Hi. This is  Dottie. Mom has been telling our story, but she said we could give it a try. I’ll just start with what happened this morning, because sometimes my memory isn’t so good. I don’t know if that’s common with all shih tzus, or just me.

We waited forever for Mom to come downstairs. I think it was almost 8 when she got up! I was up hours before, with Candy and Flower, playing and barking and trying to get Mom to come downstairs. We ran to the bottom of the stairs and told her to come down several times. I went up two stairs, but I still don’t know what will happen if I go up further, so I stopped. Then, finally, Mom appeared. We were so excited.

When she came down, she said, “Naughty dogs. No. No. No. Poop doesn’t go here.” We just look at her. We don’t know what that means yet.

That other Human, the one with the deep voice, didn’t come down with her, so we were really excited! We still aren’t sure what to think of him.

While we were dancing around, playing with Mom’s hand, I kept trying to reach up and see her face. She was on the couch, leaning over it to play with us. I could tell she was surprised when I licked her face. I licked it just a little. I heard her say, “Did you just kiss me?” I don’t know if I did. I wish someone would tell me what a kiss is.

Mom wanted us to go outside, so we all went out and played, but then Flower sneaked back inside. Mom went in to, and she went into the kitchen. We knew from the noises we heard that she was preparing our bowls of food for us. Candy and I were good and ate it outside. Flower wouldn’t listen to her though. She went back in the pen, and Mom had to coax her. She never did get her to go outside and eat it, but Flower met Mom halfway and ate her food in the living room.

Mom and the other Human left for a couple of hours and came back. He wanted us to go outside again. When he tells us to go, we don’t know what to do sometimes. We ran under the kitchen table and back out, and then Candy and I went outside. Flower went back into the pen, but he went and told her to go outside. That time she went.I don’t know why they want us to go out there, except maybe Mom doesn’t want us to get food on the floor inside. I keep hearing her say, “Okay, now, poop and pee.” Poop? Pee?

Mom came out and sat down on a bench and watched us. Flower came up to sit by her on the porch, but then the Man came out. Flower barked at him, but he wouldn’t leave. Candy and I didn’t bark at him. It doesn’t seem like he’s too much of a threat. Still, we all liked it better when he went inside.

After we went inside, Mom picked me up out of the pen and walked around with me in her arms. I think it was because I was shaking outside. Something about being outside scares me. When we go back inside, though, I usually feel better.

I liked Mom holding me. I sat with her on the couch for about ten minutes, but then I went back to the pen to see what Flower and Candy were doing.

It got dark outside, and we kept thinking maybe the Man would go somewhere so we could have all of Mom’s attention. But they always left and came back together. Finally, we decided to come out of the pen and see her anyway.

He was sitting right there on the couch, beside her! But we were brave. We walked right out of our pen, at least a few feet. Then we all ran back inside our pen.

The Man got up a little later and pointed towards the backdoor. We all scurried back outside. He sat down beside Mom. Flower was sitting between her feet, and Mom reached down and picked her up. Then, that Man picked me up! I didn’t know what to do. I heard him say to Mom, “She’s stiff as a board.” I wish I knew what that meant.

Although I don’t think I like it when he holds me, I do like it when he gives me treats. Also, it feels kind of nice when he rubs my ears. I don’t know why I did it, but I did get kind of close to him when he was on the couch. I sniffed his toes. And for some reason, my tail started wagging. I don’t know why it does that sometimes.