Category Archives: Foster & Adoption

Shih Tzu Day 12: Foster Grandma Visits the Shih Tzu Sisters

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The shih tzu sisters get a visitor

shih tzu in exercise penAt least two of the shih tzu sisters came up the stairs looking for me this morning. I could glimpse Flower and Dottie out in the hall from the bed. I don’t know when they started, but I could hear someone going up and down the stairs until I got up at 7:30.

a shih tzu in an exercise penI called Mom this morning and asked her if she wanted to come by and meet the girls. She thought they were adorable. She said they looked like three old women. The girls were relatively calm when she was here. Candy and Dottie let her pet them, although Dottie growled once. She asked if she could pet Flower, but I told her she probably shouldn’t. The most fearful of the sisters was growling and she was pressed up against the back of the play yard, as far as she could go, her eyes big.

Need Chicken Jerky!

a shih tzu in cuddler. When I got home from taking Mom shopping, the shih tzu sisters were ecstatic. When I fed them their Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky, Dottie was so excited that she accidentally bit my finger instead of grabbing the food. She didn’t draw blood; she just startled me.

I think that the girls miss their dog friends, either from their foster home at Barbara’s, or maybe even from their time at the puppy mill. When they hear barking on TV, the shih tzu sisters jump up excitedly and run in to the living room.

Shih Tzu Day 9: Dogs Gone Wild

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John got up early this morning and went downstairs. He isn’t used to having to watch where his feet land, and took a few steps before realizing he was tracking poop.

Can you do this with your tongue?When I came downstairs, our shih tzu sisters were giddy with excitement. They danced around crazily, bumping against the side of their Superyard. They waited impatiently while I put together their breakfast: a mix of dry dog food, Natural Balance and a tablespoon of cottage cheese, which they love.

They stayed in their playpen until John left, as usual, and then one by one, started wandering around.

Barbara called after John left for work and said she could come over and do some grooming for Dottie. When she got here, I could tell that they remembered her. They didn’t growl or bark.

As far as the dog grooming went, Dottie surprised me. Joey, our Yorkie, trembled and shook whenever she had to get groomed. In fact, she trembled any tiYou think this Bird is Angry!me she got in the car. As a result, she only got in the car if she had to go to the veterinarian or the groomer, which reinforced her fear that something bad was going to happen to her. But Dottie sat there very calmly while Barbara trimmed her, with the clippers and scissors. She wasn’t so calm when it came to her face, but she was able to trim some of it. With her face trimmed, she reminds me even more of the faces of the Peace and Garcia Ty Beanie Babies I used to collect.

Flower surprised me even more. Although Flower likes me to pet her, she still bolts when I try to pick her up. This time, she tried to get away, but calmed down as soon as I picked her up and went to sit by Barbara. She handled the grooming almost as well as Dottie.

Candy was a different story. She struggled to get away once I picked her up and sat down on the floor by Barbara. Barbara was able to trim her more than she had been able to previously, but Candy fidgeted quite a bit. Barbara said she could tell the girls trusted me, or they wouldn’t have been as calm as they were.

After Barbara left, I realized how much the trim affected Candy. She went outside by herself and sat in the corner of the exercise pen near the house, where I couldn’t see her. It had been raiI told you clippers freak me out!ning, so she got lots of mud on her paws. Barbara had just cut the mud out of the pads of her feet and I didn’t want the new mud to harden, so I washed her paws in the sink and sat her back down.

She went and sat down outside the indoor pen, against the wall, so I knew she was still feeling threatened. I shouldn’t look at Milo’s chicken jerky as the cure for everything, but I gave her a piece. About 10 minutes later, she came around and got back in the pen with her sisters. I took the opportunity to take a group photo that included one of their Angry Birds dog toys.

I was concerned when it started thundering this afternoon, but the shih tzu sisters didn’t seem to notice it. I thought it might scare them. I guess if the noise comes from outside, it’s not a threat to them, even though Candy in particular is afraid of most things, including her shadow.

Men still terrify them. They didn’t growl or bark when John got home, but the three shih tzus ran for the backdoor when my stepson, Gabe, came over. In fact, Flower was so afraid that she ran into the kitchen and stood near my feet until I picked her up. That is the first time Flower wanted me to pick her up — she was that frightened.

I went outside with Flower, Dottie and Candy and stayed there for about 15 minutes. Flower sat quietly in my arms most of the time. Their fear, in particular towards men, makes me wonder what they went through at the puppy mill. It also could just be from other males they have been around, or maybe they are just more used to women. We will never know.

Things are a lot different than I thought they would be. When I first met these furry darlings, I thought Candy and I would bond the most, but she is the most aloof, and Flower seems to rely on me the most. She continues to nudge me to pet her if I pet either of the other dogs.

Shih Tzu Day 8: A Lot of Shihtz in the House

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I don't mind sitting with you, but I'll stay a safe distance.I stayed home with the girls all day. Dottie, Flower and Candy played together a lot. They come up to the couch often to see what I am doing. Sometimes they come to the front of the couch, but sometimes they stay in their Superyard, and peek up over the end of the couch. When Dottie did it, I pulled her over and sat her beside me. She sat  on the arm long enough for me to take a few pictures before jumping off.

I am going to take Deb’s advice and buy a dog whistle to see if I can get better pictures. Also, I tried to set my camera with her directions to take pictures of the dogs when they are romping wildly. However, I still need a lot of practice.

 

Flower has a bit of a jealous streak. Whenever I pet Dottie, she usually tries to get me to pet her instead. Look, Ma! I have on Candy's body!Then, sometimes, they end up wiggling around, jumping up and down excitedly, wagging their tails. Sometimes, Candy comes up and starts jumping on both of them.

I admit that I am probably creating monsters out of these shih tzus. I lured Flower up on the couch to get Milo’s chicken jerky. She jumped up three times, grabbed her jerky, ate it, and then jumped down. When I went to the kitchen to get me an apple, she jumped up again and walked up and down. So did Candy.

If you give me more jerky, I'll sit on the couch with you a little longer.I got their food ready while John was on his way home. It was bad timing. They had just come up to their bowls eagerly when he came in the door, and they went back to their communal doggy bed. They all just stared at him, but at least there were few growls or barks. I brought their food bowls over to them and they continued their dinner.

Later, after I had gone upstairs, John stepped in poop on the carpet. At least they are using the training pad to urinate. But, like my friend John Little said in a comment on one of my Facebook pictures of them, “That’s a lot of shitz in the house!”

Shih Tzu Day 7: One Week Anniversary

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There is just something exciting about the morning!

The shih tzu sisters woke us up at about 6 this morning.  We could hear them romping around, and one of them, probably Flower, was barking.

I forced myself to get up at 6:30 and go downstairs. All of them started dancing around. When I went into the kitchen to start getting their food together, they all followed me. Once again, however, when John came downstairs, they got back in their pen and sat there quietly. At least there was no growling.

Dottie and Flower still won’t go outside when I tell them to. As soon as John steps inside the play yard, however, they fly out. We have it set up so they walk out of the pen and behind the couch to the kitchen. From there, they just need to turn left and go out the backdoor. However, instead of doing that, they turn right and scatter into the dining room.

I now put a small safety gate up so they have to turn left. It worked, so it only took a few minutes to get them outside this morning. I was proud of Flower for following Candy’s example and pooping outside instead of on the carpet. Someone finally figured out how to use the training pad, too! Also, although they were tamer when John came outside and sat next to me, they still came up to me to be petted.

Shih Tzu Day 7: The Doggy Circus is in Town

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You'd be having a bad hair day too!The shih tzu sisters have been doing great. We had Leticia and the grandchildren over all day Sunday. The dogs weren’t thrilled, but they didn’t seem traumatized.

We ate outside in the garage and let the children come in one by one to meet them. They behaved when Rema, Junior and Evita came in to meet them. They even came out into the room when Oriana was inside, but Flower did growl at Dulcea.

We were afraid how they would react badly to the Fourth of July activities, but they came through with flying colors. We tried to get them to go outside to do their business early in the evening, but fireworks went off and they scurried back inside. After that, we stayed inside and watched movies. They handled the gunshots and loud noises from “The Mechanic” well, so action movies shouldn’t be a problem. I think the noise on the TV blended in with the fireworks outside, so they were fine.

I saw you hide the chicken jerky!Candy did a little dance across the carpet last night that was adorable. I don’t know what it meant, but she sure is entertaining. They all dance around when I come downstairs in the morning, although they get serious when John appears. I know they will warm up to him, as soon as they realize he won’t hurt them.

When they continue to be most excited, however, is when they hear the Milo’s Kitchen bag rattling. Flower jumps around like a dancing horse and they all rush me. I’m not sure if that’s acceptable behavior, but I prefer them to be rambunctious over shaking in the corner of their exercise pen.

Don't even think you can jump higher than I can!Candy is pretty good about going outside willingly, but the other two still think they should do their business in the pen or on the carpet. I bought some training pads for them, but as soon as I put one down, Flower began wrestling with it.