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.

I love running in the snow!!!

Nappy was no more than 6 months old when he experienced his first snowfall. When he realized that he could run and play in the snow, I couldn’t keep him inside the house.

It was one of those days that the snow hadn’t stopped falling, when Nappy went outside and started running in the snow. In the beginning, he would sniff it. Then he would stick his tongue out and taste it. When he realized that it was cool to the touch, he sniffed, pushed it with his flat nose, licked and ate the freshly fallen snow. When the snowflakes fell on him, he raised his head up towards the sky and with his eyes blinking, he just sat there and licked every little snowflake from his lips or as far as he could stretch his tongue on his face.

On such a day, I decided to let him outside, and since it was close to Christmas, I tied a red ribbon on him. He looked like a Christmas present. As soon as I opened up the door, he went outside on the deck and started to run around. I took my camera and took a few pictures of him. Not much longer afterward, he tired out, came inside and almost immediately he sprawled on the floor and fell asleep.

When summer rolls in, he forgets about the snow, and loves running on the grass. But as soon as the first snow falls, he is outside and with the first sniff, he starts licking the freshly fallen snowflakes.