A Call For Rescue

Today I got a call from Buffalo, NY of all places.  The lady told me about a Shih Tzu that needed to be rescued from the North Tonawanda, NY SPCA.  His name is Bandit and he is 9 years old.  If anyone is in the Buffalo, NY area and can find a place in their heart and home for this little guy - please either contact me or call the shelter directly.  I have put the word out as far and wide as I possibly can.  Being in AZ limits my abilities.

Where is this poor little guy's breeder?  This is the stuff that infuriates me. 

If you are breeding dogs for anything other than for yourself and improving the breed, you are breeding for the wrong reasons.  People that breed for an income stream, to fulfill a market - you are part of the problem.  You rank right up there with puppy mills in my opinion.  A couple of you visit this blog - you know who you are.  I'm not the bad guy just because I call you out on it either.  If you don't know - or care - about every puppy you've ever brought into this world - you are scum - in my humble opinion.  If you've let puppies or brood bitches die because you don't have the money for appropriate veterinary care, why are you breeding in the first place?  How can you look at yourself in the mirror? 

If you are in the Buffalo, NY area - there is a poor soul that needs you.  Please heed the call.

Disappointment

When you only plan on one litter every year, maybe two, each breeding is of monumental importance to the future of your breeding program.  Usually if you breed this infrequently, you have only a few brood bitches on which you've chosen to build your line and move forward.  You have taken care to keep or purchase only the best in your opinion and every breeding happens for a reason.  You may on occasion breed a bitch back-to-back (and recent studies I've done with reproduction specialists say it's not a taboo practice).  I still hate to do it, but will do so when cleared by my vet AND the situation warrants.

But here are two things you can take to the bank - if the bitch isn't REALLY ready she won't take and everything happens for a reason.

Suffice it to say that Sally believes Holly is not pregnant.  :(  We were very hopeful and all of the early signs were there.  But unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

If the bitch isn't ready - she won't take.

So what is the next move?  Hmmmm . . . interested readers will just have to wait and see.  But I can tell you this - I have a few possibilities that are VERY exciting.

Everything happens for a reason!

Stay tuned!  :)

Gimme a sign!

Week three since being bred and Holly has decided she won't eat her food without a little sumthin-sumthin on top - ground beef or chicken.

The picky eating phase of pregnancy maybe??

Stay tuned!

:)

My grooming 101

When people ask me how to keep a Shih Tzu in full coat, my answers are simple. Start with a well bred coat, brush daily and find products you like that enhance the coat texture and make your job easier.

I never lie about what I use and nothing I use is a secret. The fact of the matter is that anyone can keep a Shih Tzu in full coat - you just have to brush it. The products you use are a matter of personal preference. Put 10 Shih Tzu exhibitors in a room and I will bet you that you will get 10 different answers about what they use. Some of them will tell you the truth. :) What I have found though is that some products make life a lot easier than others. There are things to use for bathing, for staining, for damage repair, etc. Today I'm going to focus on bathing. Why? Because I just groomed out my two girls - Samantha and Sabrina - and they look FABULOUS. Too fabulous not to share.

The well-bred coat part of the formula is probably the most difficult part. I am lucky right now because I have some fabulous black & white coats to work with. They are strong, silky and forgiving. Staining is minimal and texture is to die for. These things make my job a LOT easier!

Here are my "secrets" that aren't really secrets. Ask anyone that knows me, they will tell you these are my tools of choice.

My favorite shampoo:


Best Shot Ultra Wash. Of course I follow with:


Best Shot Ultra Plenish Conditioner and:


Best Shot Ultra Vitalizing Mist.

And YES - all of these products have silicone in them! OH.MY.GOD. How can anyone use a silicone product?? It breaks coat! It dries coat!

Forget what you have read about silicone on Shih Tzu coat. Silicone today is engineered to be friendly to coat. This stuff ROCKS in my opinion. It leaves a finish that you just don't get with anything else. And believe me, in the past 12 years I have tried A LOT of product. I have used this stuff exclusively for the last 6 years. Judges lift up the coat on my dogs, feel it and several comment about the luxurious texture. The coats drop nicely from the body and the undercoat is extremely manageable. The coats stay cleaner, longer. The coats do not break. My dogs run the house, on tile, but their yard is crushed rock over hard packed AZ dirt. To say AZ is dusty is an understatement. And DRY. This climate is killer on everything. And this stuff is amazing.

I never strip the coats, I just do the same thing with each washing session. And I rinse COMPLETELY until the rinse water runs clear between both shampoo and conditioning.

After bathing I wrap the dog in a couple of towels and sit with them for a few minutes to soak up some of the water. Then I put them under the dryer. I use a tourmaline, ceramic, ionic blow dryer, 1800 watt on low heat and low speed. It is a model by Revlon which I bought at Wal-Mart. Yes it's for humans. I have a dryer holder I bought several years ago called a Hair Maid. That way both of my hands are free to work on the dog.

My brushes:

I call this my Mason Pierson knock off. I once spent the big bucks for a Mason Pierson brush. Loved it! LOST IT at a dog show. Or someone ripped it off. Whatever - it disappeared. So I sought out a knock off. You can buy this brush at Ulta. It is a pocket sized brush and costs about $17. I LOVE this brush. It works well on separating the spider webbing in undercoat without damaging it.

If I find some matting I will break it apart and work this brush thru it. If it is a stubborn mat, I will spray with the Ultra Vitalizing Mist and work it in then leave the mat to soak. I'll make my way back to the mat in question after a few minutes.

After I have worked thru any matting, I then go to:

My trusty Chris Christensen Fusion Brush. The handle is a dried ash and it is light as a feather. The bristles are brass plated with finished ends. This means two things - the brass plating eliminates static electricity. The finished ends are smooth and round. These two things eliminate coat breakage. I personally work with pocket sized brushes. I hate full size brushes in general. I find the smaller brush allows you to concentrate on getting a good blow out - nice and straight. And it forces you to get into all the nooks and crannies - to get out those mats that love to hide under arms and in back of ears.

I follow with a teflon coated Greyhound comb and then use a small slicker to ease out any pin mats that remain.

I work thru the entire coat, starting with the head first. I stop when the headpiece is dry and I band it. I have a couple of combs I use - mostly the full sized Greyhound mentioned above, but on the face I use an orange rat tail comb I found at Sally Beauty Supply. It's called a "bone" comb. Someone tried to tell me it was made of real bone, but it isn't - it's just orange plastic. But its gentle around the face and I find the rat tail easy enough to use to separate the topknot sections and the facial furnishings. If I want to get fine detail around the face, I use my small 5" greyhound, also teflon coated, that has one side that has teeth almost as close as a flea comb. It works well to get around the eyes and making sure there is no "gunk" left around the delicate eye area. I use lubricating eye drops on a cheesecloth type towel to go around the eyes if they need detail cleaning. And follow with the small Greyhound comb.

For more detail work, I have another rat tail comb with a metal tail. I use this for parts down the back mostly and not around the face.

Once thru with the head, I start on the body. I work from the front show-side paw and work from the bottom up, move to the back paw the same way and then the side coat on the show-side. Then I work the tail area and back skirt. Then move from back non-show-side paw to front non-show-side paw. Finally the chest area. Then I go back thru the whole coat and spot dry whatever wasn't completely dry from the first go around.

My philosophy is that if you take the time to do a good blow out - you will spend less time ironing on show day. And on non show weeks, taking the time to do a good blow dry means less matting I believe.

Anyway - those are my wash day "secrets." Take them for what you feel they are worth, but don't say I don't share any of my trade secrets! ;)

Here are Samantha and Sabrina.

NOTE: I did not receive any gain, financial or otherwise, from endorsing any of the products mentioned above.

The things people search for

I'm not the most technically savvy individual, but I know enough to be dangerous. :) One of my most recent finds has been to see where all of you lovely people come from that visit my humble blog.

I know some of you find me through Facebook links. Welcome to all the new visitors!

My personal friends find me because that's what friends do! ;) Thanks for keeping me on your radar!

Some of you find me because you are part of the WoTeH'sin family. Thank you for stopping by!

Some of you find me because you want to keep track of me for one reason or another. You know who you are . . . and now, so do I! :D

And some of you find me through the wonders of search engines. And search you do. For things I would never imagine would point to my blog!

You see, one of the things that my newest technical finds actually shows are the links from which people visit! And if it's from a search engine, many times - most actually, it shows what the individual was searching for when they found me. And trust me when I tell you that this information has been incredibly entertaining recently. LOL

To the person in the southeast that wants to find out how to paint on eyestripes - I have three comments:

1) You should breed for eyestripes - not paint them in.

2) If you must paint them in - ask your MENTOR the various practiced enhancement methods and try them in the privacy of your own home to see what works best, if at all, for your dog. Don't search for it on Google. There is not one SKILLED exhibitor/handler out there that would actually post this on the internet for God's sake! Do you really think that someone would publicly post a practice that specifically is cause for ring dismissal??

3) After a most recent FB exchange regarding RESPONSIBLE breeders educating the puppy buying public, you're lucky I have some discretion! :) Do you tell your puppy buyers you paint on eyestripes? Just curious . . .

Could there be the pitter patter of little paws in the near future??

CH Tuxedo

X

CH Holly

Fingers crossed! :)

Update:

We'll know soon! Puppies would be due in early October!

Say hello to MyLee!

Some of you may remember that I flew out to Michigan to pick up a puppy earlier this year. I was ever so hopeful that this puppy would be a male that was exactly what I was seeking in a second male for my breeding program here. I had planned this breeding for YEARS and the pedigree - well - it is incredible. But you know what they say about the best laid plans and best intentions . . .

Before I went out to Michigan I had a call from a lovely lady who had lost her Shih Tzu a short while ago. She had actually found me by searching for the breeder who bred her last pup. My first champion girl, Booty, as it turns out was co-bred by the breeder of her treasured baby and Jean found me by searching the internet to locate Jamie. She was, in fact, doing her homework. She had found other breeders and other puppies, but she just didn't get the feeling they were the right breeder or puppies for her.

We spoke for some time and I knew Jean and her hubby would make perfect parents for a little one of mine. We talked about possibilities and I hoped she would wait until my return from Michigan before she made any decisions about purchasing a puppy. You see, most people think it's a marathon to get a new baby in their home and heart. Most people don't stop and think about the ramifications of buying from someone other than a responsible breeder - they merely want to fill that void in their heart and/or home. So they buy from people that have puppies readily available whether or not the "breeder" is actually responsible. It's easy to say "well they seem okay" when you have that cute little face staring back at you.

Here's a newsflash -- ALL PUPPIES ARE CUTE -- even if they are poorly bred examples of ANY breed!

So I brought home my little guy, who I called Miles, and I watched him for several days. Sadly, I knew he would not grow into the dog I needed to move forward in my breeding program. Some people would say I just wanted the money and sold this puppy. But believe me when I tell you that this was NOT the case. I spoke to Jean and while skeptical about a male, she was thrilled we could work out an arrangement for her to get her new bundle of joy.

So Miles - who is now called MyLee - is living the spoiled good life in Kingman, AZ.

In a recent email, Jean writes:

"Just wanted to bring you up to date with Mylee. He is doing great. He is completely housebroken. He jumps on me and barks when he wants to go out. Is growing like a weed and is very healthy. He has had all his shots now.

We just came back from a trip to Calif. and he did really good. No accidents in the house while we were there. He ran and played and wore himself out everyday. We took his crate, so he had his bed every night. Our kids tried to talk us out of taking him home, but we told them we would have to stay too, so they let us bring him home. lol . . .

He is so active, we never know what he is going to do next. But we both really love him and he makes us laugh all the time. . . . He is so smart. He knows to come, sit, and stay already. As you can tell, we think he is the smartest dog ever born. lol . . .

Take care and thank you for MyLee.

Your friend,

Jean"

Talk about a great feeling! Thank you Jean for giving my baby a great home! And keep those pictures coming!!

And Jamie - if you read this you have GOT to get in touch with me! I've had a few people call me asking about you and I really would like to get back in touch. I have so much to share with you!