Unconditional Love

               He has big black eyes and a small flat nose cute as a button.  He tries to act cool and not show any emotion.  When he sees me put my coat on, he follows me and waits for me to say goodbye; and when I come back, he is at the door, waiting to welcome me home.  I get angry with him sometimes, and I might yell at him.  He just walks away, glancing back at me with those big black sad eyes.  As soon as I calmly call his name, he runs and sits next to me waiting to be caressed.

               He is quiet most if not all the time.  He doesn’t say much but his love towards me shows in everything he does; from staring at me adoringly to his happy trot next to mine.  Sometimes he doesn’t eat his food and I have to hand feed him; but if I put some boiled chicken in his bowl, he will happily and eagerly inhale it.

               When he pinched a nerve on his back, I faithfully gave him his medication.  He didn’t like taking it and acted hard to get, so, I had to shove it his mouth.  He travelled with me to Greece and Florida and happily came along.  It didn’t matter where he was as long as he was with me.  He did not like being left alone at my mother’s apartment, and I almost lost him.  He got trapped at the grocery store next door, and I was able to grab him.  I got mad at him and spanked him on his butt.   He turned his head and looked at me sadly with those big eyes as if saying: “I’m sorry mommy”. 

               He has a large basket full of stuffed toys and when he gets bored, he takes each and every one of them out.  On occasion, my family room floor is full of his toys and I have to hop to get around them.  I try to put them back in the basket but he takes them out again or tries to grab them from my hand.  So I put them away when he is sleeping or when he is outside and I hope he won’t have his extra sensory hearing and wake up or run back inside to stop me. 

               I cannot take his blanket away.  It’s his.  He gets upset when I put it in the wash; but he is very happy and drags it on the floor as soon as I take it out of the dryer. 

               His love towards me is unconditional.  He doesn’t care if I yell at him, if I leave him alone for hours or just minutes.  He doesn’t have any concept of time.  He is always happy to see me come back.  As much as he tries to act cool, to show that he doesn’t really care, his little tail gives him away.  It starts slowly.  The tip of his tail starts trembling, like the tail of a rattle snake, and slowly the movement moves all the way to the body of the tail.  Then the wagging becomes stronger, and if you put your face next to it, it will cool you like a fan.  He thinks that you don’t notice; but you know and you notice.  You realize, that no matter what you do to him, yell at him or scold him like a child; get mad at him for throwing up on your rug, because he didn’t like the food; or for letting go some urine because he didn’t scratch the door on time for you to let him out, he will still love you; and he will love you unconditionally.  He will run around in circles to show you how happy he is to see you; or lick your hand till it’s raw to show that he appreciates you taking care of him, for feeding him and giving him a roof over his head.  This is what I call Unconditional Love. 

Traveling with my Shih Tzu - Nappy - Part 1

This past winter was full of fun, but also a bit stressful for my little shih tzu, Nappy. In February, we decided to get away from the freezing cold of the Midwest and traveled by car to Florida. The day came when we were all packed including Nappy’s toys, food, and his favorite blanket.

The road trip was uneventful. He positioned himself at the back seat of the car, amidst his favorite squeaky toy of a Coney Island hot dog, his favorite chicken jerky treat, and his little blanket. He curled up and ready for the road trip. The only time he moved was when the car slowed down and looked out the window to see what was going on. Of course, we had to make a few stops to eat, use the bathroom, and he was there, right along with us. We stopped to get some Kentucky fried chicken, and sure enough he had to have some. (I made sure I cleaned all the spices and removed the skin. I only gave him plain chicken breast). You can imagine what I had to pack to make sure that I had everything for my little shih tzu (water, paper towels, plastic bowls, and of course some clean wipes).

The two day trip went quite well. The first night we stopped at LaQuinta at the outskirts of Atlanta. It’s the only hotel that will accept pets without charging an arm and a leg. We stayed at LaQuinta in one of our previous trips to Florida when Nappy was a year and a half. Since Shih tzu’s have a good memory of where they have been, he remembered the hotel. Sure enough he remembered the entrance to the hotel, and since most hotels look the same – especially chain hotels – he knew exactly where he was going.

We settled in for the night, we had a good night’s sleep and the next day we headed on our way. We arrived in Naples, Florida (our final destination) the eve of the second day. The house we rented was quite spacious and the owners had no problem with us bringing a little dog.

The next day, we needed to explore Naples. We took Nappy with us, and drove around the city. It wasn’t too hot so it was all right to leave Nappy in the car and run in the store. The temperatures ranged from sixty to seventy five degrees and that was pushing it. It was not a hot February for the snow birds in Florida. We tried to find a few beaches where we could take Nappy and exercise him a bit. There are not that many places in Naples that are dog friendly. They don’t allow dogs anywhere in their parks or their beaches. The only beach that we found was a small beach half hour north of Naples, called Bonita Beach. And when I say small, it was small. There were other dogs, big and small, running around, in and out of the water. The sand was not that great. It was more of a brown color beach than the light sand color that I am used to, as in Gulf shores. I guess it was all right for dogs. I didn’t like Nappy getting all dirty, and he didn’t like it either. We tried to stay for a while, but Nappy was not a happy camper. He ran away from any other dogs that tried to get close to him. (I’m telling you, he thinks he is human). After a while we decided to leave and got him home to clean him up.

Nappy enjoyed staying at the house more than any other dog that I know. He was content, being around his toys and his food. He didn’t mind much if we left him there. As long as he got a treat, he stayed by the door waiting for us to come back.

The house we were renting had a big in-ground pool, and Nappy was happy to just run around it. We had a few running laps chasing each other. He enjoyed that more than the doggy beach.

The month went by and we had to leave Florida. The two day return trip seemed longer this time since we were all anxious to get home. I’m sure Nappy felt the same way. Not that he was able to articulate his thoughts, but I was able to see his excitement when we got home. As soon as we pulled in our garage and let him out of the car and inside the house, he ran around so happy to see his toy box still there, and his food bowls placed in the same spot as before we left. I’ve never seen a dog run in circles, being so happy to come home.

That was not the only trip that Nappy took this year. There is a longer trip that he took when he came with us to Europe the end of March. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Traveling with my Shih Tzu.

Dog Betrayal

When you get a dog you expect him to be your lifelong friend for ever, right? He would follow you, run after you, sit next to you, wait for you by the door, and never stop looking at you with those adoring eyes. That’s what I expected when I got my shih tzu, four years ago. Well, not that I don’t have all that, but it’s slightly different now, that my husband retired. I will start from the beginning.

I decided to quit work and pretty much be semi retired back in August of 2005. By the end of September of the same year, I decided to get a dog. After a long consideration of what kind of dog to get, I decided on a shih tzu. My husband was still working at the time and he, too, thought that a dog would be good company for me, since our children were all grown up and pretty much out of the house. So we brought this little sweet puppy home, called him Nappy, and not too long after that I got very attached to him and he to me. He would still get excited when my husband came home from work, and he would hop and jump up and down as soon as he saw him coming through the door.

Our days were on a schedule. My husband would take him out in the morning when he’d leave for work, then as soon as he’d close the door behind him, Nappy would come up and sleep with me for another hour or so. Then we’d get up, I would have my coffee, he would sit at my feet and either fall asleep or just stare at me. Sometimes we would have a staring contest just to see who would withdraw first. Needless to say that he won all the time. After my morning coffee, he would follow me to the bedroom where I would change into my exercise clothes and then he would stay at the top of the stairs, waiting for me, while I’d exercise in the basement. It was a ritual. Every day, as soon as I’d put my coffee cup in the dishwasher, he ‘d get up from his spot in front of the fireplace and wait to see where I would go so that he could follow. This went on and of for the next four years.

This past October my husband decided to retire, so he is home with me and Nappy now. The first few days after he retired, Nappy didn’t know exactly what to expect. He would still follow me wherever I went, wait for me to give him his food and water, and any treats when he was a good boy. Gradually, I noticed that he stopped coming to me, and go to my husband all the time. Especially after he’d notice that my husband would go into his office, he would follow him and when my husband picked him up and held him on his lap a few times, Nappy quit following me everywhere. He began a new ritual: follow papa in his den so that he can pick him up. I was surprised to see that. I was wondering what made him change. Until my husband confessed to me of what he did to lure Nappy to be his buddy all day long, day in and day out. And here is the secret: when my husband let Nappy out in the morning to do his business, as soon as Nappy came in the house, my husband would give him a treat. In the afternoon, when we would have our afternoon coffee he would give Nappy another treat. In the morning when he’d finish eating his cereal, he would let Nappy drink the milk. Sometimes I wondered if it’s a cat that we got instead of a dog.

In the beginning, it didn’t bother me at all; I didn’t even notice it much. But as the months went by, I noticed it more and more. I’d still play with Nappy, give him treats but I would also be the one to reprimand him when he did something that he was not supposed to do. Like a child he went to the parent who is more lenient with him. Shih tzus are adorable dogs and very loyal. Until you give them a treat. They will bark when they hear someone breaking in the house but, if they give them a treat they are their friends. They will even show them where the goods are. I felt betrayed by my own dog. Now I want to get a dog that is all mine. Should it be a shih tzu, or another breed? I love this dog too much though, to decide on another breed. Even though I feel betrayed by this one, I would still get another shih tzu. And as I write this article, my little Nappy followed me into my office and is sitting at my feet watching me with those adoring eyes. Hey isn’t that what dogs are for? To just adore you and be there all the time?

When I decided to get a dog, I thought it would be a nice way for me to begin walking. Little did I know that Shih Tzu’s are not too crazy about walking. I didn’t want a dog that would run me out, but a dog where we can walk at a normal pace or walk as far as I want to walk, not as far as the dog wants to walk.

When Nappy was young I didn’t take him for walks. I waited till he became a year old before I started walking with him. In the beginning we would go just for short walks, so that he can get acquainted with the area and the fact that he is walking on a leash. Eventually, we started walking further, and further. But I always took those walks one step at a time. One day we would walk for 20 minutes, the next for 25 and so on.

Now that he is 3 years old, I am trying to walk with him for about a mile. In the winter I don’t take him walking, because it’s too cold, and besides I don’t even want to go for a walk let alone the dog. But when spring comes and the weather becomes warmer, we start walking slowly in the beginning, and gradually we walk a little further. When it’s too hot outside I still don’t take him for walks because he starts panting and I don’t want to overexert him.

Last Tuesday was a perfect day for a walk. The sun was shining there was a slight breeze and the temperature was in the high 60’s, low 70’s. It was a perfect day for a walk. The last time we went walking was a week before that and we walked for almost a mile. After about a week I thought that he would be ready for another long walk.

We didn’t even walk half a mile and he put his brakes on. Of course, during the course of this short walk, he stopped, sniffed every bush, every wild flower and every tree trunk in his way. I tried to pull him from the leash to go on, but he turned around and started walking back, pulling me with the leash. As if telling me “That’s enough, I want to go back home.” Finally, I gave in, since I saw that he was panting and his tongue was hanging out. I even picked him up and carried him half the way back. He weighs about 16 pounds. While I was carrying him he was very quiet and content. He didn’t even make a move showing that he might want to get off my arms, or show that he is uncomfortable.

We finally arrived home and as soon as he saw our house he started running towards the front yard. He didn’t even stop. He ran straight where the garage door is and waited for me to open it so that he can go inside. Once inside the house he went straight into his drinking bowl, drank as much water as he could handle, which within minutes he brought up (shih tzus are quite aggressive when it comes to drinking water and eating the foods they like, so it’s a good idea to give them everything in small portions), and then he plopped himself on the floor, all sprawled out to rest. I guess that was it for the walk of the week.

When I take my little Napster for walks, it usually takes him a couple of days to recover. He will sleep for the rest of the day and night, and will even feel tired the next day. As much as I like to take him for walks and keep him exercised I don’t overdo it with him, because I know how tired he gets.

The funny thing about this little guy is that he thinks he is human. He didn’t want to go any further and that was it. He stopped and started walking back. He definitely knows what he wants and likes. I tell the story to my friends and laugh about it, (it’s like having a child and brag about something they have done), but I am amazed at how smart they are. I read a lot about shih tzus and what fast learners they are, but I never thought that they would be this smart.

I am glad to have him as a company and laughable companion. Pretty soon I think he will start talking to me. (Really!).

Nappy – The Shih Tzu version of Lawrence of Arabia

“It is so warm and sunny here. I can walk on the beach without my leash. I can run up and down, back and forth to my mama and papa. I feel free. I am going for a walk every day, I play outside every day, and I get treats just for doing that. This is so much fun. If I feel warm, I can just run in the water and get cool. This water tastes kind of funny though. It makes me thirsty after I drink some. But it cools me off when I wet my paws. Oooops that big wave came and almost took me all the way in. I am not going back in there. I am just going to run in the sand and stay close to my mama.”

Well, this is what I think Nappy (my little white shih tzu) thought of our trip to Gulf Shores Alabama, last month.

This was the second time that we took Nappy on a road trip with us. When the day comes that we prepare for the trip, you know that he knows something is up. He is looking at us, as if telling us, that we had better not leave without him. If he could talk and think he would tell us what to take with us for him to play, or better yet, he would be getting his own suitcase ready for the trip. When the morning of the trip came, and saw our suitcases piled by the back door, he knew something was going on. But when we put his harness and his leash on, he was literally jumping up and down from joy. We couldn’t hold him back in the house to get the rest of our stuff before all three of us piled in the car. He was so excited and happy. He rushed to do his business, and ran back to the car, not the passenger side door, but the back door of the car where we usually let him sit when we take him for rides. I find it amazing of how much, just a little dog, can absorb after being with us for almost three years.

From what I have heard from other dog owners, some dogs have a hard time when they are traveling. That is not the case with Nappy. He is quite the traveling dog. He adjusts quite easily being in the car for hours. He sleeps most of the time during the trip. He might wake up and stand up on his hind legs to look out the window, just to see what’s going on, how come we slowed down, and why we disturbed his sleep, but then he will curl up at the corner of the back seat and fall asleep. Other times he will just lay on the seat and stare straight at us, knowing that we are in front of him; as if making sure that we are not going anywhere without him. Of course, these road trips are quite a treat for him, because he eats quite well.

Since he was a puppy, I gave him boiled chicken breast, per the vet’s instructions, so that he can grow strong. Ever since, he loves chicken. Therefore, when I cook it for us, I will cook a piece of chicken breast for him also. On this road trip, I made sure that I cooked some chicken, chopped it up in tiny little pieces, put them in ziplog bags, and kept them in the cooler. When we would stop and eat ourselves, I would take a bag, pour the chicken contents in his bowl and he will be in his glory. This way I knew that he would be eating something, since I noticed that he wouldn’t eat his regular dog food on a road trip at other times. Even though dog experts say not to feed your dog if you are going for long trips, just in case they get motion sickness, I decided against it. I felt more comfortable by giving him something. Of course, I made sure that he also drank plenty of water, and spent about half hour after his meal with a nice long walk so that he can digest and do his business.

When we first arrived at the condo, we weren’t sure how he would react to the beach and the new environment. He walked in every room, sniffed every corner, and then settled on the couch. The complex we were staying, allowed small dogs only, and since the owner of the condo had a small dog, we felt more comfortable being there with Nappy.

From the moment we took him for a walk on the beach, I knew he was in his glory. I noticed how much he loved the beach, the freedom he had to run without his leash. I saw him smiling, if dogs do actually smile, running back and forth, ahead of me, behind me, getting wet in the water, sampling it, sneezing and looking surprised as if wondering why it tasted funny. He made sure though that he stayed close to us. In the beginning, we were afraid to let him run without his leash, thinking that he might run away. But he didn’t. He ran just far enough, making sure that he can still see us. Like a toddler, staying close to his parents.

We spent a week in Gulf Shores, and I knew that Nappy missed the beach when we came back. If it was meant to be a vacation for us, it was definitely a vacation for Nappy. Ahh, it’s a dog’s life. In my next life, I want to come back as a shih tzu.

Just a note: In some of the pictures, you will notice that he has squatted down on the sand. That’s when he reminded me of the camels in the movie “Lawrence of Arabia,” thus the title of this article.

It's so cold outside....

It’s so cold outside…..

Since the beginning of January, the Midwest has been hit with quite a few snow storms. And not just snow storms, freezing temperatures and cold winds, way below normal. It is difficult for humans to deal with the cold let alone animals and pets. Sometimes I wonder how the animals that are not house bound live in this cold weather. Do they survive, or just simply do the best they can and if the freeze to death, then that’s life, animal life that is.

I noticed how difficult it is for animals to live in this cold climate when my little white shih tzu just stepped out on the deck, in the piles and piles of snow to do his business. It didn’t take long for him to lift his one paw and hold it up, and then the other, alternatively, because it was so cold on his bare feet. He came in the house as quickly as possible (actually, I don’t think he completely do his business, just enough to be comfortable), limping. I felt so sorry for him. I didn’t know how to warm up his tiny little paws. Basically, it’s like us walking on the snow without any protection. I picked him up and tried to dry his paws and warm them up. Then I remembered that I had picked up some paw socks last year, that he didn’t really need them, since last winter was a lot milder. I put them on him, and to my surprise he kept them on. He didn’t try to pull them off his paws like he’s done before. Obviously, he needed them.

For the rest of the day, he just laid low, lying on the couch and sleeping. I realized how harsh it must have been for him to go outside. He must have really felt the bitter cold.

For those who have a pet and live in as cold a climate as the Midwest, it is very important to keep them warm. It is always safer to dress them with a warm sweater or jacket and put booties on them, if you are planning in taking them for a walk. It doesn’t matter that they have a fur. The fur that they have is actually their skin, and it won’t keep them as warm. It will be like us going out with just a wool sweater on. I prefer not to take my dog for walks in the winter. It is very cold for me to be out there, and I figure it is as cold for my dog. So I keep him in the house, warm, and when I go out, I try to stay warm, so that I can come back to my little sweet shih tzu as quickly as I can.

Why do Shih Tzu's hate water?

I have a shih tzu myself. Giving a shih tzu a bath is like giving a baby a bath. First of all, you have to fill up the tub, either a laundry or a bathtub with water. But not too much since all small dogs are afraid of water. I fill it up enough to cover his paws, so that they will clean. My little shih tzu doesn’t run away when I put him in the tub. However, he does run away from me when he realizes that I am in the process of giving him a bath.

When he is in the tub, he will stay quietly until I finish his bath. Of course, you have to work on a fast mode, because towards the end of the bath the shih tzu will become uneasy. The longer you leave him in the water the more uncomfortable he will become and he will want to get out. By filling the tub with a little bit of water, you will be able to clean his paws without much effort. As you progress to finish his bath, let the water out of the tub and he will feel more comfortable. Shih tzus, as with any small dogs, don’t like being in a tub full of water. What can you expect from a little guy like that? Of course, he will be afraid of the water.

Yet, when we take him with us to the boat in the summer, he is the first one to go into the lake. He is not afraid of that water. He will dog pedal as if he was born with it. And they actually are. It’s inbred in them of how to dog pedal. The first time I saw him do it, I was amazed. I thought that it was something that dogs learn as you get them familiar with water. But no. As soon as we put him in the water, he started dog pedaling and he didn’t seem afraid at all.

Actually, I don’t think that shih tzus are afraid of the water. Maybe in the beginning of a bath, but not as long as they are used to it. They don’t like getting wet when it’s raining. Whenever it’s raining and he has to go out to do his business, he does it so quickly, that he runs back in the house. However, he loves the snow. He will run in the snow and will not come inside, unless I pretend that I am closing the door. The other day we had a few inches of snow, and he was outside playing. When he came inside, he had snow caked onto his paws and under his belly, that I had to use hot water to melt it down. He didn’t seem to mind.

I don’t think shih tzus are afraid of the water. If you bathe them often, once a week, they will not be afraid of taking a bath either, or going to the groomer.

Winning a Trophy

It had been almost a year since we got our little shih tzu. He was fully trained but he still had the puppy aggressiveness that some of the little dogs have. At night, as we would sit down to watch TV, he would start to nip at us, because we didn’t pay any attention to him. We tried everything to make him stop. Nothing worked.

As the days went by, I received the local adult education magazine and noticed that they were offering a training class for dogs from 6 to 12 months old. I decided that it would be a good idea to take him to this class. So I went on ahead and registered him.

The first day came when I had to take him to the school for the training. The class was held in the gym of the school. The first day that we got there, he basically, jumped up into my arms and was afraid to go into the gym. There were a lot of other dogs there, small, medium and large. Little Nappy was quite afraid being there. The instructor told me that I am not supposed to hold him in my arms during the training class. So I put him down on the floor, but he didn’t’ leave my side. He was practically trembling from fear.

We started the exercises and he was doing well. In the beginning, of course, he wouldn’t do all the exercises and he would put his front paws up on my legs for me to pick him up. The instructors helped me along, and eventually, he started to obey and did all the exercises. Of course, he was always afraid of the other dogs, and if any of them came close to him, he would hide behind my legs.

On the second to last day of the class, we had to do a little exercise, in which the dog that would do it first would get a trophy. We had practiced this exercise in the previous classes but with a leash. This time it would be without the leash. We had to walk around the gym with the leash over our shoulders, tied to the dog, but we were not supposed to pull on it or show any type of discipline through the leash. As soon as the instructor shouted “STOP” the first dog that would sit on his behind, without any pull from the leash, would be the winner. So, we went around the gym and as soon as the instructor shouted “STOP” little Nappy put his behind on the floor and sat. I was looking around to see which of the dogs sat down first, when I heard the instructor to say that we had a winner and she pointed at my little Nappy. I was flabbergasted. I didn’t expect him to do it. I never thought that he would get a trophy.

All excited, I picked up his trophy at the end of the class, went home and happily I announced the good news to my husband. Our little Nappy was an obedient and well trained dog.

Since the last class was close to Halloween, I ended up dressing him up as a Super dog and took his picture with his trophy on his side.

Nappy, the Conehead

Nappy was almost 4 months old when we had to take him to the vet to be neutered. It is very difficult for Shih Tzu’s to give birth to puppies. It is better to have them fixed. Their bodies are so small, that any pregnancy will tire the mother and it’s not certain that all the puppies will survive.

Since we heard about these complications, we did not want to be the ones to contribute to this affliction. We arranged with our vet to have our little shih tzu neutered. The day came when we took him and left him with our vet overnight. Even though we only had him for a few weeks, the night seemed endless. We missed having him home running around us with his tiny little feet. The next day even seemed longer. I couldn’t wait to receive that phone call from the vet so that I could go to pick him up.

At last, around 4:00pm I received that call. I anxiously got into my car and drove as fast as I could to get there. He was already awake and ready to come home with me. He circled around me, until I picked him up in my arms. The vet asked me to leave the cone on his neck, just in case he licked his wound. I thought I’d better leave it off. I didn’t expect that my little Nappy would lick his wound. I treated him like human even though he was still a puppy and a dog, to top it all off. Well, not having the cone on, didn’t help. I had to put it back on, since every chance he got he would lick his wound and it would bleed.

We left the cone on for about two weeks. We had to feed him by hand. His face is so flat and the cone was so wide, he couldn’t put his nose in his bowl to get his food. He healed quite nicely, and a couple of weeks later we removed the cone. He grew attached to it though, and wanted to keep it with him at all times. Gradually, I took it away from him and hid it, afraid that he might bite it and swallow some of the plastic pieces.

The days and the months went by and he forgot all about his little ordeal as any dog would. He is still as active as any puppy or any two year old dog would be even though he is neutered. But we don’t mind. We like having him running around and playing with us. When he doesn’t we think there is something wrong with him.

Nappy 3 months old

When I retired and thought of getting a dog, I was apprehensive of what type to get. It was definitely going to be a small dog. More like a lap dog. Having a small dog is much easier to handle than a big one. Of course, the dog had to be hypoallergenic due to my allergies. I looked on the internet and at breeders, saw pictures of little dogs, read on their breed and characteristics, but I was still confused of what kind to get.

A couple of months later, I found myself in a pet store looking at puppies. All the puppies were cute. I couldn’t decide which one to get, until the pet storeowner brought out a tiny little white Shih Tzu. I was immediately captivated by his big black eyes and white fur. There was no other puppy in the world that I was going to look at, other than him. I picked him up and he sat on my arms looking at me with those big eyes, as if he was begging me to take him with me. I didn’t need anyone to twist my arm. I brought him home that same day.

Even though he was terrified when I brought him home, he came out of his hiding place, he sat under the chair as soon as we walked in, and as the day progressed, he started to explore.

He was the most adorable little pup that I had ever seen. He was obedient, and didn’t leave our side. As the night rolled in, I put him in his little cage, and he went in without any hesitation.

It has been two years since the day I brought him home. He is two years old now, and I think he will start to talk pretty soon (joking of course, but he does give the impression that he will). He is my companion, and I love him to pieces.

I have many more stories to tell you. So come back soon, and the stories of the little white Shih Tzu will please you, amaze you, and make you laugh.