Category Archives: Dog Food & Treats

Shih Tzu Day 219: Snow Day

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We woke up this morning to lots of snow. There was a little area on the porch relatively snow free, so I still fed the female shih tzus outside and Nigel in the kitchen. The snow reminded me of the first snow day we had with the shih tzus, when I put them in their sweaters and sent them out to explore. They are used to snow now, so they ate and came right back in.

Con-Way called John at about 7 and told him that he had the day off. Even if they could get the trucks out to make deliveries, a lot of businesses would be closed. John was very happy. So was Nigel. He got to sit on John’s lap off and on throughout the day.

Since it was a snow day for John, and there was too much snow to tempt us from going anywhere, we watched movies off and on. I did some work that didn’t require a lot of concentration.

Nigel and Candy, the most energized of the four shih tzus, provided some entertainment with their play fighting. At 2:50 p.m., Candy decided it was food time and started prancing around and barking. Then, Nigel ran up to John’s knee, put his paws on it, and growled his protest of their starvation. Dottie and Flower looked a little curious, but didn’t join in. I made them wait, because we were having an early steak dinner. They got a few small bites.

Shih Tzu Day 216: Poop Patrol

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double feeding

John got up with a headache at 6, and since he was going downstairs, I asked him to feed the dogs. I didn’t think I went to sleep. I heard scratching at the door, and opened it to see Nigel, Flower, and Dottie sitting there, waiting for me to get up. John was indisposed, but I assumed he hadn’t been able to get them to go downstairs and outside, so I went to the kitchen and got their food bowls together, threw away the soiled training pad, and went to fill their bowls with water. One still had quite a bit in it, so I filled the other one.

When John emerged from the bathroom, he asked if the dogs had gone outside “again.” I said that they had gone outside, because I had just fed them. He looked surprised, and told me he’d already done that. Oops. Of course, they didn’t tell me they had full bellies. I guess they had eaten and immediately ran up the stairs to wait for me. I must have dozed off for a few minutes, so just assumed they had been waiting for me the entire time and that they hadn’t eaten. They were probably thrilled to get one over on me.

poop patrol

When it’s warm enough, I leave the door open, hoping to tempt the dogs to go play. Candy and Nigel will do that sometimes, which is why they weigh less than Dottie and Flower. I know they need a good exercise program, translate, lots of walks. I am waiting for the weather to be warm enough when John is home so we  can get on the ball again.

I was on poop patrol today, and I am embarrassed to say it had been a while, and we have a pretty big backyard, so I got my exercise. Flower and Dottie trailed behind me, and I’m sure they were wondering why I had a baggie on my hand and was picking up those small, brown blobs and throwing them in a plastic bag. Too bad they can’t help. Another item on my to do list is to figure out how to get them to go in one small area. The good news is that they do go outside, and not inside.

That reminds me how good Flower has been lately. I did find some brown blobs downstairs, and that was either Flower or Nigel, but it seems like an isolated incident. Flower also seems to have gotten over having to poop when she is frightened. John was working in the area today and came home for lunch. She was sitting on the couch and he was petting her. I told him she likes butt rubs, but when he moved his hand away from her face, she bolted, jumping over Dottie to sit by my side. At least that’s all she did. Oh. Her eyelashes have grown so long, and she looks so adorable.

green dog

I just heard a noise and saw Candy jumping away from something on the floor. My first thought was a mouse, but it was actually just Green Dog. She grabbed him in her mouth and trotted out the door. At least she is getting exercise, while Flower and Nigel are curled up on the couch. I also just realized that Dottie is just standing near my feet, waiting for her elevator lift up to the couch.

Shih Tzu Day 179: First Christmas with the Shih Tzus

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Christmas morning grooming for the shih tzus

I got up at about 6 a.m. and finished wrapping presents. I got the stockings together for Dottie, Flower, Candy and Nigel. I put a stuffed animal and a lot of treats into each one. I added a light-up ball to Candy’s stocking. I don’t know which shih tzus might play with it, but I thought it was cute.

three <u/><u>shih tzus</u> with Christmas stockings.We had quiche and mimosas for our Christmas breakfast when John got up. Then, we got prepared to groom the shih tzus. We decided that Candy and Nigel didn’t need trimming, but we gave them baths. Candy was very still and we bathed her quickly, but Nigel squirmed constantly, so he took longer. He was a little better with the blow dryer. Flower and Dottie were very good, both during the grooming, their baths and drying.

After they were dry, we put Nigel in his Grinch outfit and the female shih tzus in their dog dresses. I swapped the red and white dresses Flower and Dottie wore when Deb took their pictures, but left Candy in the one with candy canes and ornaments. I thought we had a couple of hours to take some pictures with their new collars and dog tags and stockings, and to just spend some time with the shih tzus, but my stepdaughter called to say they wanted to come over early. We ended up hurrying to get pictures done and the living room cleaned up. We did get some cute pictures of the dogs with their Christmas stockings.

To add to the chaos, Flower must have been nervous because at some point, she relieved herself on the couch. She did it on a very furry throw, and it puddled on it. I was surprised but happy that it hadn’t reached the couch, but it did when I tried to move it. I threw the throw and the cushion cover in the laundry, so when company started arriving, I had to grab a different throw and cover the foam cushion.

Christmas guests

a shih tzu and a rawhide candy cane. Candy always seems the most nervous around guests, so I took her upstairs and sat her near our closet before anyone arrived. When Candace and her family arrived, the other two female shih tzus ran to Shih Tzu Central. While we waited for the other family members to show up, we sat around the dining room table talking. Dottie and Flower eventually made their way across the room to the dining room corner where Candy’s dog bed is. They didn’t socialize with the guests, but I think they wanted to be near me. They stayed there the whole time we sat there talking.

I brought Candy back downstairs later and sat her in Shih Tzu Central. I am trying to get the shih tzus all used to people, so I picked up Flower, Candy and Dottie at different times and held them for a while as I talked to different people. Nigel is usually Mr. Sociable Shih Tzu, but he wasn’t as people friendly as normal. It could be that he is not feeling well. He was panting on the bed last night. He could have just been hot.

The female shih tzus got back to normal quickly after everyone left. I took some of the rawhide treats out of their stockings, like the lollipops and gingerbread men, and spread them around. They were all chewing on them and on the rawhide candy canes, so I guess they liked them.

 

 

Shih tzu Day Day 178: Christmas Eve

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preparing the shih tzus’ Christmas stockings

a female <strong srcset=shih tzu chewing on a steer stick. ” width=”300″ height=”225″ />Flower or Candy woke us up at 3 a.m. barking. John went down twice, but couldn’t tell what was going on. Candy was roaming around and scurried away. It might have been that she saw a mouse, a cat outside or was just barking at the falling snow. I finally gave up and got up at 4, fed them, and went back to sleep until 7, when Dottie started whining.

I came downstairs, fed the shih tzus and wrapped a few presents. The female shih tzus sat at shih tzu Central and just watched me, wondering what I was doing and why I wasn’t sitting on the couch. I also put the dogs’ names on their Christmas stockings with glitter. I had no idea how long it took the glitter to dry. The back of the package said 30 minutes, but it took a lot longer than that. I probably put it on too thick. 

a <u srcset=shih tzu on a red and white dog bed.” width=”300″ height=”199″ />I couldn’t figure out what to do with their collars and tags, but John figured out to put them around the middle of the stocking instead of the top. I bought the shih tzus stuffed animals from the Dollar Tree. I don’t like to spend too much money on their stuffed animals, because I rarely see the shih tzus playing with them. I know they do play with them at times, because I will find them on the porch or on the couch. I also bought them some treats from the Dollar Tree and some from Petco. I bought a variety of Christmas shaped rawhide treats from the rawhide treat bar. I also got them some bones from King Soopers’ meat department.

a female <strong srcset=shih tzu chewing on a steer stick. ” width=”300″ height=”225″ />John, my mom and I normally spend Christmas eve with my niece and her family, but since they moved to North Dakota this year, we celebrated Christmas with my mother this afternoon at a Mexican restaurant near her house. When I started looking for Monster High dolls for the grandchildren, I started picking extras up and selling them on eBay and Craigslist, so I delivered some of those before we came home.

a female <u srcset=shih tzu holding a steer stick. ” width=”300″ height=”225″ />We spent a few hours with the shih tzus and then went out again. We did some last minute shopping, drove through some of the areas that are the most decorated for Christmas and stopped for a hamburger before going home and spending the rest of the evening with the shih tzus. I gave the shih tzus some steer sticks to keep them happy and busy while we watched TV.

I know they won’t be excited about their Christmas stockings, but I am. I love the fact that these four little shih tzus are part of our life and that we are spending our first Christmas with them. I know that the girls probably don’t have any memory of their life at the puppy mill, or Nigel of his before he turned up at an animal shelter, but I am glad we have been able to give them all a new life.

Shih Tzu Day 152: No More Company! Yeah!

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happy shih tzus: we have our house back!

We don’t know what’s going on, but Mom and the Treat Man spent the night on the couch (I guess they call it a sofa sleeper) again last night. Us shih tzus were wondering if they are going to sleep there all the time?

a <u/>shih tzu's eye at a kneeWe waited until 5:30 and then went to Mom’s side of the sofa and scratched to wake her up. She got up and fed us. She asked us shih tzus to come in right after we ate and did “our business.” We didn’t know why, but it was because she wanted to go back to sleep! We didn’t let her though. Nigel kept scratching at the door, and she kept getting back up to let me, Nigel and Dottie go in and out. It was fun!

a <strong/><strong>shih tzu</strong> in a dog bedAll four of us shih tzus are really happy that there is no more company! Let’s see. What else. We were restless today, but didn’t know what we wanted to do. We kept going up to Mom’s feet to get her attention. I scratched her ankle, because she wasn’t paying attention. Oops. I guess I scratched it harder than I thought, because she said, “Ow!”

She finally got up and gave us some string cheese. Yum! Shih tzus — at least us shih tzus — love string cheese.

We were playing a lot and Mom said we were being “rambunctious.” Even Dottie played with me and Nigel for a while. Candy didn’t feel like playing, I guess. She was just roaming around. Oh, and when Nigel was busy, she went and lay in his bed. She really likes it. He doesn’t seem to mind that she lays in it sometimes. I’m not sure why she likes it so much though. It doesn’t seem that special to me.