The Graduate!

Abbie graduates from her Level 1 Puppy Training!  This makes me so proud!

CH Magic  x  CH Kiki

"Abbie"

Lil Bit had been placed at 12 weeks with a family that HAD to have her.  Against my better judgment, I placed her with that family.  Less than two months later, "Lil Bit" as I had called her before she left, came home to me nothing like she was when she had left.  She was "too much" to handle according to the family that had her.  My heart ached when a puppy that usually ran to me and covered me in kisses now cowered on the floor and urinated in fear.  I spent the next few months getting back the puppy I once knew - showering her in love and affection while training her to be a good girl with positive reinforcement.  I knew that once I had her back to the loving puppy she was in the beginning that eventually the right family would come along.  And they did!  My thanks to the Carlson family for making a loving and positive home for Lil Bit - who is now proudly and lovingly called Abbie!

The Incredible Indecency Of Some Puppy Inquiries And The Joys Of Boys

I recently had an exchange with an interested person for a puppy.  It was an inquiry that I declined.  They openly admitted to having a seven year old doberman that they had not neutered.  I found this to be curious especially since they also said they would have no problem "signing" a spay/neuter contract if required.  Well, to me signing and doing are two different things and the track record was such that I didn't feel it would be in the best interest of my sweet puppy to be placed in a home with an intact male dog who had been king of his castle for 7 years.  I expressed this and the hate mail ensued.

 

Just a reminder to you folks out there looking for a puppy from me - these are MY puppies.  I don't have to place them or SELL them to anyone!  This person went on about how I had missed out on such a great home and that I really didn't care about my puppies at all.  How dare I make decisions about neutering a dog when I have no idea how the dog feels?  And after all - this is a SALE not an adoption. 

 

Amazing.  I don't care about my puppies at all???  Who in the hell do YOU think you are?  You have no idea of which you speak or, in this case, type.  What about the health of the dog in the long run?  Statics show a neutered dog will have a lesser chance of cancers.  Surf the web - get a clue.  Really!  And to infer I do this for money??  WTF??  I wish the bleeding in my bank account would stop!  This is not a business folks - this is a labor of love.  If you think I'm getting rich off of breeding dogs you are seriously mistaken.  This single puppy I have right now - I'm into this puppy for nearly $2,000.  Placing him in a pet home will net me a four figure net LOSS.  So get over yourselves when you THINK I'm getting rich breeding dogs.

 

Well the next day brought this to my inbox and it was such a pleasure to read:

 

"Hi Nancy,

 

Just a note to let you know MyLee is still our wonderful little boy and is doing fine. He rules our house with an iron paw. Lol.

When we got him from you I wanted a pet to love and to be company for my husband and me. As you know I was worried about having our first male puppy. Well you were so right. After having had 2 females before him, I have to say he is the most loving dog we have ever had. Our females tolerated my loving. He demands it. The day is not complete for him unless he has his playtime and his loving time sitting on my lap.

He is such a smart little guy too. He knows when I let him out at bedtime that when he comes back in, it is time for bed and goes straight to his room and in his kennel without me saying a word. And when our grandaughter stayed with us a few months, he learned to open the bedroom door to let himself in to go to bed. We have door handles like a lever and he jumps up and pulls the lever down to open the door. I come to check on him and he is in his kennel and looks at me as if to say what took you so long.

As you can tell, he is the light of our lives. We enjoy him so very much. He doesn't know he is a dog you know. He thinks he is actually our little boy. He is very protective of both of us.

I think of you often and am so sorry to hear you are having some health issues. I am happy however to read on your website that you still have the wonderful values that you have for your puppies. I still visit your website to see how things are going with your dogs and with yourself.

Oh by the way, the last visit to the vet for his yearly checkup, the vet said he was in perfect health and he weighed in at 15 pounds.

Lots of love and hugs and a Happy New Year from your friends in Kingman, AZ

Bob and Jean and a very spoiled and happy MyLee"

 

What a difference a day makes in the world of email!  Oh - and MyLee is a neutered little boy.  One of those puppies I didn't or don't care about.  HA!

 

Thank you Bob and Jean for giving my lovely boy a perfect home forever.  I know he is healthy and loved and for that I am grateful and blessed!  And thank you for reminding me that I'm doing it right.  Sometimes I need to hear it to believe it!  My best to you and our precious MyLee!

Placing Adult Dogs

One of the hardest parts about being a breeder is the heartbreak.  It occurs in many forms, and sometimes you know that you must feel the hurt in order to make a dog's life the best life possible.  This is the case in placing adult dogs.  Young or old, it hurts, but as a breeder I have to remember to do what is best for the dog and do what is best to move forward to continue the quest to improve on what I have.  Sometimes the older adults just stay.  And really I wish I could keep them all, but it is not reasonable to assume that keeping every dog gives that dog what he or she needs to have the best life possible.

I recently placed an older girl that I knew in my heart needed a home where she was queen of the castle.  She was always second fiddle to my alpha girl here and she longed to be number one.  So as hard as it was, I put her out there to see if there was any interest.  And surprisingly enough there was, even though she was about 7 years old.  I interviewed a couple of people that I totally found unsuitable.  And then the call came from a gentleman looking for a good dog for his mom who had recently lost her Shih Tzu to old age.  We talked for a great while and decided to meet.  When they arrived his mother seemed skeptical because of how attached my girl was to me.  That is to be expected, I said.  She's only known me.  But once she discovers I'm not there, she is going to latch on to the woman that is there.

It ripped my heart out to watch them leave with my girl.  But I knew it was the right thing to do.  We called it a test drive but I knew in my heart that this girl had found her next, and last forever home.  She would be loved and doted upon in a way I never could give. 

After a day I called and asked how things were going.  It was a positive report.  After a week, my girl's new momma called me to tell me there was no way she would ever give up her new found love.  A couple more weeks went by and I sent the paperwork for the transfer and I received the following  note in return:

Hi Nancy!

Thank you for my precious baby.

God has been so good to me.  She is a gift from heaven.

She is doing great.  No problems at all!

I know you must miss her.

Hope all is well with you.

PS:  I now call her Molly.  I kept calling her Maggie.  Molly was as close to that so we call her Molly.  No matter what she is called, all you have to say is "treat" and she comes running.

Love -
Anna

Now that warmed my heart.  And while the ache is still there because my girl is not here, I know that I did the right thing.  Molly is now totally the queen of her own castle!

A Puppy For Christmas

The emails start coming in for Christmas puppies in December usually.  I actually received a few inquires beginning in November this year. 

Here's a lovely example of a recent exchange I had:


Name: XXXXXX XXXXXXXX
Email: XXX.XXXXXXXX@gmail.com
Message:  I found your Shih Tzu listing at Breeders.NET

Hello I am interested in buying a baby girl puppy for my kids for Christmas. If you could please let me know if you have one and what price. Thank you:)


And my standard Christmas puppy response followed:

On Nov 16, 2012, at 6:03 AM, wotehsinst@aol.com wrote:

XXXXXX:

Thank you for your inquiry, however even if I had puppies available at or around the holiday - I would not place them as Christmas presents. Nor do I entertain birthday or anniversary inquiries. Please refer to this article.

Christmas is really the absolute worst time of the year to place a puppy. There is too much happening for anyone to possibly focus on the needs of a puppy at that time. There are breeders out there that gear up for Christmas because it's their biggest sales season of the year for them. They will sell puppies too young to be going anywhere just to turn that Christmas buck.

But that's not how I operate.

You might consider giving puppy supplies as Christmas gifts to announce your decision to bring a pet into your home and instead focus on finding the right breeder and dog for your family. When it comes to finding the perfect member for your family, it's better to take your time and research the breeders involved and find someone that can provide you the best possible dog, health wise etc. for your family at your financial comfort level. Buying strictly on timing is the poorest way to find the right dog.

Check out the American Shih Tzu Club website for things to look for when selecting a breeder and also breeder referral.

Best of luck in your search -

Nancy Manelski

WoTeH'sin Shih Tzu

 

And here is the lovely response I received:

From: XXXXXX XXXXXXXX <XXX.XXXXXXXX@gmail.com>
To: wotehsinst <wotehsinst@aol.com>
Sent: Wed, Nov 21, 2012 7:38 pm
Subject: Re: I found your Shih Tzu listing at Breeders.NET

Wow a little too much information a simple no would have been fine.....weirdo!!

XXXXXX XXXXXXXX

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nice, huh?  Try to educate the general public and look what happens.  Nice manners and a lovely email to receive on Thanksgiving Eve.  Honey, are you raising your kids to be as polite and receptive to education as you obviously were? 

 

I hope no one places a puppy with this family.  Because honestly, I see the writing on the wall.  Loved for a moment in time and then forgotten, some poor puppy will likely end up in a shelter out of this home when that puppy is no longer convenient for the family.  Tossed aside likely as several other Christmas gifts that have outlived the instant gratification high the kids get once the next present is revealed, or the poor puppy has an accident in the house after being chased or hounded by likely unruly children that scare the poor baby half to death. 

 

Nope.  Not one of my puppies.  Ever.

We Didn't Have Grass In Arizona . . .

But Dallas sure has grass now!  That freshly mowed lawn was so much fun!

Gives a whole new meaning to GO GREEN!

Gracie!

Isn't she cute??

Pictures!

Here is Dallas sharing a snooze with his sister Jada - notice he's sporting a new haircut!  :)

Here is Lili and her big brother Chong Pei.  Lili's mom is doing a great job keeping up their coats!

And finally, here is world traveller Zoey taking time to smell the daisies in Los Angeles!

Love it when the folks keep in touch and send me lovely pictures of my kids!  Thank you for loving these furkids as unconditionally as they love back!

Dallas Arrives In Illinois

I love email from puppy buyers and PICTURES!!  :)  I got this on Tuesday:

Hi Nancy,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for a beautiful pup!! He is absolutely gorgeous!! I’m so happy with him!!

Thank you for being a responsible breeder. I love him to pieces, he’s such a good little boy. He’s been outside running and playing in the yard with the dogs. I’m so fortunate that Cindy gave me your name and number. Thank you again for keeping him a couple of extra months and for taking him to Cindy and Larry’s.

Thanks,

Karen

Here are some pictures from today ..

Dallas meeting his new Mom (Karen) in Illinois for the first time ... brought to Illinois by Cindy and Larry

Dallas at his new home in Sugar Grove, Il.

Dallas meeting his new family – Jada and Cheyenne

Karen and Dallas

The next day I got these pictures - Dallas had a visit to the salon for a partial hair cut.  He'll go in for a full cut down probably in a week or two as the weather warms in Illinois.

So it looks like my little love is doing well in his transition.  Keep those pictures coming Karen!  :)

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!

Lili

Jack

Zoey

This made me smile

I had kind of a crummy day today - it wasn't the total disaster kind of day - it was just one of those days where no matter what I did I couldn't get anything done and more stuff got piled on. And of course everyone wants everything NOW. Plus there was another personal drama going on that just didn't help. But home I came to wonderful pictures of Jack - he's such a pretty puppy. Doesn't he just look great? His cute little face made me smile!

There's snow in Colorado!

And Lili loves it!!

Jack's doing great!

Jack is settling in with his new family nicely! Here he is with Bella. Aren't they sweet?