Hiking Ziggy

Hiking Ziggy
Originally uploaded by LeggNet.
Border collie Ziggy on a hike in central Utah.

- Touille, who stays a little closer to home for her hikes

Mairie du XVème arrondissement

Mairie du XVème arrondissement
Originally uploaded by Claudecf.

Hope you all had a merry Christmas.

- Touille, who thus far has escaped being photographed in, on or with a holiday decoration

This dog is not actually a yam

i think i am a yam
Originally uploaded by image415.

"I yam what I yam." - Popeye

Luckily for me, MB has not dressed me up like a Pilgrim or a Thanksgiving turkey or other food item to snap a photo of me.

But Christmas is coming soon. Dogs and cats, I implore you to watch out for humans bearing red stocking caps, antlers, or jingle bells. They may be preparing to use you as a prop for the annual Christmas card photograph.

- Touille, a small dog who has been dressed up in many strange outfits over the years

Watching the destruction

Touille still looks
Originally uploaded by MBK.

This past Sunday was a beautiful sunny day. MB brought me with her on a photo-taking expedition. We drove by Busch Stadium which is being torn down so that the new Busch Stadium (visible in the right side of the photo) can take its place.

You can see me in the car looking at all the hustle and bustle of activity. Mostly knocking down and moving of rubble was happening on Sunday. The construction part of the operation might only happen on weekdays.

There were many humans looking at the scene, but I was the only dog around. Perhaps other dogs came by later, but I remained in the vehicle so was unable to leave them any dog messages.

- Touille, a small dog who is fascinated by live action of any kind, but who is unsure of the reasons for tearing down one large structure in order to build another large structure

Zombie Touille

Zombie Touille
Originally uploaded by SuziJane.

Oh my!

This is a photograph of me, taken by Amy, "negativized" by MB, and with "red-eye" and bloody mouth effect added by SJ. The result is a frightening apparition. Halloween night seems the appropriate time to add it to my blog.

- Touille, actually a very sweet dog - most of the time

devilkitty

devilkitty
Originally uploaded by Connie Sue2.

The photographer says:

Seth was so excited about his costume he had to put it on early. Nice fangs, eh?

From the look on this kitty's face, I fear that adding a horned costume is gilding the lily, so to speak.

- Touille, a dog who can look somewhat ferocious at times, though perhaps not actually demonic

mexican bat dog

Mexican Bat Dog photo on Flickr
mexican bat dog by kreet.


The photographer says:

this is zipper, she was found in an abandoned building and was adopted by my landlord and her daughter. for all that zipper lacks in looks, she makes up for in personality. she is very sweet and loves everyone, especially children. as her health improves, we hope her coat will begin to fill out, she is healthy otherwise. although she is a mystery mix, we have decided that she is her own breed, a "mexican bat dog" bred in mexico to chase fruit and vegetable stealing bats away from villages.

I think that Zipper is a fine looking dog. And her personality probably beats mine, because she "loves everyone, especially children" (emphasis mine).

- Touille, also a sweet dog who unfortunately is not overly fond of children, but who loves everyone else to a reasonable degree

a scary dog photo for Halloween

Say cheese!!! by Mikenpet.

This is not a werewolf or a zombie dog. But Maggi looks awfully scary here.
The photographer says:

She did not like the Flash...Our great watchdog Maggi... This would be the face she would give you.. if you ever tried to and break in our house .... God rest your soul!!! This was a very tough shot to take, both for my safety and also my dog never usually turns on me like this.

I don't blame Maggi for this ferocity. Humans sometimes seem to think that we dogs are just props to be photographed. The Flash is not fun. It is almost as bad as The Vacuum Cleaner.

- Touille, a little dog whose teeth are almost as frightening as Maggi's

Tally and the pumpkins (Study in Orange and Brown)

Study in Orange and Brown by Blazingstar.

Here's a nice "dog with autumn/Halloween stuff" photo.

I've noticed MB eyeing various bizarre lawn ornaments, planning to place me among them for a photo shoot.

- Touille, who probably will have to submit to the inevitable "dog with ridiculous ghost/witch/bat/spiderweb" photograph

Scary neighbors!

Scary neighbors!
Originally uploaded by sbethell.

MB has been taking photos of stuff around the neighborhood that looks like pumpkins, spiderwebs, and such. I see that this photographer, sbethell, has posed a canine creature next to some of this decor. Expect to see some photos of moi next to a jack-o-lantern or skeleton or similar item.

- Touille, a small dog who hopes that MB can't find anything too gruesome to place beside me

Charlie & Stretch

Charlie & Stretch
Originally uploaded by ElectrikCandyland.

Charlie is the human on the skateboard, and Stretch is the dog on the leash. I hope that Charlie is not zipping along too rapidly for Stretch. His little legs can only go so fast.

- Touille, also a dog with short legs

Man and Dog Reunited

Here's an excerpt from the St. Louis Post Dispatch article:

They told him dogs couldn't go.

After Hurricane Katrina struck, the U.S. Coast Guard plucked Bobby Alberti, 59, and his dog Rover from a roof and took them to higher ground at the University of New Orleans.

Helicopters were on their way to the campus to fly people to Interstate 10, where buses would take them to shelters with food and medical care.

But dogs had to stay behind.

Read more about it.


MB tells me that she would not leave me behind. I guess that I am lucky to be a very small dog. MB could just stuff me inside her shirt and probably no one would even notice.

- Touille, a very tiny dog


UPDATE by MB in 2019: Now there is a kid's book by Francis Alberti about this event. I couldn't find a better link for the original article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Blessing of the Horses

car driving behind horse
Originally uploaded by MBK.

At the animal blessing to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi Day, most animals were allowed to enter the Cathedral. The horses and police "attack dogs" remained outside in front of the Cathedral. The street was not closed off, so during the blessing of the horses, one automobile came driving right by, causing one horse to become a little skittish. But the blessings proceeded without a hitch.

More photos of The Blessing of the Animals

- Touille, an old dog who has seen many of these blessing ceremonies in her time

Blessing of the Animals

red leash uploaded by MBK.

Here is a dog getting a blessing by one of the priests at Christ Church Cathedral. I believe that animals are blessed every day, and that we don't need a priest to pat us on the head. But the humans seem to like the idea of filling the church with animals for a day. Dogs, horses, cats, and one owl came to the blessing ceremony.

- Touille, a blessed dog all year round

Man with a flute

fluting for touille by MBK.

This man was the drummer at the blessing of the animals at Christ Church Cathedral. MB tried to get a photo of me being serenaded by this person. I just wasn't that interested. But I did enjoy meeting and greeting the dogs and their people who (respectively) sniffed and petted me.

- Touille, who enjoys being greeted and petted, but serenaded - not so much

Beware of the Beast, Scorching Bay, Wellington

Beware of the Beast, Scorching Bay, Wellington
Originally uploaded by Iso G.

MB has been very lax about typing things in my blog. So after days of nothing, she has decided to blog this photo.

I guess it is mildly amusing. The photo was taken in New Zealand. I have never been there, nor has MB. But MB's sister has actually traveled to New Zealand and loved it there. She and her husband actually wanted to move there, but they wouldn't have been able to find jobs. So they moved to Bisbee, Arizona instead.

My most recent adventure was to be blessed at the annual St. Francis of Assisi Day "Celebration of Creation" and animal blessing at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. I will have MB give a link to photos from that event in a later blog post.

- Touille, a small dog who has been blessed for another year

Best Buddies

Untitled by palmea.

The photographer didn't comment on this photo, but many others did. They seemed to think it looks like a painting by an old Dutch Master.

- Touille, a dog who doesn't know much about art, but who knows what she likes

Abandoned

Abandoned photo by Tampen on Flickr.

"Chalmette, east of New Orleans, Friday (September 9). Starving and soaked in oil leaked from a nearby refinery."

- The photographer, Tampen (Tony Allen-Mills)

You can help pets like these by donating to any of several organizations, including the Humane Society.

- Touille, a little blogging dog reminding everyone that pets need our help too

Audubon Zoo in New Orleans escapes major harm from Katrina

flamingo colors by Kevin Severud.

Only a few animals were lost at the famed Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Human volunteers remain at the zoo to care for the animal residents. (We heard it on NPR's Morning Edition this morning, September 7.)

In related news, Humane Society workers are still looking for stranded pets along the gulf coast. Hear more about it in the NPR story on Morning Edition.

NPR also has a Katrina weblog for the latest news about the hurricane's aftermath.

- Touille, a canine concerned about the animals (and humans) whose lives have been devastated by the hurricane

Going for the Kill

Going for the Kill
Originally uploaded by Opiliones.


The photographer says:

"Kimbo, having tired of bopping the ball back to my husband, decided to go for a bite. The four black dots on the bottom yellow section of the ball are repairs from previous successes."

I wish Kimbo every success in this endeavor. I, however, prefer to play with something smaller than my head.

- Touille, a very small doggie who needs a small toy to bat around

not interested

not interested by MBK.

This hunk of metal doesn't have an interesting smell. MB likes to take photos of me sniffing things, but I wouldn't oblige here.

- Touille, a dog who likes things that have a smell

a rescued dog: hurricane Katrina

dog12
Originally uploaded by Kristin Breaux.

The photographer, Kristin Breaux, says:

One of my jobs in monitoring the Associated Press photo wire.
I see hundreds of images that will never be published, but I think these photos are worth sharing with you.
Even though some of these images are sad and harrowing, I take comfort in them. They remind me that people are inherently compassionate and caring. I hope you draw strength from them, too.

All images by The Associated Press in New Orleans, Biloxi and the rural Gulf Coast.

Uploaded by Kristin Breaux on 4 Sep '05, 8.25am CDT.

Hurricane Katrina on Flickr

Hurricane Rescue Mission: Pet Rescue

North Shore Animal League America is helping to rescue pets affected by Hurricane Katrina. You can help by making a donation through their secure website.

Read the ASPCA tips for animal health and safety during a natural disaster.

- Touille

My recent visit to the veterinarian

At the veterinarian's office:

The people poked and prodded, looked in my ears, drew blood from my front leg, sneaked these two injections into my thighs, listened to my heart, and then said they would need to take more tests.

Meanwhile, MB was reading up on the many diseases of dogs as portrayed on these posters.



Then the vet and the techs went into the other room, telling MB I would need a few more tests because my heart murmur has increased.



They came back and got me, leaving MB alone in the little room while they performed the unspeakable tests. (MB thinks they took blood from my jugular vein. I don't know the medical terminology, but I believe that's correct.) They also trimmed my toenails.

Now I need to take heart medication. And they will need to perform even more tests to see if I will be able to withstand a dental cleaning, which is sorely needed.

- Touille, a tiny dog who is now considered to be a "heart patient"

Literary cat Lynksys

[Unfortunately the nice photo of Lynksys (a literary cat) has been deleted since SuziJane is no longer active on Flickr.]

Lynksys' human companion, SuziJane, captioned the photo thusly:

Lynksys proofreading my novel-in-progress for me! She's my technical advisor on the felines in the story.

I am sure that SuziJane's novel will be a best seller with such excellent advice from Lynksys. You can see that she is very intent on her proofreading job here.
My human companion, MB, perhaps needs my help in culling her photographs. She has over 2000 of them on her flickr pages. Of course most of the nicest ones are the photographs of me. She ought to leave all of those on the website. Some of the thousand photos of buildings could be trashed, in my humble opinion.

- Touille, a very photogenic dog



UPDATE by MB: The number of MBK's photos on Flickr now surpasses three hundred thousand with no end in sight. It's too bad that I never took my dog's offer to help cull the photos while she was still living!
I miss Touille every day.
Updated by MB Thursday, May 30. 2019

Tony aka Beelzebub

Tony aka Beelzebub
Originally uploaded by _Ingrid_.

Ingrid, the photographer, claims:

"He's pure evil."

How can such a little pup be evil? Perhaps Ingrid just means that Tony is feisty. Some of us little dogs are misunderstood, just because people expect us to be like little dolls or stuffed animals, just because we are small. But we are not to be trifled with!

- Touille, who has on occasion been called an "evil little dog" but who is in reality a mixture of good and bad

When taking pills, be careful not to drop them, especially if you have pets

Speak out!
Originally uploaded by msdrama.

A very sad story from Susan, the veterinarian whose blog is called Pet Peeves. She works nights in an animal emergency room. A little kitten was brought in with acetaminophen toxicosis.

It only takes one little pill to kill a small animal. Cats don't have the proper enzymes to metabolize Tylenol, and so dropping a pill and failing to pick it up could prove lethal to a pet.

The vet also recommends that you never give an over-the-counter medication to any pet without checking with a doctor.

Susan also links to this story about Bolero, a little pup who ate some poisonous seeds and managed to pull through with some heroic work by his doctors. Bolero will not eat Sago Palm seeds again.

- Touille, blogging about a serious topic today

walking in tandem

Dog Walk 6-21
Originally uploaded by Sneaky G.

I haven't had another dog to walk with lately. And MB seems to stop a lot more often than she used to, purportedly to snap photos, but perhaps she's just getting old and can't keep up the pace. I can still trot along at a pretty good speed, considering that my legs are short.



Here I am looking back at MB as if to say, "What's the holdup here?"




- Touille, a short-legged dog who has never had trouble keeping up with the "big dogs"

from a Manhattan Dog Park - photo by Terry Bain

from a Manhattan Dog Park vii
Originally uploaded by Terry Bain.

This dog is just about to catch a flying tennis ball in his mouth.

I have never been interested in trying this type of activity. If someone tosses something in my direction, I duck. But if offered a tasty treat, I will delicately and daintily accept it. Just don't throw it at me!

Bonus link: Cute Puppies, a photo album by Terry Bain.

- Touille, a dog of elegance and refinement

big bowl

....... by nino77.

I believe that the bowl is larger than the dog. Don't fall in, little pup!

- Touille, also a smallish dog

Tail held high!

Dog's tail
From the photographer's photo album Our Three Pets. The three pets are two fine dogs and a rather fine looking cat.

Now here is a photo of me during this morning's walk, with my tail tucked well under:



Here is the reason why I was cowering, so to speak:


The photo does not really convey the true scariness of the truck. It was very very loud and drove by quite close to us.

- Touille, a small dog who doesn't like big noisy things

Buddy

my buddy by palmea.

Buddy's human companion has made a whole album of photos of Buddy, a very photogenic dog.

- Touille, who wants to encourage humans to photograph good-looking dogs like Buddy and me

Supermodel? Lulu does her best to "wear" this tiny sweater

Supermodel
Supermodel, a photo by trippyswell on Flickr.

This dog is indeed a "cutie" (that's what the human word is for it) but aren't the armholes of the sweater supposed to contain arms? Or perhaps front legs? And the angle of the photo prevents us from seeing this dog's hind legs. Lulu is indeed cute, but somehow disconcerting, in this picture. I feel that she was being very accommodating to her humans to allow this sort of photo to be taken.

- Touille, a small dog who has put up with many similar indignities to humor her human companion

MB's 2019 UPDATE: Twitter did not exist when Touille was around, but the photographer of Lulu (and knitter of the sweater) has a Twitter account @KnittedByLulu, though her blog Angry Knitter seems to not be active anymore.

demon or laugher?

demon or laugher?
Originally uploaded by Asienka.

The title was given to the photograph by the photographer. I believe that this is a demon laugher. So... both.

- Touille, a small dog who is a little frightened by the look of this creature

A chihuahua barks at midnight

A chihuahua barks at midnight
Originally uploaded by prodigaldog.
Part of the Shadowy People photo pool.

I believe this would make an excellent book title for one of those books that people like to read. It could be a mystery or a book about scientific studies of barking phenomena.

- Touille, who usually does not bark precisely at midnight unless someone is coming through the door at that hour

sustainable attitude

sustainableattitude
Originally uploaded by nemsodecao.
The photographer says:

“Our built environment is made of materials that have been extracted and taken from far off locations. The manufacturing of those materials often consume huge quantities of non-renewable energy resources and can affect the biosphere. The eventual disposal of those manufactured materials is often malignantly reintegrated back into the biosphere.
I worry about Nature.
My worries can protect Nature.
My life depends on Nature.
I am shifting my balance centre and assuming to the public a sustainable attitude.” Flô

- Touille, a small dog who is concerned about this big planet

Trying to get some sleep

touille just waking
Originally uploaded by MBK.

I was getting some good sleep in the big bed when MB thought it would be cute to take a series of flash photographs of me. My eye is just starting to open. MB was pleased with the results because my eye was not open enough to flash back with that eyeglowing effect. But my sleep was interrupted.

- Touille, a dog who sleeps better when persons are not around the bed area with flash photography

fine trio of dogs

my pack of sweet dog girls
Originally uploaded by wizmo.

The photographer, wizmo, says:

"My pack. Bosco Boscowitz on the left, Bunny Shmenkleman in the middle, and Mrs. Beasley on the right."

A fine looking trio of dogs sitting on furniture. Now here's a photo of me underneath some furniture:


And here I am resting on the big bed:



- Touille, a dog who spends a lot of time in well-deserved sleep in the big bed

hot dog? or a dog's worst nightmare?

Originally uploaded by that nanochurch guy at soulcare.net.



hot dog by Alpha Lim on Flickr

The humans who viewed this photo had comments of the "aw how sweet" variety. As a small dog I do not feel that this is a sweet photo. It puts me in mind of a nightmare that I occasionally have, about being the snack of a larger creature. This doesn't strike me as cute at all. You, dear human readers, are of course free to disagree. (At least they didn't slather mustard and relish all over this poor unwitting pup.)

- Touille, who vastly prefers to be the diner, not the dinner

My Fourth of July walk

touille on the cracked tile
Originally uploaded by MBK.

MB and I took a short walk around the neighborhood. There were a few of those popping and banging sounds a few blocks away, but none in the immediate vicinity yet. Once it gets dark, I am sure that the neighborhood children will start setting off those firecracker things that make a hideously loud noise. I prefer to be underneath the bed when the firing starts.

- Touille, a dog with sensitive ears who does not understand the human fascination with things that go "bang"

Boffins create zombie dogs

MB just informed me that scientists are re-animating deceased dogs now. Nick Buchan of NEWS.com.au (an Australian newspaper) says:

Scientists have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans. US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years. Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.

First of all, I am not sure why MB decided to draw this particular news article to my attention. She says it has something to do with a comment by her blog buddy SJ about "Zombie Touille", and that consequently the term "zombie dogs" just struck her as fascinating. I myself am not sure what a zombie dog would have to do with my life as an eating, sleeping, walking, licking, living, loving companion dog to MB. But since blogging is one of my hobbies now, I guess this scientific experiment can be commented upon by me. However, I am not familiar with the term "boffins"; nor is MB. Perhaps it is an Aussie word. I have previously come upon the Aussie word for throwing up, which is "chunder". I like that word; it sounds like what it means. Perhaps someone from Australia can enlighten me about the meaning of "boffins".

Since MB got her new camera, she seems not to have as much time to type my blog entries. She's fallen behind on her own blog as well. But she does have some rather nice new photos of me now.





- Touille, a very photogenic dog if I do say so myself

Cheese Class (from St. Louis rocks)

Cheese Class by frippy on Flickr.

This sounds like the kind of class that I would like to attend. I would hope that morsels of the cheese would hit the ground so that I could munch on them.

This photo was taken by frippy and is part of the Rock St. Louis photo set. Because St. Louis rocks! It really does.

- Touille, a rockin', cheese eatin' dog

corner of Magnolia Avenue and Tennessee Place

corner of Magnolia Avenue and Tennessee Place
Originally uploaded by MBK.

Here is one of the things MB decide to take a photo of. We see these buildings every day. I don't know why MB thought that taking a photo was so urgently needed. But since she went to all that trouble, I may as well put it on this blog. So if you're in this neighborhood, you may see me (along with MB) walking down the street. Feel free to stop and say hello.

- Touille, a reasonably friendly dog who is not too likely to growl or bite if approached

Here we are on our morning walk...

walk touille alley redshoe
Originally uploaded by MBK.

behind our building in the alley. That red shoe belongs to MB. I am wearing my stylish purple leash and collar. It's a beautiful day, and it's too bad that MB keeps pulling me back so that she can stop and take more photos.

- Touille, to whom a walk means "keep on moving"

Felix: soul 2

soul 2
Originally uploaded by bluetriangle.
From the Who Let The Dogs Out photo pool