Tag Archives: Yorkie

Shih Tzu Day 21: The Terrier Makes Himself at Home

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Shiloh, the Terrier: There’s a Strange Dog Following Me

Back to our Terrier guest, Shiloh. Once he had sniffed out his surroundings, he followed me all over the house. I hate to say this, but I wasn’t crazy about the idea of this dog following me everywhere. I admit it. Partially, I felt disloyal. After all, Dottie, Flower and Candy don’t yet feel that secure, so usually only Dottie follows me. Very quietly. Very slowly.

Having three shih tzus sitting in their safe zone in the corner all day, to emerge for brief periods of time, is much different than having an energized dog following you. I was getting a little nervous. I envisioned him needed lots of attention — more than I could give. My vision was he could pal around with John, since the shih tzus won’t.

Shiloh took it upon himself to take John’s seat on the couch and also to sit on Flower’s couch. Flower must not have wanted to fight him over it. She jumped on the couch next to me and Dottie.

Shiloh Enjoys a Brief Walk and Invades Our Bed

When John got home, Shiloh ran up to the door and greeted him enthusiastically, wagging her tail and putting her paws up on his leg. John was surprised. Although Joey, our Yorkie, was his darling, lately, he’s used to mainly having three sets of shih tzu eyes stare at him from afar when he comes in.

John took one look at him and said, “That’s not a Boston terrier.” Okay, this is an honest blog, so I have to tell you that John thought Shiloh was kind of peculiar looking. He determined that he might be a terrier/chihuahua mix. I guess I have to look at pictures on line to see what other dogs look like him.

John hasn’t walked a dog since months before elderly Joey died, so he considered putting the leash on him and taking him out. I told him that the doctor at Clear Creek Animal Hospital said he loved to walk.

Shiloh eagerly accepted the offer and followed him out the door. He said Shiloh did wonderful on his ten-minute walk and that it was obvious that he was used to someone taking him for walks.

Once they got back, the shih tzus mainly ignored him, except Flower. Unless you can keep a constant watch, it’s hard to see who is causing trouble, but a few times, I heard Flower growling at Shiloh and saw them circle each other, and a few times, leap towards each other, mouths open. I put myself in alert mode, hoping I didn’t have to pull them apart. They backed away. Maybe Flower was trying to size him up, or maybe to tell him that she was the pack leader, and he’d better not try to take that role.

Shiloh goes into his kennel easily, so he must be used to it. He crawled in there before bed, so I thought he would be fine, but then he started whining. As soon as I let him out, he ran upstairs and jumped onto the end of our bed. I gave in and decided I would let him stay there. After all, he probably hasn’t slept on a bed for a while. I do admit, though, that I didn’t like it. My girls don’t even sleep on the bed, so I really hated a “stranger” coming in and taking that position.

Shih Tzu Prelude: Getting to Know You

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Day 1 of Shih Tzu Visitation

I had my first visit today with the shih tzu half-sisters, Dottie, Flower and Candy. Five-year-old Dottie actually seemed to warm up to me quickly – at least she didn’t seem to be afraid of me. Two-year-old Flower was a different manner. Barbara, Delores’ daughter-in-law and the dogs’ foster mom, went to pick Flower up to hand her to me, and the poor little thing was so frightened that she pooped. Barbara said that she definitely was a “special needs dog.” (That didn’t frighten me too badly, because, frankly, I always thought that our precious little Yorkie, Joey was a special needs dog, too, and she had never had the traumatic experience of being a puppy mill mommy. She did, however, have the experience of being a temperamental writer’s fur baby.)

As for 2-year-old Candy, Flower and Dottie seemed intent on protecting her from any harm. I took the fact that they sat in front of their sister to guard her to mean that she was the most vulnerable and timid sister.

I stayed for about an hour, attempting to get the shih tzu sisters to let me into their world. Barbara helped by giving me a chicken jerky treat to feed them. Dottie and Candy took it from me, but Flower kept her distance, growling every now and then.

In my head, a vision appeared: it was of friendly, fluffy puppies romping around the house, spunky and lovable. I knew that if I brought these dogs home, if we signed adoption papers, it would not be that vision. I was already a little concerned. Would they be “lovable” dogs? Would they ever be lap dogs, like John and I both wanted? Like Joey was. Like Rosie would have been. Heck, like many other dogs would instantly be. What if we got them home, and they never became “normal”?

While I visited, Barbara had told me that she had been fostering the shih tzu sisters for more than three months. She had also adopted a poodle that she had been fostering, who had also come from a puppy mill. She said the poodle had been very fearful when she got her. She was definitely a lap dog now. Also, she didn’t seem to be afraid and she seemed to love people, especially Barbara.

After hearing about Barbara’s foster experience, I asked her if she thought Delores would agree to John and I being foster parents to Candy and Flower, with the intention of eventually adopting them. I know. It seemed a little less frightening to think of checking these two shih tzus out like library books, instead of signing papers saying they were our responsibility, forever and ever.

I told Barbara that if Delores would agree to that, we would probably foster Dottie as well, so the sisters wouldn’t have to be separated. Barbara thought it might be a good idea and said she would talk to Delores. I left thinking that John would probably like that idea much better too.

Shih Tzu Prelude: In Search of a Shih Tzu of My Own

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Candy, Flower and Dottie

Candy, a 2-year-old shih tzu

Off and on when I had looked at shih tzus online, I had looked at the Denver Dumb Friends League’s Quebec Street Shelter and Buddy Center, as well as local rescue centers. I recent read that the Dumb Friends League was charging only $50 for an adoption fee throughout the end of June. I looked at the site, but I didn’t see any shih tzus.

Another choice was the Colorado Shih Tzu Maltese & Lhasa Apso Rescue, but I cringed at the $300 adoption fee. Bella, the dog I had met at PetSmart, had been in the Evergreen Animal Protective League’s foster program, but they didn’t have any shih tzus on their site that were under 5. I had determined I wanted a dog at least that young.

I looked at Adoptapet.com and Petfinder.com. Each site showed a handful of shih tzus. Three shih tzus came up in Arvada, near me. They were listed by the BFF Rescue, a shelter that transfers homeless dogs from high kill shelters to foster homes until they can be adopted by a new “forever family.” Candy’s profile said she was born on 4/24/2009. That meant she was 2 years old. She was 11 pounds, which was average for a shih tzu. I read she was from a puppy mill. It also said that she had come to the BFF Rescue with her half sisters, Flower and Dottie. I read on that Candy was “still very shy and will need a lot of time and love in her new home.” Having a “shy” dog didn’t bother me. Joey had been shy. It said that Candy and Flower were very bonded and that the rescue was hoping to find them a home together.

Flower, a 2-year-old shih tzu from a puppy millDottie, 5 years old, is Candy and Flower's half sister.

With that in mind, I read Flower’s profile. Flower was  born on 4/13/2009 and was 14 pounds. Along with being shy, her profile said Flower was  “afraid of many things and would need a lot of love and understanding.” Her name made me think of Happy Flower, a dog I had seen on the Dumb Friends League’s site shortly after meeting Bella. this Flower, obviously, wasn’t yet “happy.” Maybe she could be, with the right person. But could that be me?

The adoption fee on either dog was $175, which wasn’t as good as the Dumb Friends League’s special, but was better than what I would spending going through the EAPL. I was definitely interested. I also stole a glance at the profile for Dottie. She was born on  9/17/2005, which made her 5 and a half years old. Although I had told myself I would look at dogs 5 years old and under, I still thought I wanted a younger one,  but she had a cute face. I read that she was also shy and afraid of many things, that she would need a lot of time and love and that she was good with other dogs and cats. It also said she would need another small dog in her new home.

I liked the fact that the dogs seemed to need each other. Our Yorkie was very possessive and never wanted other animals near us or her. I picked up the phone and called the number given for Delores at BFF Rescue, hoping to speak to her about Candy and Flower.

Shih Tzu Prelude: Encounter Three — Runaway Shih Tzu

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Runaway Shih Tzu

Some time ago, our HOA announced a yard sale day for today. John and I got on our beach cruiser bikes (Electra Boney Fingers and Eight Ball), checked out a few yard sales, and then headed to our regular bike path. We didn’t plan to take a long ride.

We rode about five miles, and then turned around to come home. About a half mile from where we were to get back on the path, John turned and asked if I had seen what he had seen. I didn’t know what he was talking about; he pointed to a dog that was running as fast as it could ahead of us on the path.

The runaway dog was, to my surprise, a shih tzu. The shih tzu paused ever so briefly, trying to decide if it should veer left to continue on the path, or veer right, the way we were headed. The dog made its decision and scurried right, into an apartment complex parking lot.

We followed behind it, watching as it scrambled through the parking lot. I held my breath as it headed toward the end of the complex and the street. It ran along the sidewalk towards Sheridan, one of the busiest streets in the neighborhood. John is a much stronger rider than I am, so he pedaled faster, trying to get ahead of it to stop it, afraid of what might happen if it headed across Sheridan. A person in a car had slowed down, and appeared to be concerned, too. The dog sprinted on, out of everyone’s reach.

As the dog reached Sheridan, John hollered at me not to look. I prayed that it was a red light, and that the shih tzu would make it across. But the light was green; the shih tzu sprinted across the road, as cars stopped to let her cross. We waited about a minute for the light to change in our favor, and then we crossed. John went up ahead, following the bike path for at least another mile before the dog had to make another decision regarding which way to go. It scrambled across another street, this one not so busy, and into a backyard. As John got off his bike to go find it, I knocked on the door and told the owner that we needed to fetch a stray dog from the back.

The shih tzu darted back and forth, until it was finally in a location that didn’t allow it to escape. John gently picked up the shih tzu, and determined it was a female. Her paws were bleeding from running, and she was shaking. We were miles away from home, and John now had the chore of carrying her under one arm and steering his bike with the other. He was used to carrying our Yorkie, who had weighed about 10 pounds, but this dog was heavier. John stopped a few times to rest his arm, and then we continued on.

Once we got her home, the shih tzu bolted under the dining room table. We let her stay there for a while. Then, I went around and picked her up and took her to the backyard, trying to prod her to do her business. Instead, she ran under John’s ATV trailer until we could get her back out.

This isn't the home I ran away from, but it's not bad.We didn’t know how long the shih tzu had been on the run, but we imagined someone was looking for her. She looked freshly groomed, and she didn’t look or act abused. We got in the car and drove around the neighborhood, particularly near where we found her, looking for any “lost dog” signs. We didn’t see any.

On the way back, we saw a pet carrier at a yard sale and bought it. Then we went to PetSmart and asked for the best food for a shih tzu. When we got home, we tried to give the shih tzu some food, but she wouldn’t eat it. We didn’t know what to call her, so I started calling her Bella, after the shih tzu I met months earlier.

When it was time for bed, we took Bella upstairs with us. As we got ready, I sat her on the bed. I thought she might jump down, but she headed towards the headboard, and lay as close to it as she could. When I woke up in the night, she was lying right between us, on our pillows.

John got up at in the middle of the night and took her downstairs. She went outside and then came back in and headed for the pet carrier.

Shih Tzu Prelude: Bella, the Foster Dog —Encounter One

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Encountering Bella the Foster shih tzu at PetSmart

When our 14-year-old Yorkshire terrier died a year and a half ago, I didn’t have any idea that an encounter with a shih tzu named Bella and her foster mother would be the first step in getting another dog.

Bella, a shih tzuJohn and I had talked several times about getting another dog, but we’d always put it off. At first, it was too sad to think about replacing Joey. Also, I promised my sister Sandy that we would visit her in Florida before we got another dog, since Joey kept us from traveling together for many years.

Dogs can also get expensive, especially if they have medical problems, and we had our share with Joey, including the fact that she was a breast cancer survivor. Also, since I have been freelance writing and editing for the last few years, and haven’t had a full-time job, it never seemed to be a good time to get a dog.

On March 5, my mom, John and I were headed to the Brewery Bar II in Denver. My niece and nephew were moving to North Dakota because of Herman’s new job, and he was leaving a few months earlier than Heather and the boys. Herman wanted Mexican food for his going away party.

We picked up Mom a little early, so we decided to stop at PetSmart. It’s always “doggy alert” when we am there, and John and I spotted a cutie right away. We went up to say hi, and asked her person what and who she was. She told me she was a shih tzu and her name was Bella. We talked for a few minutes and she told me Bella was her foster dog. She said she was fostering her through the Evergreen Animal Protective League. As we talked, she told me about a medical condition Bella had. We also talked about the fact that she was a little heavier than the average shih tzu.

Later that day, I was still thinking about Bella. I couldn’t resist looking up the EAPL and looking at her picture. I fleetingly wondered if I was ready for another dog, and I looked at the site several times to see her picture. Her adoption fee was $300. That is a common amount for an adoption fee for a dog of her breed, but I didn’t think I should be spending that much on a dog at this time in my life. And that would just be the beginning. Her medical condition probably required ongoing medication, and I didn’t have very good luck controlling Joey’s weight, so a dog with just a few extra pounds worried me.

What Other Shih Tzus Need a Home?

With a small touch of dog fever, I also looked at the Denver Dumb Friends League site, and saw a shih tzu named Happy Flower that I thought about going to see. But I didn’t do anything. Too many things to stop me — mainly money. I decided not to do anything about finding a new furry friend just yet.