Category Archives: Polka Dottie’s Domain

Shih Tzu Special Day: Dottie’s 7th Birthday

Posted on by
4

Dottie Shih Tzu’s 7th birthday

I am happy to say that Dottie celebrated her second birthday party at her forever home today! She is now 7 years old. We did things a little differently than we did last year.

Remembering last year’s Shih Tzu birthday party

Dottie Shih Tzu with crown and treatsFor Dottie’s first birthday with us, two and a half months after she and her half sisters came to live with us, I dressed Dottie, Candy, and Flower up (Nigel hadn’t come to live with us yet). I was trying to get Dottie used to riding in the car, so I took her with me down the street to get a cheeseburger and fries for the shih tzus to shake. She shook the entire time. 

How things have changed in Shih Tzu Land

Candy Shih Tzu with Treat and CrownLooking back, I am happy to say that things are quite a bit different! Yes, Dottie sometimes still does shake in the car, but all of the dogs are used to going on car rides, because of our frequent trips to the park. Also, they are now all used to walking on a leash!

Majestic View Park

Flower Shih Tzu with treat and crownI don’t like to take all four shih tzus for walks without John, because they are a handful, but since it was Dottie’s birthday, I attempted it. I also wanted to make it more special than behind Wal-Mart, where we normally walk on weekdays, so I decided to take them for a walk at Majestic View Park, our normal Sunday morning routine.

First off, I got down their leash and harness box and Dottie, Nigel, and Flower got excited, as usual — but there harnesses weren’t in it! I searched all over the house, and finally found them in the spare bedroom. I must have gone up there to get something with the harnesses in my hand and absentmindedly set them down on the bed. Once I got the harnesses on them, I fixed the flex leashes for Nigel, Flower, and Candy so that they wouldn’t extend all the way, which, hopefully, would help me control them. 

Flower, Nigel, and Dottie all followed me out to the car in the garage, but Candy hesitated in the hall, as usual. I picked them all up and put them in the back of the Focus, and then came back in for Candy. I put the birthday girl in the place of honor in the front seat, on a new furry blanket I got her.

Nige Shih Tzu in birthday crown.When we got to the park, I put Nigel’s leash on him and let him out my door, although I try to normally let them out the hatch. Then, I carefully let Flower down (the last time we went to the park she jumped out before we could get the leash on her!), put Candy’s leash on her and let her down, and then picked Dottie up and set her on the ground.

I know that the sign in the park says that all dogs need to be on leashes, and technically, Dottie is always on a leash. It’s just not always in my hand! She is so good that when no one is close, I let her walk herself, next to me. I also let Candy walk herself usually, because she is very good and stays close to me. 

We did okay for the first few minutes, but once I let out their flex leashes, Flower and Nigel started weaving back and forth, and I spent more time untangling them and me than walking. We stopped at a bench and I got out the treats I made for Dottie: chicken and sweet potato, chicken and apple, and chicken and banana (I still haven’t perfected the banana treats). Nigel stole the first treat I put down for Dottie and one I put down for Candy, so he got scolded. I brought along the three birthday tiaras I had from the last birthday, and the shih tzus took turns wearing them.

A few people we saw commented that I was brave to walk four dogs, and I agreed! I told them I normally wouldn’t attempt it but it was a special day. 

Mother-daughter birthday date

Dottie Shih Tzu in her new birthday dress.When we  came home, I settled the other shih tzus in, and then took Dottie back out to the car with me for our “mother-daughter” date. She sat in the front seat with me for about three-quarters of the way, not shaking at all, and then climbed into the back.
Our destination was Muttz, a pet store where I bought the shih tzus Big Bark “steer sticks” (pizzles — translate “penises”) several months back. I called before we left to make sure they had some in stock. The woman told me they were having difficulty getting in the large bag I bought before but that they had a one-pound bag of steer stick pieces, which sounded better for the shih tzus than the larger ones anyway.  

Dottie obediently followed me into the store and stood next to me while I looked at jerky and other treats. When the clerk came to say hello, however, Dottie started shaking. I explained that she came from a puppy mill and still wasn’t very good with people. 

I bought the steer stick pieces and a piece of duck jerky for Dottie, and when we were leaving, I spotted a blue flowered dress that was half off. I hadn’t been going to dress Dottie or the others up this year, because I know I like it more than they do, but it was so cute that I had to try it on Dottie. I ended up buying it. The clerk asked if it was Dottie’s first time in the store, and I said yes. She said she could get a free toy, and I told her that was great since it was Dottie’s birthday. I picked out a stuffed star to go with the yellow flowers in Dottie’s dress.

On the way home, I decided to buy a cheeseburger and small fries for the shih tzus (and me) to share. I took them all out on the porch and put a small piece of hamburger and fries in each of their food bowls. 

 

 

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 113: Male Shih Tzus are Silly!

Posted on by
Reply

the trouble with male shih tzus

three shih tzus playingHello everyone! Mom says we need to start writing more, so I volunteered to write today. I volunteered because I have a subject to discuss: male shih tzus! I just don’t understand the one that lives here. He seems so different than us. First, he is very little — even smaller than Candy. Also, he has large, funny looking feet! And sometimes he smells!

three shih tzus playingthree shih tzus playing.Beyond that, though, he can be kind of mean sometimes. Even though he is a little bratty, Mom says I am older and I need to be nice to Nigel, but sometimes it is very hard. Not everyone at our house thinks Nigel is a brat. I think the Treat Man really likes him, because Nigel sits on his lap a lot and I always hear him say that Nigel is really cute. Well, to be fair, he says I am cute, too, but it doesn’t really matter to me. I only care what Mom thinks. Mom told me the other day that she did think Nigel was cute, but not as cute as us girl shih tzus! That makes us happy.

I guess Candy doesn’t have a problem with male shih tzus, because I think she likes Nigel. She spends a lot of time playing with him. So does Flower. Not me. He is very rough, so that makes me wonder if all male shih tzus are like that. He bites my tail and my face and my ears. He bites everything, I guess! Not gentle bites, either.

Today we were sitting in our dog beds minding our own business and Nigel came and started snooping around to see what he could steal. Soon, him, Candy and Flower were raising a ruckus. I guess Nigel started it, because I heard Mom say, “Nigel!! Get out of there!” It was very loud. I was afraid she was mad at all of us. She apologized afterwards. That happens a lot. One day Nigel got yelled at for something I did. It was funny. Candy and I were playing, Candy yelped, and Mom said “Nigel! Stop it!” Then she said “Oops,” when she realized Nigel wasn’t even near us. She apologized to him.

Nigel sure likes to bark. Well, Candy barks a lot at cats that get in the yard, and Flower does too, and sometimes I even do. Also, we bark and bark until Mom gets up in the morning, but beyond that, we are pretty quiet. Not Nigel. He is a loud mouth! He barks when he doesn’t get his way. He does this thing, where he goes, “Woo, woo, woo.” It sounds funny. Maybe all male shih tzus have funny barks. He snorts and he sighs a lot too. And he sneezes when he gets agitated; he sneezes on me and Flower and Candy and even Mom and the Treat Man. I guess that’s kind of funny. Girl shih tzus don’t do that.

I heard Mom tell the Treat Man that she needs to go to a dog training class and that she should take Nigel. She said she doesn’t know what to do about him, because when he is bad and she tries to talk to him in a normal voice, he ignores her. I agree that he is a bratty shih tzu and needs training! He especially needs training not to bite my tail when I try to get up on the coach to see Mom. That is very rude! Oh, I hear him again, right now, outside, going, “woo, woo, woo.” Male shih tzus are so silly.

my pony Candy

I’d better stop talking about Nigel, because Mom said to talk about my day. Well, there isn’t much to say. I usually just sit by Mom and watch the other shih tzus play, but sometimes I join in. For instance, today Candy and Nigel and Flower were running around being silly, so I went to play with them. I like to pretend Candy is my pony. Mom always laughs when I try to ride her. She says it just doesn’t look quite right, whatever that means. but Flower rides her sometimes too. And sometimes Flower is Candy’s pony.

Oh no! I guess I have to hurry up and end this. The Treat Man must have arrived, because my sisters and Nigel are barking their heads off. We’ll soon be going out on the porch for something yummy!

Shih Tzu Day 65: Shih Tzus All Alone

Posted on by
Reply

Mom’s up!

When Flower and I went to wake up Mom this morning, a little before 6 a.m., she didn’t make us wait too long before she got up. My shih tzu sisters and I thought that was a very good sign. We followed her downstairs, and Dottie was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for us to join in our dance with her.

Why does the Treat Man and Mom think it's so cute when Candy jumps for treats?

We danced and danced and danced, grabbing Mom’s hands in our teeth playfully. Flower and I can’t help it, because we’re bigger, but we knocked Candy over a few times. Oops. She got back up and got back in the game okay.

Mom gave us our food, and then she didn’t sit back down on the couch with me right away. She was cleaning up in the kitchen and then she took a shower. When she came back downstairs, it looked like she was dressed to go somewhere. However, she sat down on the couch for a while, typing on the computer. Flower jumped up and sat with us for awhile. Usually, Mom takes the time to pet us shih tzus a lot. She did pet us, but not very much.

A <strong srcset=shih tzu on a couch.” width=”300″ height=”225″ />shih tzus home alone 

A little later, I heard Mom tell the Treat Man that she had to drive across town to meet with this man, because she is editing his life story and she had to go over things with him. She also said that she had to learn to balance her career with her life as shih tzu Mama. Sigh. I knew what the conversation meant: no telling how long she would be gone.

Mom left when the Treat Man left, telling us good-bye and kissing us on the head before she walked out the door. At first, it was fun. We ran around looking to see if she’d left any food where we could reach it. When we didn’t find any, we went upstairs to investigate Mom and the Treat Man’s bedroom. That wasn’t much fun, so we came back downstairs. Finally, we just got in our dog beds at Shih Tzu Central and took a nap.

Three shih tzus on a dog bed.Mom comes home

Mom finally came home eight hours later! We were really happy to see her, but we weren’t happy that she had been gone so long. She took us out for a treat, and then she rushed inside and started making dinner for her and the Treat Man. Speaking of the Treat Man, if I am right, I think he will be home soon. Candy gets excited when he comes home, but Flower barks like crazy, acting as if she had never met him, so I never know what to do. I usually start barking too, and then Mom says, “You silly shih tzus! That’s your Daddy! Why do you still do that?” Is the Treat Man our Daddy?

 

Shih Tzu Day 41: Gentle Grooming, My Paw!

Posted on by
Reply

What’s Up With Shiloh?

I'm glad Mom hasn't been making me wear a harness or leash!Be patient, please, because Mom is still teaching me how to talk about my thoughts. First off, I don’t know what was going on with that dog named Shiloh that has been staying here. He usually sleeps with Mom and that man Mom says we should call Dad. Well, maybe Father.

Anyway, last night, Mom said Shiloh couldn’t sleep in their bed. Someone told her that Shiloh probably thinks he’s the Boss — I think they call it a Pack Leader — because he sleeps in their bed. I don’t know what that means. Oh well.

I do know that when they put Shiloh in his kennel, across the room from us, he moaned and barked. Big baby. They put him in the basement and he made so much noise that they moved him into their room, and just had him sleep in his kennel. Flower and I were happy about that, because when we went to wake up Mom, he didn’t jump off the bed and interrupt us, trying to get her attention too. In fact, he didn’t get out of the kennel until Father let him out at 7:30, so we had two hours with Mom without either of them.

I’m not sure why, but Flower didn’t bark when Father came downstairs. She usually does.

Mom is still making us walk around wearing a harness and sometimes she makes us drag a leash behind us. We don’t know why. We think it’s silly though.

Strange Place

I don't think Mom knows what she's doing!Mom took me on another car trip. But I wasn’t the only one. She picked up Candy and Flower and put them in kennels in the back of the Jeep. I got to sit in the front with Mom because I’m a good dog. When we got to where we were going, Mom took me inside. It kind of looked like where we used to live a long time ago. There were some dogs in kennels against the wall. Mom put me in one of the kennels and went out to get my sisters.

Do you think it's too short?When they came in, she talked to a strange lady for a while. Then, they picked me up and put me on a tall table. She told Mom she was going to teach her how to groom us. She said the first thing was to “rough us in.” That sounded like a bad thing to me. Well, Mom read the sign to me and it said “Gentle Groomer,” and as far as I know, rough is the opposite of gentle!

The lady, whose name was Lia, used those loud things on me; I think they are called clippers. I stood there quietly and watched as my fur fell off. She gave the clippers to Mom, but Mom couldn’t figure out how to hold them. It sounds like Mom wants to be able to groom us, so we don’t have to go to strange groomers. I guess I don’t care either way, because I’m braver than my sisters, but I know Flower and Candy probably do.

Don't say a word, Candy! At least I'm not dragging that thing around.My sisters sat in the kennel and watched them use me as a “guinea dog,” as Mom says. When we left, Lia told Mom that she had homework. She said she had to use the clippers on Flower and Candy, and that she especially had to clip their face and paws. She also said she wanted her to work on the “anal area,” whatever that means. She also told Mom I had leaky “anal glands” and that she should feed me pumpkin. That doesn’t sound good!

When we got home, Mom wasn’t good. She couldn’t figure out how to show Dad the video of the lesson, so he couldn’t help her with the homework. I heard her tell Dad that she really wants him to groom us; she just wants to help. She thinks he’d be better at it. I don’t know what I think about that. Candy and Flower probably won’t let him touch them with those loud things though!

 

 

Shih Tzu Day 27: McDonald’s — I’m Lovin’ It — But Not in the Car | McDonald’s.

Posted on by
Reply

Attempting Lunch Out at McDonald’s

McDonald'sMcDonald’s and got a small cheeseburger and french fries to try to share with Dottie. She wouldn’t eat either.

When I took her home, I was still in the mood to experiment, so I lured Flower to me and put the harness on her. Dottie had been the dog who shook violently when they first came to live here, so I thought she would be worse in the car, but Flower handled it worse. Of course, we know what Flower does when she is scared. She doesn’t shake; she poops.

I wonder if Mom knows she dropped these yummy fries.I grabbed a towel to take with me, just in case, and I was glad I had it under her when I sat down in the driver’s seat. It only took a second for her fear to manifest itself. I tried to soothe her, knowing that the drive to McDonald’s was only two minutes. It was a very long two minutes. First, she wanted to sit on my lap, instead of in the passenger seat. I successfully got her back in the seat, but then she frantically tried to jump into the backseat, for some reason. I guess I know why some people only take their pets in the car with them in a kennel. I’m sure more than one person has wrecked the car trying to keep their canine out of danger.

It’s McDonald’s, Flower!

After I had ordered two cheeseburgers and fries, to split four ways, I pulled over and told Flower that we were going to have a nice lunch together. I thought of what Leah had said: bark commands, growl warnings and chirp praise. I assumed that if I chirped, Flower would know every thing was okay. So I chirped: “See Flower. McDonald’s. Doesn’t it look yummy. Yes, Flower. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. It’s McDonald’s! You’ll love McDonald’s.”

But, like Dottie, Flower was too scared to even sniff the burger or fries. I finally gave up and started the car. Back at the house, I herded all the dogs out to the porch and rattled the bag. Dottie had recovered from her earlier trip, and headed my way, wagging her tail. It only took Flower a few minutes to decide that the horrible ordeal was over, so she approached me too.

Dottie, Candy and Shiloh eagerly took bites of the McDonald’s hamburger. Shiloh gulped down a few fries, while Dottie and Candy timidly took some from my hand. At first, Flower would only eat the fries once I dropped them on the ground, but she soon began taking them from my hand.

After all the excitement of the day, I decided that I wanted to take a short nap. I picked up Dottie and took her upstairs with me. Barbara had said Dottie sometimes slept with them, but I was still waiting for Dottie to make that step with us. My theory is that it could be threatening, since the bed is tall. Shiloh can jump up on it, but I know the shih tzus wouldn’t be able to do that. Also, she had been with Barbara for five months, and she has only been with us for nearly one. Dottie did lay down with me while I napped, but I don’t know if she slept.

Flower Returns to Normal

I was happy to see Flower returning to normal after her trip. She came across paper John had wadded up, which had landed on the floor, and she gleefully carried it off to the corner, so she could chew on it. When she got tired of that, she did some power chewing on the pacifier Mom bought her.

Candy, the Escape Artist

I think I have figured out at least one reason why Candy likes lying next to the couch, on the hard floor, instead of in a dog bed. I moved the couch back out from the wall, and it is an easy way to escape unwanted attention. I moved it back, to make her a little more sociable.

Later, I picked her up and held her for several minutes, without her fighting. However, she did jump down as soon as I sat her on the couch. She was in a playful mood this afternoon, tussling with the Kong teddy bear.

If I ever had any doubt about these shih tzus — and I did — I don’t anymore. They have become such a big part in my life.