Mom says she will try to post videos so we have something to show people until she catches up on the blog. This is all of us at Majestic Park this morning. Candy goes with us on Sunday. The Man had to groom her paws first. She doesn’t like that. She tries to bite. Notice Dottie walking behind Mom! No one is holding her leash! The Humans trust her, but not the rest of us! Mom grabs her leash when we see other humans or animals, though.
Mom took a video of us walking this morning. How silly! But she says she is so proud at how far we’ve come and she wants to show the world we actually do walk. She says that because when we had a party a week or so ago, we just stayed at Shih Tzu Central. We can’t help it! We’re still getting used to people!
Back to the walking part. Nigel always liked to walk. But me, Dottie, and Candy were afraid to go for walks. We were afraid of the harness and the leash and what might be outside our home!
Now, I love it! I love chasing birds, although I can never catch them, because that thing that ties me to mother won’t let me go that far! But it’s fun trying.
Mom lets Dottie wander around. She says that’s because Dottie won’t run off chasing birds and get hit by a car or something! But I wish I had that freedom! Still, it is the funnest part of my day! Did I say I like taking walks!
Oh, you probably wonder why Candy isn’t in the video. Candy runs outside and hides when it’s time for our walk. Mom says she is just learning how to walk three dogs, so that’s okay. On the weekend, when the Man goes with us, Candy has to come along!
Someday, though, Mom says she will start taking Candy every morning when we go. I can’t wait until tomorrow morning so I can go for another walk! Yippee!
Well, it finally happened—our Nutro small breed taste-testing party! The day began with washing dog blankets and beds, and then, I managed to get all four shih tzus bathed. John couldn’t help before leaving for work, so I did it myself, as quickly as possible. I towel dried them but then let them air dry.
I wanted to make a fresh batch of doggy hors d’oeuvres, even though the dogs would be sampling Nutro biscuits and treats. I made a quick trip to the store for apples and sweet potatoes and made all three of our shih tzus’ regular treats: apple and chicken, sweet potato and chicken, and chicken jerky.
Leticia came over at 2 o’clock, with Oriana, Rema, Junior, Evita, and Cea, my party committee. Their job was to set up the taste-testing table in the backyard, putting out the pomegranate, banana, peanut butter, and apple treats, as well as the reading material supplied by Nutro. They also had the responsibility of filling the goody bags. Nutro sent 10 gift bags, dog bowls, collars, packages of wet food, and 4 lb. bags of Nutro Natural Small Breed kibble. They also sent picture frames, decorations, and glue.
While the children took care of their tasks, Leticia and I did the shopping. Nutro had graciously given us a Visa card for people food, so we bought lots of fruit for a big fruit bowl (which she decorated with the top of the pineapple), veggies, pickles, olives, a variety of rolls, meats, cheeses, flavored mustards, sweet potato tortilla chips, and Pringles.
I also picked up Apothic white and Apothic red wine as well as a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, and Crystal Light appletini and lemonade for the children. When we got back, Leticia was on food detail, with Junior helping, while I checked on the taste-testing table, which looked great.
Our first guest, John’s sister Lynda, arrived at 6 o’clock. Shortly after that, our neighbor Jan arrived with her cockatoo Chelsea Girl.
Our first dog guests arrived a little later. Many of our readers know how we came to have our shih tzus, but I will relate the story briefly, since it has to do with these guests. John had been particularly close to our Yorkie Joey, and when she died, he wasn’t sure if he wanted another dog. I always told him, though, that I didn’t want another one—I wanted several, and I wanted a variety, like Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s clan.
In early 2011, I met a sweet foster dog at PetSmart named Bella. I found out she was a shih tzu. A little later, my niece Heather had a party and I befriended a shih tzu there. After those two encounters, I was sure I wanted a shih tzu. John and I were taking a bike ride one Saturday morning that June when he pointed out a dog running on the bike path. It looked like a shih tzu—a very scared shih tzu running for its life.
We ended up finally catching the dog, after chasing her for two miles, and bringing her home with us. Over the next 48 hours or so, I came to really like Rosey. That Monday, though, I made a trip to PetSmart’s clinic; they checked her for a chip, found one, and tracked down the shih tzu’s owner, Jane. As it turned out, Rosey lived with another shih tzu (Tuffy) and a maltese (Mimi). They were very happy to get her back.
I knew I was going to miss Rosey. That incident led to me looking online for a shih tzu to adopt, and eventually, to us taking in Flower, Dottie, Candy, and last but not least, Nigel. Last week, when I was making out my invitation list for the party, I thought about Jane, Rosey, Tuffy, and Mimi. I didn’t have Jane’s number, but I knew where they lived, so I stopped by and extended an invitation. I wasn’t sure if they would show up, so I was very happy to see them at the door, with Jane’s sister Kathy, and her schnauzer-Chinese crested, Beau.
The next guests to arrive were our neighbors, Todd and Kelsey Silvernail, with their new boxer puppy Dexter, their friend Chad, his dog BeBe, and Shaymus, a friend’s Boston terrier that we had met previously. Although this was a small breed taste-testing party, we didn’t discriminate against bigger dogs like BeBe!
When another neighbor, Dorothy, showed up with her dog Chloe and Max, her daughter’s Yorkie, I was surprised to find out that she knew Jane. Their sons had been in band together years ago, and it had been a while since they’d seen each other.
With their arrival, we had nine doggy guests! Other people guests to join the festivities included my friend Karleen and her daughter Cassidy, as well as another friend, Susan, and her daughter Allison.
I would love to be able to say that Flower, Candy, and Dottie enjoyed the festivities, but, sadly, they did not. When I take them walking (a recent big victory!), Flower tries to run up and investigate any dog. You would think she would be more comfortable in her own home, but her and Dottie withdrew to Shih Tzu Central as soon as people and dogs started showing up, and Candy retreated to her corner outside. Nigel, of course, greeted each person and dog.
After the party had been going for sometime, I carried Candy over to Cassidy, to get a picture of them near the taste-testing table. Candy might not have enjoyed it, but she stayed still, and Dottie allowed Cea to hold her a while. I was encouraged and carried Flower over to Lynda. Flower did what she used to do when she was afraid—pooped on Lynda’s foot, and then jumped out of her arms and ran for the backdoor. I brought her back out later, and as long as I held her she was okay, but she had no interest in joining any of the dog activities.
Since it was a taste-testing party, we had good intentions of seeing which dogs liked which Nutro treats best. I didn’t taste any, but as far as scent, the pomegranate was my favorite. Beau and Nigel seemed to like all of the flavors.
Shaymus seemed fondest of the peanut butter treats and the banana ones. We had written down more results on the banners by the treats, but the wind picked up and blew them around the yard, so we couldn’t tell which results went with which treats.
(After the party, I tried the taste test again with our female shih tzus, since they wouldn’t try anything with guests around. I have never been able to get them to eat crunchy treats, but Flower tried all of the flavors, and ate all of them but the banana, which she spit out. Dottie and Candy sniffed, and then politely turned their finicky noses away.)
Jane and Kathy had planned on only staying a few minutes, and although they were the first to leave, they were there for much longer. Kathy said we had given Beau the best night of his life! I think we said goodbye to our last guests around 9 o’clock.
As each person got ready to leave, Rema handed out a bag of goodies for each dog. We were given a coupon book that we could give to one lucky winner, bearing 12 $35 coupons for a free 15 lb. bag of Nutro Natural Choice dog food.
I was so happy with the turnout, though, that I passed the coupons out to all the guests instead. Thanks Nutro, for giving us this opportunity to bring together dogs, family, friends, and neighbors, for a great time! The only thing that would have made the party more complete is if our dog blog friends from around the world would have been able to join us! Please visit our Facebook page for more pictures!
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.