Special walkies with Frank, Joy, and Keanu

Dachshund Daddy recently went back to visit our doggy friends at Casa Orizzonti. In the picture below, from left to right: Joy, Keanu, and Frank, who's staring at his yellow ball held by the volunteer who takes them on their daily morning walk. DD was able to tag along and carry Joy for part of the way. Very much like our Tootsie, Joy likes to be carried for a while before she agrees to continue walking with her own four paws.

Here's Joy, checking out a pee spot by the side of the road. You can also see Keanu's paws and Frank's forehead.

After the walkie, DD stayed to cuddle Frank and his friends. Here's little Frank taking a nap with his fur-sister Cindy. We like to think that our girl Tootsie talks to them in their dreams.

Check out their sweet doggy pillow in the upper left corner!

Casa Orizzonti

Located in the town of Prosito in Southern Switzerland, Casa Orizzonti is an animal sanctuary that provides a permanent home for many rescue animals. Casa Orizzonti has been around for a long time, but we only discovered it online the morning after Tootsie's passing. We took it as a sign from Tootsie, and we decided to become members right away.

Last Saturday, we were lucky enough to visit them. While practicing social distancing with the humans, we got to meet the many resident creatures: pigs (Hi, Sonny!), goats (Hi, Piper!), birds, rodents, cats, and, of course, doggies!

This is Frank, who joined Casa Orizzonti in April shortly before Tootsie's passing. Frank is fifteen years old, about the same age as Tootsie.

Frank with the gift we brought him on behalf of our girl.

Frank is super-happy at his new home and has become very good friends with the other resident doggies: Joy, Rugiada, Toby, Keanu, Cindy, and Zeus. Frank loves cuddles and belly rubs. He's a free-spirited dog with an amazing amount of energy! His pug friend Joy, nicknamed Jo-Joy, keeps an eye out for him and is a calming influence in his life.

Joy and Frank

We look forward to our next visit to Casa Orizzonti so we can join Frank and his friends on their morning walk. It's going to be super special.

Love from Southern Switzerland

Dear Friends,

We are thinking of you all and sending love from southern Switzerland.

This morning, we had breakfast kibble with our friend, Unicorn. Our ears are flipped back in the fashion we call our bib. After breakfast, we take off our bib and restore our ears to factory settings.

We are grateful that you are doing all of the following:

• wash your hands (sing Happy Birthday song twice)
• maintain physical distance (six feet)
• when you are outside, do not touch your face 
• do not handle cash
• if you are over 65, do not go out at all and have someone else do your grocery shopping
• if you are young, offer to do grocery shopping and anything else your wise elders need
• do not visit elders in person; if you visit, stay outside and wave
• do maintain social contact with your loved ones
• do set-up a family communication plan
• do care for yourself and your mental health in all possible ways
• stay home for public health and remember the public in public health
• try to be sure that any of your actions do not lead to inadvertent accidents that would require medical attention and divert needed resources

Remember: you can be a hero by staying home.

Things here are awful and strange. The deaths in Italy are heartbreaking. (The original hot spot of COVID19 in Lombardy, Italy is one and a half hours south of us.) Life adjustments require an acknowledgement of grief for our previous lives, grief for the suffering and loss of life, and gratitude for our current lives. We balance realism and optimism. The daffodils bloomed last week, so there are brilliant yellow batches heralding spring. We both work from home. We go out to pee/poo Tootsie, or to get groceries. We keep track of our neighbors. We offer help. (Our words make it sound as if we've made these transitions gracefully; we have not!) The incredible life force Tootsie demonstrates daily is our inspiration.

We still walk Tootsie, but none of her doggy friends can sniff and say hello, so those doggy friends yip and bark from a distance. Chica, Hakim, Benji, Idéfix, Lafayette, and others miss their Tootsie--we all call Tootsie their Bisnonna, or Great Grandmother. We absolutely maintain social distance. We are blessed with a tube of fur who has never been particularly social. Back in the day, Tootsie used to stand at the side of doggy groups and bark. It was freaking embarrassing!

I want to name all of our friends! You know who you are. Take care. We will update as able.
Xo

Nap with Yellow Bowl

We love our yellow bowl. And we love our friends: you. Xo

Napping with Lili's Arosa Coat

Healing is my top priority this week, which is why I'm taking a lot of naps. I'm taking one right now with my special Arosa coat on.

My Arosa coat was a gift from my special friend Lili. Here's Lili, Mom, and I on a forest road near her Arosa home.

Thanks so much to all my fur-friends who left sweet messages on my posts earlier this week!

When in doubt, a nap is the way to go. There's no such thing as a bad nap.

Tootsie's Bug Bowl

We call this Tootsie's Bug Bowl, because her friend Bug gave it to her. Bug is the fur kid of our special USA-based vet Dr. Ward--she helped us adopt Tootsie. Tootsie lived with Dr. Ward for a time to lose weight (Tootsie used to weigh more than twice her current size), and Dr. Ward did all Tootsie's initial surgeries (rotten teeth pulled and bladder stones, for example).

[Today is supposed to be "Wordless Wednesday," but we always seem to break and bend the rules!]

A New Friend?

Just before we met Bandit, the very good-looking doggie in the photo below, Tootsie had been barked at by a tiny chihuahua who was wearing a tiny Swiss sweatshirt. She was still shaking when Bandit came along. As soon as he came up to her, she stopped shaking and started wagging at a very high frequency.

Tootsie loves big dogs; I think they remind her of her fur-brother Truffle.

Lost in Translation

Like all dachshunds, I'm bound to have German ancestry, but that doesn't mean I'm fluent in German. Whatever Fluffo tried to tell me was lost in translation.

Tootsie and Fluffo near the top of Zweitausender in the Kitzbühel Alps, Austria.

Remembering Suni

Last July, during a hike in the Matterhorn region, Dachshund Daddy (DD) met Suni, the Queen of the Alps.

A passionate hiker, Suni summited countless mountains all over the Alps with her human dad, Gabri. You can read all about their adventures on their website. Even if you can't read Italian, you'll enjoy their gorgeous photos.

We knew all about Suni and her prowess as a doggy hiker long before DD met her. We'd read all about her on her website. As a fellow little dog and a fellow hiker, I admired Suni and her passion for the great outdoors.

Suni loved her mountains, and she loved sharing them with her human dad, who gave her the gift of a very special life.

Suni repaid him with the unconditional love that only a dog can give her human. Their bond grew increasingly stronger as Suni entered her silver years.
Blessed is the man who earned the love of an old dog.

Suni continued to power up the hills with her four-paw drive until this spring, when she flew over the rainbow bridge.

Now, every time her human dad climbs a mountain, he and Angel Suni are reunited.

Run free, Angel Suni, in that big meadow in the sky.

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!

Paws & Books: "Neighbors" by George Held and Joung Un Kim

NEIGHBORS: YARD CRITTERS

Book One

Poems by George Held

Pictures by Joung Un Kim

Published by Filsinger & Co Ltd

The first in a series, this is such a smart, fun, beautiful, and engaging book of poetry and pictures! 

It's a perfect gift for young and old alike. We've given the whole series to our nephew Aghi.

Paws & Books: "Dog Songs" by Mary Oliver

Dog Songs

(The Penguin Press)

Mary Oliver

Listen to Mary Oliver read "Little Dogs Rhapsody in the Night" here.

Extra special thanks to our friends Zippie & Cookie, Jenn & Mallory for giving us Oliver's Dog Songs. Tootsie is dreaming about all the dog songs she will sing.

Paws & Books: "Wander" by Sara Blackthorne

Wander

(Paper Lion Press)

by Sara Blackthorne

Sara Blackthorne's Wander engages the moments of our lives to explore how we fully inhabit the center of our hearts. A series of photographs and prose, this gorgeous chapbook is published by Paper Lion Press. You can purchase a copy here.

Sara Blackthorne runs a fantastic podcast -- IN HER ROOM. You can listen to Renée (Tootsie's mom) & Sara's conversation here.

Sara Blackthorne is a compassionate, smart editor and provides editing services here.

Paws & Books: "Needle Makes Tracks" by Danna Ephland

Needle Makes Tracks

by Danna Ephland

Published by Dancing Girl Press

Quotes from Danna Ephland's poem "The Resemblance is Remarkable":

"Needle's dog wears progressive lenses / 
& a pink collar."
....
"It's not complicated she barks, every day /
on the way out the door, on the way in."

Congratulations, Danna, on your beautiful chapbook. We love it!
xo Tootsie & Renée

Paws & Books: "Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy" by Dinty W. Moore

Paw of approval!
You'll find lots of great writing advice in these pages
and learn about polar bears, too.

Dinty W. Moore's

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy: Advice and Confessions on Writing, Love, and Cannibals

(Ten Speed Press)

Paws & Books: "Some Girls" by Janet McNally

Some Girls

 by Janet McNally

(White Pine Press)

Winner of the 2014 White Pine Press Poetry Prize

#tbt -- Flight Practice

Throwback Thursday is for my friend Danna who knows how ready I am to fly.

I practice and practice and still end up with my paws on the ground or in mom's arms.

But I want to fly!

We love you, Danna.
XO

Paws & Books: "the last will be stone, too" by Deborah Poe

the last will be stone, too

(Stockport Flats)

by Deborah Poe

From "death mix" by Deborah Poe:

leaf-green heart of shadow looks at itself

there comes a stillness, comes this storm

which crossing awakens?

Happy New Year!

May all your paths in 2016 be clear.

From our family to yours: Happy New Year!