Shih Tzu Week 34: Feb. 16 (Day 232) – 22 (Day 238)

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Di Freeze

Shih Tzu Day 233: Friday, Feb. 17

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.

Shih Tzu Day 234: Saturday, Feb. 18

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.

Shih Tzu Day 235: Sunday, Feb. 19

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.

Shih Tzu Day 236: Monday, Feb. 20

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.

Shih Tzu Day 237: Tuesday, Feb. 21

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.

Shih Tzu Day 132: Nov. 8

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Di Freeze

Candy spent the night with us last night. She stayed in one place all night, and wagged her tail when I turned the light on in the morning. As soon as the Treat Man left, the shih tzus came alive. I can’t understand why they do that. It’s not like he is strict.

I cleaned up bile off the floor again this morning. I think this is the fourth morning. I read up on it today and it might be because they are going to bed with an empty stomach, so I will feed them a little right before we go upstairs.

Nigel decided to pull off my sock again this morning while I was petting Flower and Dottie. Later, while Nigel and Flower were scuffling, one of them bit my ankle, so now I have ankle biters. I think it was Flower. Flower and Nigel had a rough scuffling session again today. I guess she likes it that way! Flower jumped up on the couch after that and barked at Dottie when she tried to get up. Today she is Queen of the Castle.

I have been getting very frustrated with Nigel. I tried to give Dottie a pig ear and he practically took it out of her mouth.

Candy galloped across the floor and back, across and back, when John came in. Definitely a shih tzu rodeo tonight! When he came in, Flower went as far as the chair and stopped before turning back. Dottie calmly sat by me watching.

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 124: Halloween for the Shih Tzus

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Di Freeze

bad start for Halloween

Halloween for the shih tzus began with one of them throwing up yellow bile. It was one of the female shih tzus, because I found it when we came downstairs. I smelled all of their breath to see which shih tzu it was, and Flower had the bad breath. John said that didn’t necessarily mean that she threw up, since she could have eaten someone else’s. Gross, but I know it could happen. I don’t think that is the case, though, or else two shih tzus would have bad breath. None of the dogs acted sick, so I don’t know what caused the problem.

morning shih tzu squirrel notification

Candy spent a lot of time outside this morning prowling the perimeter again, looking for squirrels. Every once in a while, she would bark and summon the troops outside. What’s funny is that the dogs can’t always see the squirrel very well, so he will be running one way and the shih tzus will be running the other in search of him. Nigel doesn’t always join in on the squirrel hunt. Sometimes he lets the girl shih tzus do the chasing and he lays in the grass chewing on a bone.

shih tzu door greeter

I took Nigel to PetSmart and Petco. I dressed him in his black sweater with the skull on it for Halloween. He was very excited to get to go in the car. He did very well, until he saw a big dog in Petco and his dog aggression came out. He started barking, growling and straining at the leash, so I had to pick him up and carry him until the dog was in another part of the store.

When I came home, I dressed up the girls. They didn’t have costumes, but I dressed them all in black and white. Dottie and Flower wore matching polka dot dresses. I had returned Candy’s black and white houndstooth dress that was too small, but I finally found a medium, so I dressed her up in that. I definitely spend too much time looking at dog clothes at Ross! It took me a while to catch Candy to put her dress on her, since she kept running under the dining room table.

I knew that no one but John and me would see the girls, but I still thought it was fun. As I thought, Nigel was the door greeter, once the trick-or-treaters started arriving. He ran to the door every time the doorbell rang. When the doorbell wasn’t ringing, he ran to to the door anyway, waiting for the next group of children to come along. Again, the only problem we had was when a group came up that included a big dog, who waited in the driveway. Nigel showed his dog aggression again, so I’m sure the parents were glad to be off to the next house. Well, the good news is that Nigel is great with children and small dogs, so that is still better adjusted than Joey was and the shih tzu sisters are.

Shih Tzu Day 103: The Shihtzuation with Nigel

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Di Freeze

crazy little thing called Nigel

Our household is getting used to Nigel. John has been his biggest fan since day one. I think he’s adorable, but Nigel can be a handful. This morning he crawled into my lap and stayed there for awhile. Every now and then he would look up at me with a very sweet expression. I jokingly told John that when/if he leaves, we will retire his little black skull sweater, like when sports figures’ numbers are retired. John suggested we could frame it and hang it on the wall.

Flower and Candy are getting used to him too. At first, it seemed like they weren’t quite sure if he was replacing them. No, I don’t know how dogs think, but they did seem to retreat a little. I just kept giving them lots of love and telling them that this was their home and they were staying. I think Dottie accepts him, but she just tolerates him, kind of like when she tolerates when Flower wants to enter “her” space on the couch.

waggle, waggle

Every once in a while, Candy and Flower will suddenly leave Shih Tzu Central to saunter in front of the couch, going who knows where. Usually, they head for their home under the dining room table, like it was one of those makeshift forts kids make, thinking that once there, no one else will see them.

Sometimes, they turn right around and saunter back. It is really cute when they stop in front of my computer stand, where I can’t see them, and nuzzle or slightly lick my toes. Then, when I look down, Flower will do her little head waggle and Candy her butt waggle.

I always tell them to come up and see me, but usually, Candy walks on by. Flower often comes closer, puts her paws on the top edge of the couch, stretches and then slides clear down to the floor until she is flat. It is so cute, but I don’t know why she does it. It would be interesting to see what she would do if Dottie wasn’t queen of her end of the couch and Nigel didn’t reign over the John end. Usually when they start getting restless, I herd them outside, give them a Milo’s Kitchen dog treat or something else, and then try to get them to play in the yard.

I love you this big

My shih tzu trio couldn’t be more “my girls” than if I had birthed them. As Scottie McCreery, the reigning American Idol would say, I love them “this big.” I acknowledge their dysfunctions and fears. I have more patience with their idiosyncrasies than I ever thought I would have with a canine companion. Still, I have to admit that it is refreshing having a puppy in the house that loves people easily and hasn’t learned fear.

I know that Nigel’s life was different. I wish I knew what it was. John doesn’t understand how anyone could turn Nigel over to an animal shelter. Looking at him and seeing how he loves people, I assume he had a loving home. Maybe his family just couldn’t afford taking care of him when he had pneumonia. Maybe he was sick before that. We will never know, but it’s easy to wonder about his life before.

All we know is that the last couple months of his life were tough, but he seems very well adjusted. It was heartwarming watching the way that he completely trusted Leticia and Candace’s children, climbing into every lap that was available.

We also thought it was so cute the way that John’s sister Lynda and her husband Jeff embraced him, even though Jeff joked about him sneezing all over him. I imagine that is aftereffects of the pneumonia. He does sneeze a lot, and his big eyes always water. Despite that, he is so cute.

I thought he seemed a little down this afternoon. He was very excited when I got home though. I’m not sure what happened. Earlier he was resting by Dottie, with his head on her side. Since they are the two couch dogs, that’s par for the course. Maybe she gave him one of her ferocious growls, telling him he was intruding on her space. I try to stop that when I am there, but I can’t always be there.

in the ring

Candy and Flower picked a play fight with each other this afternoon. They were fighting in their make-believe ring for quite a while, their paws up. Well, they look more like dancing ponies than wrestlers. I saw Nigel watching them, and thought he probably wanted to play, but they haven’t yet accepted him, either in the morning when they get up or later in the day, in their “reindeer games.” My hope is that they will accept him soon. After all, they sure know what it’s like to be a dog down on their luck!

Same Shih Tzu, Different Day

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

Category Archives: Health Issues