Tag Archives: bike path

Shih Tzu Prelude: Past, Present & Future?

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We were getting ready to do the work we need to do to get ready for the shih tzus when Kelsey and Todd, the newlyweds who live next door, came over. They brought us a bottle of wine for watering their plants while they were gone, and we ended up spending some time talking about their wedding and looking at pictures of the wedding and reception on Facebook.

We told them about finding Rosie on the bike path, returning her to her owner and our upcoming fostering and possible adoption of Candy, Flower and Dottie. I have to admit that I have some worries. Will these three shih tzus ever be as sweet, adorable and loving as Rosie had already become when she went back home — only two days after we found her?

Although John and I haven’t progressed as far on the home improvements as we need to, I wrote Delores to tell her we would be ready for inspection Thursday. I know July 4 is a scary time for dogs, so I am hoping they have a few days to settle in before the noise begins.

Delores said that a couple of people have called about Candy. That’s understandable. This little shih tzu has such a sweet face. When she told me that, though, I thought, “They haven’t met her, so they probably don’t know that they are in for some work.” Just hope it’s rewarding work!

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.