ET Phone Home!

ET Dog by Rosie on Flickr.

The photographer Rosie calls this an ET look-alike pug dog.

- Touille, a small mixed breed dog from Tower Grove East Neighborhood, City of Saint Louis, State of Missouri, USA, Planet Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Universe

Grapes and Raisins are BAD for dogs.

Animal Diaries: Is it a myth? No!  Grapes and raisins are bad for some dogs.

I'm glad that StarGazer did the research and checked Snopes.com to make sure.

The bottom line is that grapes and raisins can and have caused acute renal failure in some dogs, but others have consumed these fruits without issue. In other words, grapes and raisins are poisonous to some dogs, but not to all of them. Unfortunately, as [veterinarian Ahna] Brutlag explained, "There is no way to predict which dogs may be more sensitive."

I think that I tried to eat a grape one time but it rolled away and I couldn't get a grip on it. Being a small dog with a small and dainty mouth, it's hard to get certain objects into my mouth. I'm glad that I didn't eat that grape now. You can learn a lot by checking out the World Wide Web. (Do they still call it that?)


- Touille, who may have eaten a raisin once, though it might have been a squashed bug, but will refrain from sampling such things from henceforth and forevermore

keeping an eye on the neighborhood

Maddie
Here's an Australian Cattle Dog performing a very important service: keeping an eye on things.

More Australian Cattle Dogs here.


Milo's Stick by Carrie Cizauskas on Flickr

And Milo is rescuing a very important tool from the waters.

- Touille, a small but vigilant dog (when not sleeping)

alpha dog

alpha dog

"I may look small but I am tough!"

Don't underestimate the small dogs.

- Touille, a dog small in stature but mighty in power

[at least in her own mind - MB]

Earth Photo Album

someday by Jason S on Flickr.

Earth Photo Album by Jason S to celebrate Earth Day!

- Touille, a little dog on a big planet

Blog d'Elisson: ALIEN MENACE THWARTED

Blog d'Elisson: ALIEN MENACE THWARTED

and this cat is ready to go in for the kill! I'd run the other way!

- Touille, a dog who is leery of cats with glowing eyes


(2019 UPDATE: This above-linked blog post is still online but has not been updated to https yet. In case readers are afraid to click on the link, it shows a photo of a cat ready to attack a ladies undergarment. - updated by MB who types for Touille)

Caninecast on KDHX radio's "Memphis to Manchester"

Check out Memphis to Manchester on KDHX this Thursday April 21 from 8-10 AM Central Daylight time for the first ever Caninecast. That's right - nothing but two hours of songs about dogs. This will be an action-packed and fun-filled dogtravaganza for both two-legged and four-legged listeners. You can listen online with RealPlayer anywhere on the planet or tune in to 88.1 FM in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

Recommended by Touille, the mascot of KDHX's Lotsa A Cappella.

(2019 UPDATE: KDHX is still going strong, but the station's website no longer uses the outdated RealPlayer but a more modern sort of player. You can listen online to current or archived programs. The program Memphis to Manchester is still on the air (now from 7-10 AM Thursdays) and Lotsa A Cappella is also on the air with Touille as the eternal mascot. I wish the link to the playlist for the Caninecast still worked; I removed it because the link now leads nowhere. I will have to ask John Wendland, host of Memphis to Manchester, if he kept a list of the songs. I have updated the KDHX links. - MB who types for Touille)

Nihilist In Golf Pants: How Others May Have Handled the Killer Rabbit Attack

Sisyphus reminds us that April 20 is the 26th anniversary of the Killer Rabbit attack on President Jimmy Carter.

The media storm
Made Carter look quite silly.
I wish I blogged then.

- Sisyphus

How Others May Have Handled the Killer Rabbit Attack

Touille - would have sniffed at the rabbit before swimming away in the other direction.

"The Killer Rabbit" with photo

- Touille, a small dog who was not around to hear about this event in 1976, but who is fascinated by this Presidential mishap

Chilli-Touille: a recipe

Chilli-touille

Serving Size : 4   Preparation Time :0:25

Categories : Side Dish   Cuisine: Cafe Style 

1 medium onion -- peeled and sliced

1 medium courgette (zucchini) -- washed

1 small aubergine (egg plant) -- washed

1/2 medium capsicum (bell pepper) -- washed

3 medium tomatoes -- skinned

3 cloves garlic -- chopped fine

1/2 scotch bonnet chilli - or more -- chopped fine

ground nut oil

salt and pepper 

Cut the courgette (zucchini), aubergine (egg plant) and capsicum (bell pepper) into 1/2" dice, keep the vegetables separate for the time being.

Chop the tomatoes discarding stalks.

Heat a large frying pan or wok and fry the onion with the garlic over a fairly high heat until just beginning to soften and brown on the edges. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Fry the courgette in the same manner and remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the capsicum adding the chopped scotch bonnet chilli, remove from the pan and set aside. Fry the aubergine adding a little more oil if necessary.

Return all the vegetables to the pan with the tomato, when heated through check the seasoning and serve. 

Start to Finish Time: "0:25"

Source: sylv@nicebites.com

I carefully studied the recipe to ascertain what the meat ingredient is. It seems that no meat is called for. Here are the ingredients: onion, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (egg plant), capsicum (bell pepper), tomatoes, garlic, scotch bonnet chilli, ground nut oil [I think that is peanut oil here in the USA], salt and pepper.
I just wanted to make sure that no humans get funny ideas about making a chili/chilli dish with Touille as an ingredient! I have heard plenty of "hot dog" and "Ethnic Restaurant" jokes by odd guffawing men who think pretending to have an appetite for a little dog qualifies as humor.

- Touille, a dog who is not amused at being regarded as an appetizer

Dooce: "I WAS A SEVEN DAY POST-LABOR POOP VIRGIN."

Heather B. Armstrong on POOP

Pooping is very important, to humans and to canines, as well as to many other creatures. Ms. Armstrong has a poop story here which is not for the faint of heart.

- Touille, a small creature who has felt the pain of constipation, but not quite to the extent chronicled by Ms. Armstrong

MB's 2019 UPDATE: Heather Armstrong's Dooce Blog is still online, now including podcasts and more. I was able to update the above link so that all who desire to read about constipation and related matters may easily find the article and digest it, so to speak. 

Touille wants us all to know that in heaven there is no constipation and no diarrhea. She will not speak about whether or not there is poop in heaven. Heavenly poop may or may not be the size of a cheeto. Touille maintains that one must enter the heavenly kingdom to receive detailed knowledge of such things. 

 - MB typed it for Touille on June 2, 2019

"There's a whole forest of squirrels out there and I'm STUCK IN HERE!"

"There's a whole forest of squirrels out there and I'm STUCK IN HERE!" Red says while looking longingly out the window.

I can definitely identify! MB ought not to leave me so often.

There's lots more about Red and his new person's efforts to "train" him on his blog [can't find in 2019].

I think humans ought to admit that we dogs are training them too.

- Touille, who has been on this planet for years and is still trying to train one person, MB, who seems to be a slow learner

Nutty will not be outdone by fashionable Brits

camillapup2 by bfelice on Flickr

My friend Nutmeg looks extremely debonnaire wearing the Camilla hat.

However, I believe that Camilla's hat was somewhat larger than Nutty's is here.

Nutmeg's person friend sent us this link showing Charles and Camilla alongside a photo of another happy couple who chose the same day to get hitched.

- Touille, a small doggie who is all for love in its more tangible forms (like feeding and petting)

large bunny protesting (photo now deleted)

gallery owners are looking for ... somebody with a lot of something...

I am not sure what this large pink creature is protesting about, but you've got to admit, he certainly does get your attention.

- Touille, a small creature who doesn't carry signs, but can make her desires known by other means

MB's 2019 UPDATE: The photo link is dead, the photographer now has only four photos on Flickr, and my Google-fu is not successful in finding the little bit of vague quotation. It's been so long since I have seen this post that my memory fails me as to what the "large pink creature" looked like. Sometimes I am tempted just to delete a post like this, but for now I'll just leave it right here. Maybe the Wayback Machine can help later. 

Googling "touille" now has Doggie's Blog in 6th place

One of MB's friends googled "touille" a couple of weeks ago, and if my blog came up, it must have been way down the list. But today I am the 6th entry from the top! and the FIRST one in the English language.

I didn't try to translate any of the websites into dog language. But MB says she doesn't have the doggie character set on her computer anyhow.

- Touille, now a dog with a high internet profile

Starbucks Blogging (is that a Chihuahua or are you just glad to see me?)

We were moved to comment thusly on this Swanky Conservative post.

Touille: "I also resemble a snack, if by snack you mean any creature that weighs less than ten pounds."

MB: "I’ve been tempted to put Touille in one of those bags and see if I can get away with taking her into a restaurant, but I’m afraid she’d jump out and start begging food from other diners."

Touille: "Please don’t put me in the bag, but bring me back some of that meat, cheese or other goodies. You know I can smell what you’ve been eating whenever you come back from one of those snacking places. I don’t care to have any coffee products though. I am energetic enough without any stimulating beverages."

MB used to try to take me to outdoor eating establishments, but she claims that the other diners really did not care to share their dinners with moi.

- Touille, a little dog with a big appetite (and a cute way of sitting up to beg that charms people into offering many tasty tidbits)

My best pal Nutmeg (looking artistic!)

nutty106 by bfelice on Flickr.
More photos of Nutmeg


This is how my pal Nutty looks to me. You may have heard that dogs don't see colors well, but give us some nice contrasty black and white and we love it!

Also, Nutty and I often sniff each other's noses, so I've seen this view of her quite often!

- Touille, who likes to blog from the dog's eye view

Gulls at Conwy (in Wales)

gulls at conwy by phraseling.

More of Cymru (Northern Wales)

I've never been to the sea, but MB told me about it. She says that gulls will fly right up to you and try to take food out of your hand. But the gulls in this photos seem quite peacful, even contemplative.

MB's gulls were in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I think these Welsh gulls are much more well-behaved.

- Touille, a dog who much prefers contemplative birds over those who would grab food

Bekilted Man On Cold Mountain

Bekilted Me On Cold Mountain by Daniel G.

Happy Tartan Day!

- Touille, a little dog who shivers in the wind, but who is never without her fur coat

Scottish Tartans

Scottish Tartans World Register: MacMillan Hunting Tartan WR 667
The modern Hunting MacMillan incorporates red and yellow stripes from the ancient design with the greens and blues of the Vestiarium version. The source of tartan 667 was: J. Cant

Scottish Tartans World Register: MacMillan Hunting Clan Tartan WR 668
MacMillan Hunting #2 The Setts No: 160. W & A K Johnston. The source of tartan 668 was: Adam No 75.

And this last one is the MacMillan Hunting Ancient tartan.

More Scottish Tartans

MB wants to put the MacMillan tartans on this blog because her mother's mother's mother was named MacMillan. I have no objection, for I am a citizen of the world! I selected the hunting tartans, for if I am permitted to hunt small creatures, I'd surely catch something tasty to eat.


- Touille, a wee doggie who would be just as happy to be called MacMillan (as long as you don't call me late to eat!)


A Gathering 2005 post

a dog's eye view of some Scotsmen

travelling.. on Flickr

more photos by this photographer

If a dog could use a camera, I'll bet this is how most of our photos would look!

Tartan Day is April 6.

- Touille, a little dog who would've probably been looking up under these kilts


A Gathering 2005 post

The big dogs have the pup in a pot!

Who's her??? by ATC.

I wonder if the larger dogs are planning to nibble on this pup! They are definitely sniffing away.

Last night I sniffed around on the ground and discovered a tasty bone that had fallen out of the large dumpster. MB usually won't let me chew on things like that, but I chomped down before she noticed what was happening.

- Touille, a puppy-sized grown dog who is not tall enough to ever reach the dumpster, so must rely on squirrels removing the tasty bits and flinging them on the ground

Colorful Eggs

eggs by washed up.

I am still waiting for my person, MB, to get some of those colorful eggs out of the refrigerator and crack open a couple for us to share!

- Touille, a small but impatient dog!