Shih Tzu Week 120: Expanded Menagerie

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Di Freeze

Oct. 10 – Oct. 16, 2013

Thursday, Oct. 10

Outside it’s dark, cold, and rainy, but inside, it’s warm and cozy. I am in my usual position on the couch, my computer in place, and all four of the doggies are with me: Candy in John’s spot at one end, Nigel on the left side of me, Dottie snoring on the other, and Flower on the other end of the couch. Such a precious family.

It looks like things are going to get lively around here for a while. My mother called me on Tuesday night because of an emergency at her house. Due to the fact that she is 80 and it is getting difficult to keep her 70-year-old house livable, we have to make other arrangements. The most logical solution is for her to eventually move to Florida to live with my sister, Sandy. It’s going to be a huge adjustment for everyone.

Mom comes with a menagerie. Over the decades, Mom has had a long list of cats as well as her faithful dogs. Right now, she has Buddy, rescued from a shelter several years ago, as well as four cats. Emily and Mimi are probably about 17 or 18 years old. Spot Collins and Panda, rescued from a shelter a few years ago, are probably about 3 years old. Neither Sandy nor myself has the heart to tell mother she has to part with her pets, but Sandy has severe pet allergies, so it will be difficult for her.

It’s not that living in Florida is a completely new idea. Mom agreed to move there once before, years ago, but couldn’t bring herself to leave her home. This time, fate seems to have taken the decision from her hands. Sandy already has plans to go to New Jersey in early November for her daughter-in-law’s baby shower, so I have suggested Mom stay here until she gets back. The plan after that is for Sandy’s ex-husband, Paul, to come through Denver after a work trip and fly back to Florida with Mom. He will arrange for someone to come and taxi the pets all back to Florida.

It’s hard to imagine what this is going to look like. We have decided to put the cats’ litter boxes downstairs in the bathroom and to set Mom up in the spare bedroom across from it. Buddy will sleep with Mom, as he usually does. I am going to try to keep the cats in the basement, since I don’t know how Flower particularly will respond to cats in her house. She has chased after any cat that has wandered into the house, and tries to bark away any squirrel that comes near, so this should be fun.

I will be making a trip tomorrow morning to get Mom and the pets. So, this might just be the last night my mom ever spends in the house she has lived in for six decades. I know that this is not what she wants, but we will try to at least make her and the pets comfortable.

Friday, Oct. 11

I managed to get all the pets over here and settled. I’m sure the shih tzu clan is wondering what on earth is going on. Mom had a really rough day, which means I did too. She’s disoriented and confused, since this is so out of the norm for her. I finally got her to go to sleep for a while, with Buddy beside her.

Saturday, Oct. 12

Today was better for Mom. She is still confused, but that’s to be expected when you uproot an 80-year-old. I don’t think she cried once today and she slept well.

: The female shih tzus are getting used to John.

: What’s the furry thing in the window?

: All four shih tzus on the couch.

: There’s a cat up there in MY house!

Tuesday, Oct. 15

I couldn’t sleep so I got up at 4:00 to do some work before Mom gets up. The shih tzus have been doing pretty well with the new living situation. Nigel and Buddy do growl at each other because they are both food aggressive, so I have to watch them, especially since Buddy is at least twice as big as Nigel. Today, Flower got a little wild-eyed when Spot Collins, who we think is a Maine Coon, escaped through the basement door and into the living room. I quickly grabbed him to avoid any issues.

Wednesday, Oct. 16

The shih tzus might be a little confused about their new house guests, but we are trying to make sure things are as comfortable and normal for them as possible. The girls all gathered around John on the couch this morning to get love. Candy was sitting on his lap, and again, I am still getting used to that develop, since we never thought any of our puppy mill moms would be lap dogs.

After the love fest, they went outside to eat. While she was on the deck, Flower spied Spot Collins in the window. I had been trying to keep him downstairs, but I decided to give him a break. Flower started barking crazily. It will be very interesting to see if she adapts.

Shih Tzu Day 128: Flower Kardashian

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Di Freeze

shih tzu malady

I’m a little concerned. I found throw up on the floor downstairs for the second day in a row, and I found some upstairs. I thought it was Flower, because of her breath, but John said he was petting Candy and she threw up. I don’t think it was a reaction to him, so I have to think it is something else! Candy does not act like she feels well. She bit my toes and fingers yesterday in our morning ritual, but she came to greet me today and didn’t do that.

The shih tzus eat a lot of rawhide bones, so is it that? I also gave them pieces of chicken last night. I had breaded it for a meal, but I tried to remove it all before I gave it to the shih tzu clan. Also, I gave them Alpo today, because I hadn’t made up any food. Candy acted like she wasn’t going to eat it at first, but I think that was because she is just finicky. All the shih tzus did end up eating it.

nudge, nudge

Flower was sitting with me this morning, but she jumped down from the couch. Pretty soon, I looked down and two cute little shih tzus, Candy and Flower, nudging my feet. Good! Candy must feel better. Nigel was next to me, so I sent Mr. Male Shih Tzu down to play, to see if Candy was up for it. I couldn’t decide if she came to visit me or him. She just stood there while he tried to play, but then started biting his face. My ailing shih tzu must have revived.

When Nigel tired of getting his face bitten, the rambunctious shih tzu wandered over to me and took my socks off, and then started biting my toes. Flower followed his cue and came up and started biting my fingers. What a bunch of little vampires!

Marcel, the shell, with shoes on

OK, this has nothing to do with shih tzus, but John called me today and told me he had been listening to Dennis Miller on the radio and he was talking about a super cute YouTube video about “Marcel the shell with shoes on.” He said there would soon be a book on Marcel. John knows I want to write a book about my experience with our former puppy mill shih tzus, so he wanted to tell me about it. Marcel is almost as cute as my shih tzus, but not quite, so check it out!

shih tzus tracking mud and shih tzus tracking squirrels

The shih tzus tracked mud all over the floor today. Then, Nigel decided to get on the couch, so guess where the mud went. Groan. You’ll have that with a house full of shih tzus!

Part of the reason that the shih tzus kept going in and out was that Candy kept sniffing out a squirrel. Squirrel patrol requires a lot of in and out activity. Out to check the whereabouts, and in — at least partially in the back door — to get shih tzu backup.

shih tzu turnabout is fair play

Flower spends so much time on the couch now that when Dottie asks to be let up sometimes, Flower growls at her. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, I wish I could teach Candy to scratch to come in like Nigel does. I get concerned about the amount of time our outward bound shih tzu spends outside. I get up many times to check. She might be on the porch, but when I reach to open the door, she sprints out into the yard. Today, however, she was sitting right by the door, and when I opened it, she came right in.

loud, quiet breathing!

There is something very cute about the way Candy and Nigel tussle. I will be working, and all of a sudden, I will hear breathing. It’s actually a kind of “quiet breathing.” But it is a hectic breathing. That heavy breathing will go on for many minutes, as the shih tzu puppies play near the dining room table. It is always a little frustrating, because when I reach for my camera, they go on alert and the little buggers move on, so I have no proof of how incredibly cute they are.

Flower Kardashian

Nigel is a very busy boy. Lately, he goes back and forth between both shih tzu “girlfriends.” Or are they sisters? I don’t know. But I wish I could get into the minds of these dogs. One of his girl friends looked particularly adorable today. I found the cutest little Christmas dress at Ross Dress For Less. It’s red, fur-trimmed, and has candy canes and ornaments all over it. I tried it on Flower, although it is a little too early for Christmas doggy clothes. I was taking pictures, and noticed that her dress was up, but I knew they would stop playing if I butted in and fixed it, so I just let it go. I was taking pictures of her on the couch, and she was facing towards Shih Tzu Central. She had a very cute butt beneath the cute dress and I thought of the Kardashians. Yes, she is my adorable little Flower Kardashian.

Shih Tzu Day 119: Snow Shih Tzus

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Di Freeze

shih tzu snow angels

a <em srcset= shih tzu playing in the snow.” width=”270″ height=”203″ />shih tzu kicking up snow. ” width=”240″ height=”180″ />I normally go outside with the shih tzu sisters when they eat, but it snowed last night, so today I put their bowls on the porch and came back inside and stood at the door. Flower did her normal routine. As soon as she was done, she wandered over near Candy, still eating her food. When the shih tzus first came to live with us, Flower would gobble down her food, rush over to Candy, push her nose in Candy’s bowl and start helping her finish her food.

I have corrected her so many times though, that now she looks up to see if I am watching her. When I catch her, I knock on the glass and shake my finger at her, and she usually walks away, like she did this morning. If I stay away from the window too long, chances are I will catch her nose in the bowl, with Candy beside her watching. When they are all done, I open the door and Nigel out.

After the shih tzus ate, they wandered out into the snow. I don’t know if they have ever played in the snow before. They all came from Kansas, but since the shih tzu sisters were in a puppy mill, I don’t know what the conditions were. I have no idea what kind of life Nigel had before being turned over to the animal shelter, but he might have played in snow.

I do know it was the first time for the shih tzus to play in snow at the Freeze home. I really enjoyed seeing them bounding across the yard like rabbits. Flower and Candy especially looked like they were having a good time.

Abut a half-hour after we all came inside I looked at Candy and realized she had ice stuck to her fur on her chest and paws. I sat her on my lap and picked the ice off, then got a microfiber cloth, dipped it in warm water and held it on the remaining ice to melt it. She put her head on my lap when I was done and stayed there until I moved my position.

When she got up, I thought she might jump off the couch, but she went over and lay down on top of Dottie. She stayed there for quite awhile, with Nigel next to them. Later, Flower came up and lay down on the arm of the couch. It was unusual and sweet to have four shih tzus sleeping on the couch. Flower’s first choice would have been her couch, but since she peed on it again, it’s off limits to her.

I had the shih tzus all go outside again in the afternoon. This time when the children came in, I noticed that Flower had snowballs stuck on her. The same thing probably happened this morning, but I didn’t realize it. I looked online to see what people do when snow sticks to dogs and read to sit them in warm water. I put a few inches of water in the sink and splashed it on Flower’s fur until the snow melted, then wrapped a towel around her, held her on my lap and dried her off.

(Please visit our FLICKR page for more first snow pictures.)

back to being a recluse

Candy was back to being a recluse this afternoon. She went over to her area by the dining room, and if I tried to go near her, she ran under the table. She is a strange little shih tzu.

The couch dynamics changed this afternoon. Nigel sat on my lap for about an hour. Later, he lay down on the left of me and Flower sat on my right. I don’t think Dottie liked the arrangement, so she decided to sit on the couch arm, looking dejected.

Sometimes I hope that I am not doing them a disfavor by taking them all in. Dottie is very possessive of me, and I think she would have made an ideal only dog. However, I know she knows I love her, and for the most part, I think she’s happy here with her sisters, although she doesn’t like to share her side of the couch or Mom — and she could do without Nigel.

Shih Tzu Day 105: Puppy Mill Study

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Di Freeze

Puppy Mill Findings

Since Dottie, Flower and Candy were puppy mill mothers, I read everything I can find on puppy mill dogs. I read an interesting study today on dogs rescued from puppy mills. Best Friends Animal Society and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary collaborated on the study.

It said that dogs from puppy mills show significantly elevated levels of fears and phobias, which we’ve experienced firsthand as adoptive parents to our shih tzu half sisters.

The study also said that they might have a heightened sensitivity to being touched and have compulsive and repetitive behaviors. It said the most prominent difference was in the level of fear, and that compared to normal pet dogs, the chance of scoring in the highest ranges for fear was six to eight times higher in recovered puppy mill dogs.

What I thought was very interesting was that the puppy mill study showed that the behavioral differences existed whether the dogs came from dirty, inhumane puppy farms or from cleaner, law-abiding large commercial breeding operations. The reason is that puppy mill dogs are confined with little or no interaction with humans or experiences outside their confines.

The study showed that dogs that have not been positively handled were psychologically in worse shape. It concentrated on former mill dogs that have been in new homes an average of two years. Although many owners saw dramatic improvement, some were still struggling. Ninety-five percent of the new owners said that would adopt another puppy mill rescue, and the researchers believe it is because bonds with mill dogs are very deep.

A follow-up questionnaire led to a list of strategies that could help puppy mill dogs adjust. This including being patient, being sensitive to the dog’s reactions, holding and cuddling dogs and having a well-adjusted dog in the household. I was happy that the study verified what I thought about Nigel probably being a good influence on the girls.

After reading the study, I thought what I have thought many times, which is that I would have liked to see what the girls would have been like if they had not spent the first part of their life in a puppy mill. I wonder how different their personalities would be. But, it sounds like there is hope. It will be interesting to see how they change as the months and years go by.

Nigel’s doctor visit

When Nigel and I walked out of the bedroom door this morning, he seemed dejected. I think it is because the girls don’t yet ask him to join in their morning “reindeer games.” He doesn’t understand that their prancing around is their way of greeting me, and that it does not signal that they want to play with him.

Delores from BFF Rescue picked Nigel up at 10 a.m. to take him to his vet appointment at Clear Creek Animal Hospital. Dr. Lindsey said his stitches from his hernia surgery have healed nicely. She noted that he has a small cough, probably from getting over pneumonia. She also said he has a small rash on his tummy, which could be from eating grains. I will need to experiment with his diet to see if it goes away.

Shih Tzu Day 102: Day in the Life of an Animal Rescue

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Di Freeze

Sheltie Shack animal rescue

I shared “before” pictures of Dottie, Candy and Flower the other day, from when Linda at the Sheltie Shack animal rescue picked them up at the Kansas puppy mill. However, since then, Linda sent me pictures of how they looked after a groomer in Kansas cleaned them up shortly after their rescue.

Linda also shared pictures of the other three shih tzus that were rescued the day Dottie, Candy and Flower were rescued, two which came from the same kennel. I don’t know what happened to Little Daisey Flower and Danielle Marie, but I hope they went to good homes. I also hope the shelties — Tiny Minnie, Sassy Lucille, Christi Rose, Jennifer Leigh and Smokey Girl —found good homes.

Linda told me that her animal rescue actually took in six shih tzus that day. The story about Wendy shows that animal rescues serve different purposes. Wendy came from another breeder. This breeder, who had less than 20 breeder dogs, socialized and made pets out of all of her dogs. When she decided she was going to board pets and not breed them anymore, Linda helped her place her last shelties, and they became friends.

The woman was also a dog trainer. Wendy came to the Sheltie Shack house trained and ready for an adoptive family. Linda recalled that Wendy’s biggest vice was that she was a very good climber.

I thought I would share this stories and the pictures to portray an accurate picture of the day my girls started their journey to a new home. Although I have already posted the before pictures of Dottie, Candy and Flower, I’m posting them again to show the difference from before they were rescued and shortly after.

Same Shih Tzu, Different Day

Journal of Three Former Puppy Mill Mothers / Shih Tzu Sisters … and Nigel

Category Archives: Puppy Mills