interesting hike, because the whole trail is in Switzerland except for a tiny jaunt to the summit in Italy. There used to be a border fence with barbed wire on this trail between Switzerland and Italy. It was taken down. I would point out that in 2019 civilized countries do not need walls--nor do they build new ones.

 

Here's a photograph of the nap we took during the hike. 

I was so happy to be in the woods with Tootsie and Dachshund Daddy on a gorgeous Sunday, yesterday.

Leaf Walkies!

Hike 3 of 2019

In the winter this is a hike we do a lot--it's in Suino, Switzerland--so I'll just count it once for our 2019 tally. Not shown to the right of the picture is a valley with several horses and the occasional Scottish cow.

Dog met: Maggie, an eleven-year-old yellow lab who was hoarse from barking so much.

Visual of what the humans ate afterward:

 

Dog Beach, San Vincenzo, Italy

Yes, it's actually called Dog Beach! It's our happy place. We've visited this beach near San Vincenzo, Italy twice, and I really hope we'll visit again.

Cousin Itt came with us to Dog Beach. Cousin Itt is a great traveler and loves to cuddle Tootsie.

Here's a photograph of me (Renée) wearing my gorgeous handspun, handknit Fair Isle tam made by Susan Blackwell Ramsey--a fabulous poet & artist. Ramsey's poetry collection is A Mind Like This (University of Nebraska Press, 2012).

If you're on Instagram, you can follow us here.

Hike 2 of 2019

Hike 2 of 2019: Monte Carmo, Liguria. We had a gorgeous view of the Appenines. Dogs met: none, but we saw the turf damage from lots of wild piggy snout action along the trail.

What the humans ate afterward:

 

Hike 1 of 2019

We have been super inspired by our new friends @fridalou84 (and Baxter, too) who completed the 2018 52 Hike Challenge, so we decided to keep better track of our hikes this year. Tootsie is 13 and as a senior doggy, it's a bit much to set big goals (and, geez, at her age, does she really have to feel the tyranny of New Year's resolutions?); however, since we hike all the time, we will continue to share where we go in 2019. I'm sure Tube of Fur will get carried a lot! I think one parameter of these hikes is that Tube of Fur has to come along and the hike should be a minimum of three miles.

Here is hike #1 of 2019: Passo Gandiolo, Liguria, Italy (in the hills above Genova).

🐾 Dogs met: Bilbo (yes, Baggins is his last name) & Lulu.

There was a fascinating man-made earth structure called a neviera, which was a pit dug into the ground and when it filled with snow, it was used as a freezer. Now it basically looks like a bulldozer took a chunk out of the ground, but the edges of the hole are smooth, and as the picture shows, it used to have a little freezer house on top.

 

Hiking in Austria

We're super proud of the hiking we did in Austria this summer. In particular, our hike to the top of Speiereck was our biggest in years. 🐾 🐶 🚠

 Us at the top of Speiereck above Mauterndorf, Salzburg, Austria.

I'm super happy to be back at Casa Burrow. In exchange for agreeing to have a bath, Mom did all my laundry. Even a little dog generates a lot of laundry on the road.

Flight Practice Begins, Again!

Our form needs assessment, but we're thrilled to be back in the air.

Sometimes, especially after lots of practice, we cuddle on a mountain.

Scout on Sette Termini and Thoughts on the Constitution

After surviving a major health crisis last fall, I feel renewed and rejuvenated. I go on substantial walkies almost every day, and I've already been on several long hikes. One thing that has changed in my life is that I don't bark at big dogs anymore. If you don't believe me, here's some photographic evidence from my recent encounter with Scout.

Scout is four years old and loves hiking.

I met him on Monte Sette Termini, east of Lake Maggiore. You can see a tiny piece of the Lake in the photo below, taken from the summit meadows (just over 3,000 ft above sea level). It's hard to tell, but the photo also shows a German Shepherd running around the meadows. I didn't bark at him, either.

Barking used to be my way to remind European dogs that we Americans enjoy freedom of speech as a result of the First Amendment. Now that I'm older, I've come to realize that a savvy sausage needs not bask in American exceptionalism.

Tootsie goes to Mont Blanc

"Dad, do you think I can climb Mont Blanc?"
"Probably not, love. You'd need crampons and an ice axe."

"Don't they make dachshund-sized crampons?"
"Not that I know of. Plus how would you deal with crevasses, dear?"

"I'd jump up and over them and use my tail for extra balance."
"Jumping is bad for your back, and your tail probably wouldn't give you much extra balance."

"I see... but could you buy me an ice axe?"
"How would you hold an ice axe with your paws?"

After establishing that Mont Blanc is a bit above my pay grade, I asked DD if we could hike somewhere near there. In spite of his reluctance to go anywhere near famous places, DD agreed and took me to Val Ferret, where we hiked to the top of Tête de la Tronche, nearly 8500 feet above sea level. Do you see the Italian side of Mont Blanc in the photo below? I'm going there... well, at least in that general direction :)

Here I'm covering the last few yards to the tippy top of Tête de la Tronche.

Fur disclosure: I got carried quite a bit, especially on the way up.

DD's summer hiking policy is to pick me up and carry me if I start panting too much.

It's a bit conservative, if you ask me, but I guess it's fair.

That way I don't get overtired and I can still wake him up at 5 am the next morning so he can feed me breakfast!

Switzerland’s best kept secrets: the Avers Valley

If you want to discover Switzerland’s best kept secrets, look no further than my doggie blog.

Today we’re sharing a very precious tip about a wonderful place that should be at the top of everyone’s list of things to see in Switzerland but instead is nearly empty: the Avers valley.

Nestled just north of the continental divide, the Avers valley is a high elevation side valley that branches off the Hinterrhein valley near the spa town of Andeer.

Home to very few people and very few tourist facilities, the Avers valley offers countless gorgeous hikes with its picture-perfect scenery and its pristine side valleys. Thanks to the high elevation of its valley floor, it’s always cool, even during heatwaves.

In these photos, Dachshund Daddy and I are hiking to the top of Guggernüll from the hamlet of Cresta. Lots of marmots everywhere, so you need to be on leash if you’re a hound, even a wee one like me.

 

I've been all over my adopted country, and the Avers Valley is one of my favorite places. Trust me, I'm a savvy sausage!