Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday, Dear Flower! Happy Birthday to You!
Flower is now 3 years old! This is Flower’s first birthday at her forever home. She spent her first birthday at a puppy mill and her second at a foster home.
So glad that Flower, Candy and I have a Forever Home together! Nigel too, although he didn’t come with us from the puppy mill!
Mom says she will have pictures later of our birthday party, including the homemade chicken jerky!!
The wind was so strong last night that it blew part of our fence down again. The dogs huddled together in the corner. Later, with the wind still blowing and all of us on the couch, Candy came to the couch looking befuddled, so I picked her up. We were happy to have her join us, since that is a rare occasion.
When John got home, he had to rig up a temporary solution, since we couldn’t let the shih tzus outside with the fence down.
The sibling rivalry continues between Dottie and Flower. Sometimes when Flower is sitting by me and Dottie wants up, Flower jumps right down. Today, when I was petting Flower, Dottie looked at me and jumped down and stayed down for quite a while. The problem is that Flower demands attention and Dottie normally doesn’t, so sometimes it’s easy to forget to pet her, since she isn’t growling for attention.
I was gone most of the day. I always look forward to coming home and seeing my shih tzu tribe. They are always so excited. It reminds me of the country western song, “Like my dog.”
Calm and lazy day for the dogs. Not much to report on. We have been getting a kick watching our shih tzu cat Candy pounce on things. When she is outside by herself, she often barks. I used to jump up and see if there was a problem, but any time we do, she is just jumping around on the porch, patting a toy around or chasing her tail. Such an independent little baby.
It’s becoming a common event for Flower to let John pet her. She seems very calm when he does. Dottie let him pet her too today. However, their confusion continues. He came down the stairs wearing a visor and glasses, and they went crazy sounding the alert about an intruder. He had to take off his hat and glasses to calm them down.
Sometimes I don’t understand why they get so confused at odd times. For instance, they line up in the same order every morning for breakfast: Flower, Dottie, and then Candy nearest the house. This morning, Candy went to Flower’s feed bowl, so Flower didn’t know where to go. I had to guide Candy back to her bowl.
I have been trying to figure out why Nigel hiccups sometimes. It happens probably once a week. I read that hiccuping is common especially up to 18 months. That reminds me that we really have no ideal how old Nigel is, although the vet thought he was about 18 months when we got him last fall. I guess if it starts happening more often I’ll take him to the vet, but for now, I’ll just keep assuming it’s normal.
(Mr. Chewy Review)
Flower is becoming more and more comfortable here every day. This morning, she jumped up and sat down very close to me, between Nigel and me. They left John a very small place to sit.
Some of my readers have been asking me to try my hand at reviews, since I seem to spend a lot of time buying dog food, dog treats, dog clothes, and other supplies (like training products) for my shih tzu tribe. I thought I would start with an online pet supply review, and since I like clever names, I chose Mr.Chewy.com.
I have ordered dog products before from Amazon, but I cringe when I have to pay shipping charges. I ordered several times when I had a free trial of Amazon Prime, but stopped when it expired. Yes, I am cheap, and I hate to spend extra money on shipping fees (although I have been known to drive 30 minutes for something I am looking for)! What I liked about Mr. Chewy right off was that you get free shipping on any order over $49. When you are buying products for four shih tzus, it isn’t hard at all to spend 50 bucks.
I passed up buying regular dog food at Mr. Chewy, because I have been looking for something I buy locally called Earthborn Holistic (Great Plains Feast), and Mr. Chewy didn’t carry it. I also give them Taste of the Wild sometimes, because it’s grain free, and Mr. Chewy has that reasonably priced, but the shih tzus didn’t seem as crazy about it the last time I gave it to them. Maybe it’s just me who thinks they should eat bison! They probably want plain, old chicken.
I was a little surprised that Mr. Chewy didn’t carry any of the treats I buy most often: Milo’s Kitchen, Dentley’s, Waggin’ Train, and Canyon Creek Ranch. However, a few people recently alerted me to issues regarding some treats from China. From what I can tell, chicken jerky treats could be an issue. Sadly, Milo’s Kitchen, Waggin’ Train, and Canyon Creek Ranch are some of the brand names that the FDA has mentioned as possibly causing health problems. With that in mind, I have revised this original review to reflect that. I had been going to ask Mr. Chewy why they didn’t carry the brands I mentioned, but I won’t be buying them – with the exception at the moment of Dentley’s – until I am sure they are safe for my shih tzus.
I ended up getting four items: Canidae Snap-Bits, PureBites freeze dried cheddar cheese, Dogswell Vitality Chicken Breasts with flaxseed and vitamins (for eyes, skin, and coat), and Vitality Chicken Breasts with mint and parsley for healthy teeth and fresh breath.
I chose the chicken breasts because that is definitely one of the shih tzus’ favorite treats, and I liked that these had healthy ingredients, and fresh breath ingredients. They gobbled them down quickly. They are made in China, but since I have not seen Dogswell connected to any controversy, I won’t mark them off my list.
I chose the freeze dried cheese because cheese was the only ingredient, and I hate seeing a long list of ingredients. They were more tentative about those, but once they started chewing on the crunchy pieces, all four shih tzus liked them. And, hurray, they are made in the U.S.A.
I picked out the Snap-Bits because only Nigel and Flower are biscuit eaters, so I thought I would dry with these teeny bites, especially for rewards. All of the dogs liked them too. It’s always a relief when they all like the same things, so all of these treats passed the test. I would buy them again.
I also would buy from Mr. Chewy again, but I have some things on my wish list for my shih tzu family. You can shop various ways: by brand, pet, food form, life stage, and speciality. I particularly liked that “grain free” was listed under speciality, because I try to feed the shih tzus grain free or at least high quality grains, at least for their regular dry dog food. One category said no potato, and I am glad to know that, but I actually like to see sweet potato in the ingredients. I guess it would be too hard to break down into “no white potato.” And once you do click into the category and choose a brand, you can easily see the ingredients.
I don’t know if other suppliers do it, but I would also like dog food and treat categories for large or small dogs. I would also like to see a “value pack” category, since I have to buy four times as many treats as the one-dog owner, and larger size is one of the first things I try to find. It’s a lot more difficult online to “see” the value packs as you can in a store. For example, I can’t buy bully sticks in quantity of one. I prefer buying treats with a quantity of at least 50.
There is also a treat specialty category, but I would love for it to be further broken down, say, listing bully stick type items, since sometimes I don’t have something specific in mind when I shop, and that would remind me. I want a lot, don’t I? You can type in “bully,” however, as a search term, and if they have it, it will come up. While I am on the Made in China subject, I sure would like to see some pet product suppliers help us easily find products Made in the U.S.A.
Mr. Chewy sends emails with product updates. For example, I just got one talking about Doggie Delicacy Antler Chews. Sounds interesting, but at $4.99 for a small chew, times four for each shih tzu, I’ll stick to the bulk steer sticks I buy occasionally at a local pet supply store.
Mr. Chewy also has a charity donation program. For instance, if you refer a friend, they will donate $10 to a charity partner, such as North Shore Animal League America, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, or Bideawee.
Mr. Chewy does have nearly 100 brands to choose from, so there’s a good chance that if you don’t want to leave your house this week and you’re running low on pet supplies, Mr. Chewy has a solution.
The shih tzus are definitely looking shabby. Not that they care. It doesn’t seem to matter what we do with Flower’s face. It seems like two days after trimming the hair above her eyes, it’s falling down again — she looks like Dennis the Menace. After I gave the shih tzus their beloved Dentley’s wrapped rawhide sticks this morning, Flower jumped up on the Nigel side of the couch to wait for me to sit down. However, she dropped her stick, and it was a free for all, as Nigel raced to steal it and Flower to retrieve it. The chewing of the rawhide sticks is a familiar sound in the mornings. They are all chewing away now, except I think someone took Candy’s. One moment someone will be chewing away, and the next, a stick has mysteriously disappeared. Then, hours later, one of the shih tzus, usually Nigel, is chewing away. I think he steals them and hides them for later.
I realized this afternoon how nice it is to leave the house without putting the coach cushions up, and not have a wet spot when I get back. Flower seems to be cured of her need to relieve herself on the couch when I am gone — or when I am here. I think I could probably start putting the cushions down on the other couch, but I am so used to having her sit on my couch that I hate to lose her to the other one. One independent doggie (Candy) is enough. What Flower does now instead is chew on anything she can reach. Well, I take that back. I know some dogs chew on shoes, but she doesn’t. I was doing taxes this morning, and she grabbed an envelope I had on my laptop table and started chewing on it. She loves chewing on paper, and she loves chewing on plastic. At last! We got Nigel, Flower, and Dottie trimmed, although they still do need a bath. Candy isn’t looking too shabby, so we skipped her for today. What a productive day! Getting taxes done and trimming three shih tzus! And they were all so good. I am particularly happy that Flower and Nigel were so good on the table, since it took a long time to get all that fur off. I don’t think I will consider trying to grow their fur long again anytime in the near future.
Flower was sitting on the Nigel side this morning, and John sat down. At one point, she would have ran. This time, she moved closer to me, but she did let John pet her for several minutes. Poor Nigel doesn’t seem like he feels well. Every once in a while, he will yelp, but we can’t tell why. My guess is it could be his teeth, or maybe an ear problem. I realized we didn’t pull the hair out of their ears yesterday, so we need to check and see if that might be causing the problem.
We pulled the hair out of Nigel’s ears, and he seems better today, although he did yelp a few times for no apparent reason. He has been very active today, although he mainly wants to be on one of our laps. Flower followed the lead of Nigel and Candy and ran right up to the door when John came home, but then caught herself, ran back by me, picked up a brown dog on the floor, threw it in the air, like Candy does, and then jumped on the couch next to me. Strange children we have. I guess she was excited, but wasn’t quite sure why. Of course, Dottie, our bump on a log, just sat on the couch. She doesn’t like to move much. I hope I can get her used to activity when it warms back up.
Flower came to get loving from Dad twice this morning. She got about a foot and a half away and stared at him. Then, she let him touch her chin and pet her ears. It’s probably good that Mom is busy on the computer and Dottie is on one side and Nigel on the other. She has to reach out to the Man. He loves it, since he hated thinking they wanted him to move out. I imagine I’ve said that I think my little shih tzu tribe is adorable. They are all so different. We have begun calling Candy our shih tzu kitty, because she is aloof like many cats, and pounces like cats. Nigel can be so mischievous, and then he climbs his stairs and plops down as close to Mom as he can get, depending on where the laptop is. He can rarely squeeze into my lap when I am working, but he does often put his head on it and go to sleep. There are probably plenty of dogs who regret the invention of laptop computers. Thank goodness he gets Dad’s lap when he is home, and that the girls aren’t lap dogs and don’t fight him for it. Every once in a while, he’ll tip his head way back and look at John or me. He’ll just stare for several sections, and then lay his head back down. I would love to know what he is thinking. I think Flower would be by my side all the time, if big sister and little brother weren’t there. But, she does come to see me often. Just now, she put her paw on my arm, reached up and licked my lips and nose quickly, and then back away. Of course, John doesn’t encourage letting them lick my mouth, but it happens so rarely, that I think it’s adorable. I had to go to the store this afternoon, and Candy was outside, so I knew that would be a problem. We have never raised a hand to her, so her fear must still be a learned reaction to her puppy mill days. As usual, I opened the door to ask her to come in, and she ran and hid under the trailer. Since I put Angels Eyes on thinly sliced turkey for Dottie and Flower each day (for their tear stains), I thought I could lure her in with some. I held it out to her, and she tentatively came to the door, but wouldn’t come in. Finally, I just had to leave her out there, like I have had to do a few times. I told John we need to put her on a leash when we let her outside, so we can reel her in, like his sister does with their cat. It doesn’t help sometimes, because I get exasperated after unsuccessfully trying to lure her in, and sometimes my voice raises, which makes her retreat further. I just have to plan it better, where I let her outside only if I know I won’t need to leave. When I came home, Candy came in, but it was Dottie’s turn to act odd. She went outside and wouldn’t come back in, which is strange, since her couch is inside. I finally had to go out in the grass and get her. She cowered down, so I was able to pick her up. I hate when they act frightened. Sometimes, too, they seem a little confused. I heard chewing coming from Shih Tzu Central this afternoon, and I looked around to see what paper or plastic product Flower stole from me. I was surprised to see she was chewing on a Christmas cane shaped rawhide treat. I wonder where that has been hiding for the last two months.
Anyone taking care of four dogs, working, and trying to make time for a family knows the feeling of always playing catch up! Because I have that problem, I am trying to figure out the best way to keep this journal up to date. For now, I think I am going to try to do one update per week. We’ll see how that works out. It might seem kind of odd, because I am going from Thursday to Wednesday, but that’s because the shih tzu sisters first came to live with us on a Thursday.
Dottie used to sit at the end of the couch, facing forward, but now, she tends to sit at the end of the couch, but with her body facing towards me, so her head is right next to me. Her position means that Flower jumps on her half the way when she comes up, or else Flower comes up on the “male” side of the couch and then crosses over me.
I had to spend some time in the spare room on the computer agan this morning. Flower, Nigel, and Dottie followed me in there. I worked for about five minutes before I smelled urine. When I turned around, there was a yellow spot on the carpet, but no shih tzu near it. I asked who did it, but, of course, no one answered.
I have to admit that my voice raised louder than it should have. Nigel doesn’t scare easily, but he tore off out the door, and Dottie trotted off behind him. Flower just sat near the chair looking at me, like ‘Where are they going?” I don’t know if that meant she was innocent or guilty. When I went back in there later, I also found poop on the floor. I don’t think I missed it earlier, so I guess someone just snuck back in.
I guess that carpet is still too much of a temptation, so I will have to put up the gate again when I am in the room. Partly, I think they are confused, because they aren’t used to me spending much time anywhere but with them in the living room, unless I am gone.
Once I was back on the couch working, Flower came to sit by me and started growling at me. This time, instead of petting her, which I know is what she wanted, I picked her up and sat her on my lap. I tried that once before, and she jumped right back off, but this time, she looked at me, startled, but then lay down on my lap and stayed there until about twenty minutes later, when I had to get up. I would try to hold her more, but there isn’t much room with a laptop in front of me most of the time.
The shih tzus wanted me up at 5:30, but I didn’t budge until 6:20. I closed the gate when I went into the spare bedroom, but they looked so disappointed that I let Nigel and Flower in; however, I did turn position my chair so I could try to catch the culprit that likes to pee on the carpet. And I put a box over the area that was being used as a training pad. No accidents.
We weren’t home most of the day. John and I had some shopping to do, and then we went out for an early Valentine’s Day dinner, since John gets off so late during the week. They were all very excited when we did get home, especially when they got their treats. Flower particularly seemed irritated that we left them alone so much. She stayed in her corner most of the evening.
I have started to call Candy’s corner in the dining room, hidden from my sight, her “apartment.” For the most part, she lays in her bed in her apartment much of the day, especially now that it is cold outside. Once in a while though, especially when she thinks it should be treat time, she leaves her apartment and wanders over to the couch. For some strange reason, that is usually right when John leaves for work.
This morning when she came over and put her paws on the couch, moving her head from side to side, she got Flower, on the floor, and Dottie, on the couch, excited. Flower and Candy were dancing around, and Dottie was wiggling around on the edge of the couch and slid off of it backwards. It was a very funny sight, but I am glad that she didn’t have far to fall.
When John leaves, it usually has been about three hours since they had breakfast. So, when Candy comes up, I get up and either give them a chicken-wrapped banana treat, since they are so small, or a small chicken-wrapped sweet potato treat. Then, they usually go and lay back down for a few more hours.
Shortly after I gave them their treats, I heard Nigel and Candy fighting near her apartment. I imagine she dropper her treat and he followed his rule, which is if anything falls to the ground, it’s his. Although I didn’t see what happened, I gave Candy another treat. My guess is that she stays so thin because of all the times the other shih tzus steal from her.
I felt bad again this morning, because Candy was outside for about an hour before I realized it. I wish she would learn to “knock” to come in, like the other dogs. But she just sits or lies on the porch until someone remembers her.
Every time she trots by me, I think she needs a little pearl necklace. She is so dainty.
John is delivering in this area today, so he came home for lunch. He started the shih tzus; Flower jumped off the arm onto Dottie. Then, she sat on top of her for the next 20 minutes, using her as a lounger. Dottie didn’t seem to mind it.
I got up this morning and made Valentine’s Day cookies for John. I haven’t made cookies for years. He told Leticia later that he was really surprised, because when he smelled the scent coming rom the kitchen, he thought I was baking for the shih tzus. I guess that means I had better bake for him more. And, I think I will look for a recipe for treats I can bake for the shih tzus, since I haven’t ever done that yet.
Dottie let me sleep until 6:38, when she barked to remind me that their breakfast was late.
Although Dottie and Flower continue to act leery of John, he continues to try to get closer to them. Today, he went up to Flower, who was lying on her back next to me, and he started talking to her before reaching out to pet her tummy. Before, she would jump up, but she has learned that she loves her tummy petted, so she didn’t move.When John stopped petting her and walked away, she looked at me and growled. She wouldn’t stop until I started petting her.
Every time I look at my babies, I think how badly they need grooming. Flower, especially, really looks like a wooly mammoth, except she doesn’t have tusks. I thought we might be able to make Nigel look like a traditional shih tzu, with long hair to the ground. However, the first issue is that his hair is very curly. It would hang to the floor if it wasn’t. That’s probably typical. I imagine there is some kind of product people use, plus, do people style shih tzu hair to make it straighter? I don’t think I am going to have the time it takes, so we’ll trim his fur shorter again, as soon as we can.
Flower has been sitting on Nigel and John’s side of the couch a lot, when John isn’t home. I think she would sit next to me, if Nigel hadn’t staked his claim. I picked her up today and sat her on my lap again for a while. She sat still for a while, and then wiggled free.