strange people invade the Shih tzus’ home

My niece, Nikki, and her friend, Clarke, arrived at 8 a.m. this morning, for their three-day weekend visit. Shiloh made instant friends when he ran to the door to greet them with his tail wagging. The girls stayed in their safe zone. Since they had driven all night, our visitors wanted to take a nap before lunch. Mom arrived at about 10. We decided to take Shiloh to PetSmart, so I wouldn’t have to kennel him before we left. He did very well, except he did decide he needed to lift his leg and anoint a crate. We did crate Shiloh for lunch and later, when we decided to take a long drive to the Castle Rock Outlet Mall, since I don’t know if I can trust him to not fight with Flower (or trust Flower to not fight with him). While Nikki and Clarke shopped, I went to Petsense. Delores had told me they had better prices than PetSmart and Petco.  I didn’t get the impression that dog food and treats and dog toys were that much cheaper, but I still have to check my receipts against what I bought. They do offer a ten percent discount to people who adopt pets from the rescues they work with, such as BFF Rescue. While I was there, I had a nice conversation with a woman who also has a shih tzu, and her daughter. They told me they buy stuffed animals from dollar stores for the shih tzu and that she loves to play with empty water bottles. They also pointed out Skinneeez, “stuffless” animals in the store, and said the shih tzu loved hers, although she had successfully torn it apart. I decided to get an ostrich and see if one of them would play with it. When we got home, I set down the ostrich to see which dog would get it. Candy got there first, and dragged it back to their corner. The Pork Chomps treat I bought at Petsense wasn’t a hit. They seemed hard to me, and I don’t know if that’s the way they are supposed to be or if they were just old. (I don’t know why I keep searching for the ultimate treat. They’re fine if I just give them Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky or Waggin’ Train chicken jerky or chicken and apples, as well as some of the other treats I’ve brought home to them.