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Shih Tzu Day 23: The ComfyControl Harness

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Who Do I Have to Wear This?

Hi, everyone. This is Dottie! That little dog that is visiting us is making trouble for us! He’s been prancing around, wagging his tail and eagerly greeting people. Now, because of him, Mom thinks we should be sociable! I sure don’t like this!

Mom picked me up and said, “Good girl, Dottie. You’ll be my little guinea dog, won’t you?” First off, I don’t know what a guinea dog is, but it doesn’t sound like something I want to be. Then, she picked up this thing (I think that color is RED, but I’m not sure), and she made me put my feet in it. After that, she did something behind me, so I couldn’t get it off.(I heard her tell someone it was an As Seen on TV ComfyControl Harness; I didn’t think it was comfy! I don’t like anything on me!)

The worst part was that she put another long, skinny thing on it, and when she sat me down on the floor, she pulled on it and tried to get me to walk, but I wouldn’t do it! I stood right there. She walked away, leaving me in the middle of the floor. I decided it was my chance to escape, and I wandered back to our corner.

When she turned around, she said, “Oh there you are.” Then, she took that dreadful thing off me. I thought I could just lay back down, but she picked me up and said, “Okay, then, I’ll just carry you.”

And Why Do I Have to Meet These People?

What happened next was mean. Mom carried me through that door she always leaves through and comes back through. There were lots of people in there, and they were laughing. That dog Mom calls Shiloh was there, and so was another little dog, even smaller than us.

Mom sat down and held me on my lap. People kept coming up, and some of them wanted to pet me. I let them, but I didn’t want to. I guess Mom felt me shaking, because she kept petting me (sometimes I kind of like it when she does it!) and telling me everything was okay. Finally, she told me to tell everyone goodbye and we went back inside.

I thought it was great when she picked up Candy and carried her towards the door! If I have to be sociable, she should have to be sociable too! I only wish she would have made Flower go. She petted her and said, “I won’t make you go, Flower, because I know you, and you’ll poop!” Sometimes I wish I pooped whenever someone picked me up!

It was kind of fun staying up past 2, though! We never stay up that late.

Shih Tzu Prelude: Puppy Mill Dogs Foster Home

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Foster Home Problems

When I discussed Candy, Flower and Dottie with Delores at BFF Rescue, she explained that the shih tzus had had trouble adjusting — Flower and Candy in particular. The 2-year-old shih tzus, in fact, had both gone to different foster homes, but they had come back to Barbara’s. The person who brought Candy back after only a day said she was worried because she wouldn’t eat. Flower was at her new foster home for a few days, but that person said she wouldn’t play with her dogs and wasn’t adjusting.

Delores’s daughter-in-law, Barbara, was fostering the three shih tzu half-sisters. Barbara had set up an exercise pen for the girls to give them a feeling of security while they adjusted. They were allowed to leave the pen, if they chose. However, only Dottie usually chose to do that. She seemed content at her foster home. Delores said she got along well with the other dogs at the foster home and with the cat. She also said that Dottie followed Barbara around the house, sometimes slept with her and her husband and often jumped up on the couch and sat between them while they watched TV.

Flower and Candy were happy to remain in their exercise pen. Early in the morning, Barbara’s husband would let them outside into a dog run to give them their morning exercise. They went through the garage to get to the run. Often, on the way back in, Candy would slip off into the garage to be by herself in hiding.

Pet Adoption Process

I told Delores I wanted to see the dogs, particularly Candy. She stressed that she was really hoping to place Candy and Flower in a home together. She said she thought Dottie would be okay on her own. I thought about it quickly and said I thought it was possible that we might take two dogs, even though we had only ever had one dog, and I didn’t know how difficult it would be to get used to two at a time.

Delores explained to me that I would need to fill out an animal adoption form before seeing the shih tzus. I filled it out and emailed it back to her after John got home from work and signed it. She gave me Barbara’s number to call her and arrange to see the shih tzus.

When I told John what Delores had told me about the dogs being puppy mill dogs, he was a little concerned. He told me that dogs from puppy mills often have lasting scars from the trauma. He warned me that they might never be like other dogs. I admit that what he said concerned me, but I insisted that I wanted to go see them. He said he would keep an open mind.

I called Barbara and arranged to visit with the shih tzus the next day.