“My Lily Bear”

I wanted to share my story of my baby Shih-tzu, Lily. She’s over a year and a half old, but she’s still my baby! My husband and I got her on Valentine’s Day in 2005, and she was born 3 days after my birthday in December 2004. My Mother passed away at age 50 in December 2004, 2 days before my birthday. I was totally devastated. She had been ill for a while, but I don’t believe that ever makes it any easier. My husband and I had been talking about getting a dog for some time. So one night I was sitting outside thinking of my sweet Mother, trying to convince myself that she was still with me, and I said aloud, “Mom, please help my find the perfect doggy for me.” Well my husband and I searched the internet and the newspapers for a good breeder of Shih-tzus, the breed we wanted. Finally, we found a breeder about 2 hours from our home, and I knew we were meant to be friends the minute I saw her picture! When I found out she was born 3 days after my birthday, I felt as if my Mom really had helped me find my new little companion! We decided on the name Lily because my Mother and I shared a love for the flower, and I would often bring bouquets of them to her when she was ill. We put down the deposit and about a month later, we picked up our new, tiny, furry baby! She was so cute, I held her in a towel on my lap on the ride home, and her little tounge was curling upward when she panted! I spent every spare moment with her, teaching her and playing with her, and my sister even helped me by coming over at lunch time to take her out so she could be on a routine. I’m not sure how the nickname “Lily Bear” caught on, but that’s what I call her when I baby-talk to her. Well, needless to say she did wonders for the depression I was feeling after my Mother’s death - she still helps with hard times. It is very difficult to function when you are grieving - it’s difficult for everyone. Lily was always there to kiss away my tears when I mourned this great loss, always there to learn and help me learn - and she is there every day, doing her silly little happy dance when I get home! She really is my baby, my friend, my companion. My sweet little Lily Bear. Aimee R

‘Hero Dog’

OK, here’s my story of Faelan, my ShiTzu who saved my grand mom, maybe. We were down the shore in south Jersey for the weekend and my grand mom was visiting from Florida. Everyone had gone down to the beach except for my grand mom who stayed home to read a book in the cool house. At some point she tried to walk outside onto the deck. Well, the sliding doors we had never worked real well in the salt air, so when she attempted to open it, it fell off the track and onto her. She did not fall over, but was stuck trying to hold the door up while getting it back onto the track. Meanwhile, no one was around to help. A short while later my dad came back from the beach to check on his mom, my grand mother. As he was walking up to the house he could hear Faelan barking like crazy. At first he didn’t think anything of it. This is his usual greeting when someone he knows comes home. Then when my dad tried to let Faelan outside he wouldn’t go. This was extremely unusual, as Faelan loves to be outside. My dad then leaned over and tried to pick Faelan up, no luck. He just backed up and kept on barking. As my dad got closer to Faelan, he would keep backing up. Finally Faelan ran up the stairs and kept barking at the top of the stairwell. My dad finally realized Faelan was trying to show him something and when my dad got up the stairs, Faelan ran right over to my grand mom and still continued his barking. My dad ran over and lifted the door off of my grandmother who ended up being fine, thankfully. My dad was so amazed as to how smart the dog was to know that my grand mom was in trouble. I am still very amazed at this story, knowing that my dog is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Faelan may not have saved my grand moms life, but for all we know, he may have. That is the story of my ‘Hero Dog’. It is funny to hear my dad tell this story because he is so proud of the little fuzz ball, and so is my entire family. Not to mention how in love with him my grand mom now is. Thanks for all you do Ray, -Brian J

Pure Love

My title is”PURE LOVE” his breed is 2 parts shih-tzu and 1 part shih-tzu/maltese terrier, and is the most precious thing in my life. I lost my darling wife nearly 4 years ago and my heart still breaks every time I think of her. My little friends name is” CHAMP” he is a male, still all intact for the purpose of possibly breeding with him later on. This little dog has actually made me realise that life must go on, so i put a lot of time in with him, we walk around 1.5 klm every morning, and when we come home he get a full brushout and blow dry with a blow dryer every morning and then has his breakfast, all this before i do anything for myself, so you can see he is not half spoilt. This little dog {my best friend] has given me another reason to continue on with my life as I am 68 years old and I include my little mate in absolutely everything I do, he just extrudes love and believe me we are the best of mates, thank God I have him. I am enclosing a photograph of him and you will why I love him so much. Best regards Brian.

Sofie

well i got my little dog home from a pet store she was 9 weeks old had a few proplems with her she was verry small and she had alergy so she was put on special dog food now she 9 months old she a shitzu her name is sofie she my life i love her as i would love a kid she is verry clean she also wears dog clothes she listen when my huppy talkes on the phone to her then she likes the phone lol she loves people verry friendly dog well behaved too she likes to dance and sid up for a treat i spend alots of money for vet bill cost me so far 2500 but she was worth it she love to sleep with me sometime she gets verry stubborn too if she does not want to do anythink for you i want to thank you for your imformation when i needed it to train her i hope this helps you rose adams