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Shih Tzu Day 94: Watch Nigel

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Just Watch Nigel

two shih tzus snugglingJohn and I left the girls and Nigel alone for a few hours this morning, so we could take a bike ride and then eat lunch at Noodles. When we got back, we decided to try and take Nigel and Candy for a walk. I had to hold him back, because he wanted to run, which might not be good for his stitches. Candy kept stopping. She still doesn’t understanding this walking thing. I just hope she will see Nigel do it and eventually realize it is supposed to be fun. I could tell she was stressed. She wouldn’t take any award treats while we were on the walk, but when we got back, I held out a hot dog piece to her and she attacked it hungrily.

We also decided to do a little grooming, and chose Nigel and Flower. Both behaved well. Flower just stares at Mom when John clips her, as if to say, “You’ll protect me, right?” We are trying to get the tear stains off her face and figure out if it is allergies or some type of eye problem causing them. We are using two different kinds of moisturized pads on her face.

black and white shih tzuNigel doesn’t like taking his pain pills. We tried putting them in cheese, but he ate the cheese and then spit the pill out. He did the same with a hot dog piece, even though John tried to put it in his mouth and massage his throat. Bologna finally worked.

Nigel continues to do things that I have always read dogs do, but that I never see. For instance, some ice fell on the floor when I was filling my glass, and he ran to get it and gnawed on it. My guess is that he might like other crunchy things, like apples and carrots. I will have to try that.

A Rumble at Shih Tzu Central

A dog squabble at Shih Tzu Central caught my attention this afternoon. I heard Nigel’s deep, raspy bark, which could be caused by his pneumonia, and then yipping and yapping from Flower or Candy. My guess is that Nigel might have been stealing bones again, which he loves to do, or play fighting with Candy. John says if they were children, he would be pulling their pigtails or stealing their lunch money.

I can’t tell if Candy likes to play with him or not, but I don’t think Flower does. After the commotion, Candy and Flower flew out of their corner and went to hide under the table from the little terror. None of them look hurt. John says its just a dominance boundary scuffle. What I don’t want is for Nigel to dominate them in their own home.

Monkey Boy

As for John and I, we can’t help but like our little foster dog. Nigel is so darned cuddly and cute, always jumping up into our laps and following us around. We already have several nicknames for him besides Elvis and James Brown, including Monkey Boy and Spider Monkey. John calls him Baby Boy.

We have been trying to think of a way to keep him in the family. The problem is that I don’t know anyone in the family that would qualify to adopt him. John’s sister Lynda has a nice home, but not another small dog, and Delores thinks Nigel needs canine companionship. Mom’s house wouldn’t pass inspection, and the kids live in apartments, without a secure, fenced yard; plus, none of them have a small dog. So, Nigel’s future is up in the air.

Shih Tzu Day 93: A Dog in Our Bed

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A Dog in Our Bed

two shih tzus on a couchNigel aka James Brown aka Elvis is doing well today. Delores told us she thought he would want to sleep with us, so we carried him up the stairs to see what he would do. When I sat him down on the bed, he immediately lay down, right at home. I felt kind of guilty, since the girls don’t sleep with us, but it is the choice they make, so I am sure they didn’t lose sleep over it.

I didn’t want to upset the routine too much, so when I got up to get ready to go downstairs, John stayed behind with Nigel. After the girls and I said our hellos, John gathered up Nigel and Spot Collins, sleeping in a kennel in the spare room, and brought them down.

Share and Share Alike

two shih tzusDelores said that Nigel had been on a special diet. She wasn’t sure if he had allergies, but they had been giving him Taste of the Wild, which is grain-free dog food. She sent a bag of kibble and two cans of wet food home with me. Since I have been wanting to experiment with the girls’ diet anyway, I added some of his kibble to theirs and gave them a tablespoon of his wet food in place of their cottage cheese. Flower and Dottie liked it, but Candy wouldn’t try it. I fixed her a new bowl with cottage cheese.

a tabby cat and shih tzu drinking out of same bowlAfter Spot Collins ate his food, he decided to help Nigel eat his. The invalids have to support each other. After that, Nigel and SC hung around together. The Dumb Friends League called and said that Panda was much better and was being released today. I told Mom I didn’t see any reason why Spot should stay here another day. I don’t think she will have a difficult time giving him his medicine for the next few days. Plus, he is eating and drinking and I don’t think he needs his daily sauna anymore.

shih tzu and pink bird toyI needed to get some work done before driving across town to pick up Panda. While I worked, with Dottie next to me, on her side of the couch, Spot Collins climbed into my lap. Soon, Nigel scratched at the couch and I let him up and sat him on the other side of me. Pretty soon, he put his head on my lap next to SC. Later, however, he crawled over my lap to lay next to Dottie. He looked like her son, lying next to her. I wasn’t sure what she would do, but she just looked at him and then looked away.

shih tzu and kittyNigel got acquainted with the girls’ pink bird they rarely play with. I am going to move some of their other toys into the living room so he can have something else to entertain him. I thought it was really cute when I looked up and saw SC and Nigel drinking water out of the water bowl at the same time. In the early afternoon, however, Flower seemed to be getting a little testy with SC. She was circling him on the blanket I had down on the floor, in what didn’t seem like a friendly way, so I decided to put the kitten back in his kennel until I took him home. He didn’t like that very much, and meowed for the rest of his stay.

Slow Down

In the afternoon, Flower decided to sprint across the yard. Nigel started running behind her, but I stepped in to slow him down. I don’t want him to hurt his incision. I was glad that Candy and Flower started playing after that. Nigel doesn’t seem to have affected Flower, but I thought Candy might have been acting a little less happy than usual. I don’t know what goes through their minds, but I didn’t want her to feel less loved, so I make sure to show her and the other girls as much attention as our recovering foster dog gets.

I wrote Delores to tell her that Nigel was doing well. I also told her that John was already very fond of him. I know he loves the girls, but I also know that he is really enjoying the company of a well-adjusted, non-fearful dog.

Shih Tzu Day 92: And Then There Was Nigel

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Spot Collins

a tabby next to a shih tzu on a dog bedThe girls still don’t quite know what to think of Spot Collins. He makes regular trips to Shih Tzu Central, to drink from the girls’ water bowl and to try out the dog beds. He seems to prefer lying next to Flower, although she doesn’t seem as happy with the arrangement.

grooming practice

a shih tzu sitting on her sisterDelores at BFF Rescue called me today and asked if I would have time to help her groom some new dogs she got in that will soon be going to foster homes. Barbara, her daughter-in-law, usually helps her, but she was out of town and I had told Delores about my grooming class. If John had been available, I would have asked him to come with me, since he does the most grooming, but he was working, so I agreed to help out.

maltese-poodle mix on couch

When I got there, Delores was conducting a necessary procedure: using flea and tick shampoo on one of the dogs that looked like he might have had a problem recently. My Yorkshire terrier never had that problem, so I wasn’t sure how to tell if it looked like fleas or ticks were present. Delores pointed out to me small dark spots on one of the dogs. She said if they weren’t moving, the problem had been fully taken care of by the treatment they received before she took them into her care. That seemed to be the case, but to be safe, I helped her wash another dog with the shampoo as well.

Once we dried them off, I went to work clipping a maltese-poodle mix and then a type of terrier. They both handled it better than our dogs. The poodle lay down on its side and went to sleep while I was clipping him. I plan on trying that on the girls, since I just read that was a good way to groom in some instances, since you need to teach fearful dogs how to be calm and relaxed on the grooming table.

introduction to Nigel

black and white shih tzu on couchWhile I was there, I met Nigel, the shih tzu Delores asked us to foster. He is about a year and a half and only 10 pounds, which is a pound and a half lighter than Candy. He seems smaller though. Nigel is what is referred to as an owner release. He was dropped off at a shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, where they discovered he had a serious cause of pneumonia. I imagine the family wasn’t able to afford the veterinary care he needed.

Shih tzu face offThat shelter treated him before sending him on to BFF Rescue. As is the usual case, BFF took him to Clear Creek Animal Hospital, where Doctor Lindsey examined him prior to his needed sterilization procedure. During the exam, she discovered that he had a large hernia that would need surgery as well. She performed both surgeries yesterday, and prescribed antibiotics and pain medicine for ten days. Delores and I had arranged that I would get him Friday, but since I was already there, I said I would just take him home with me.

I would describe Nigel as a scrawny little dog, probably because he has been sick for a while. His face is so black that it is hard to see his eyes. It wasn’t the color as much as the wildness of his fur around his face that made me think of James Brown. The white fur around his neck is quite a contrast to his black face. His paws look huge compared to his tiny legs.

 

tabby cat and shih tzu on couchI wasn’t sure what the girls would think about Nigel. When we walked in the door, they didn’t get excited, but they also didn’t seem disturbed by his presence. They just watched him. He toured the house, including Shih Tzu Central. A little later, he visited their corner again, this time to begin stealing bones and mainly unused toys from them. We will have to get him his own dog bones and toys, as well as a dog bed. He didn’t come with one, like Flower, Candy and Dottie did.

welcome committee

 

shih tzu waiting for treatNigel gravitated towards Spot Collins, maybe because they are the “outsiders.” When they heard John’s truck in the driveway, the girls started barking as usual. Candy ran to the door, wagging her butt. Spot Collins followed, with Nigel right behind him, wagging his tail.

John was happy about his welcome committee. He has been so patient with the girls, even though they still shy away from him — especially Flower and Dottie — three months after getting here. It was nice for a dog to instantly respond well to him, since he is such a dog person and so good to all animals.

When the dogs followed us outside for their nightly treat from the Treat Man, Nigel forgot his manners and maneuvered his way quickly to the beginning of the line for possibly his first taste of Milo’s Kitchen chicken jerky.