Shih Tzu Happens

   Did you hear fireworks? I spoke earlier about getting spooked out by the loud bangs caused by fireworks. If I got scared, I used to find myself in unusual places like the empty bath (no dog normally goes anywhere near the bath just in case it’s their turn to go in!), the shower cubicle, on top of the piano, under the bed etc. On one occasion instead of wanting to hide, I could not control myself and I just wanted to run and run and run. Just as this happened our front door opened and that was it – I was off. Mum and dad shouted and shouted form me, but I didn’t come back. I just continued to run and run to get away from the noise. They started to get worried for me as I had never run away so fast and so far. I was normally well behaved (well – mostly anyway!) Mum stayed at the house just in case I came back, and dad set off to try and find me. He looked first at the places he thought I would go to regularly such as Nanna’s house and our normal walking route. No luck! ...

  Me getting a huge cuddle to protect me from the fireworks As Autumn hits, the nights get darker and colder with streets full of leaves (chasing these is one of my favourites past times!). One tradition in the UK at the start of November is Guy Fawkes Night (sometimes called bonfire night).   This is on the 5 th of November and traditionally people set bonfires and fireworks off to celebrate the foiling of a plot to blow up the houses of parliament by a group of conspirators of which Guy Fawkes was one. He was caught before this act could take place and his ending was rather gruesome. As a way of reminding everyone of his attempted plot, effigies of him are burn on bonfires each year and more recently fireworks are set off. Today most people don’t connect this day with the plot to blow up the houses of parliament but more of a late Autumn celebration.   How does this fit with me? Well, the issue is I hate loud bangs. Where I say hate, I realllllly hate these. On the...

  My Spot in the Bed As time went by, I got really settled in and loved my family. Dad was my buddy, and I could use my deep brown eyes to get away with most things with him as he was really soft with me. Night times were a great part of the day as all the family returned from work and school and we were all together again. When mum and dad were working, I sometimes had to stay with Nana which was good but it was even better to come back home again. Once H and Pips were tucked up in bed, mum and dad would retire to the living room and watch TV. My favourite spot was on the sofa next to dad. We used to cuddle up next to each other and in the colder winter nights this was really warm and snuggly. Mum would sit on the floor next to the sofa and often treat herself to a piece of chocolate. Chocolate needs to be shared – does she not know this? At the speed of light, I jumped down from the sofa (sorry dad but chocolate was more important!) and strategically move up to mum, sit very ...

  Has anyone seen a leaf? As the summer comes to an end and days get shorter and colder, one of my favourite pastimes comes into play. I love to play out in the woods and streets where there are piles and piles of fallen leaves. I really like the crunch they make and the soft feeling on my fur when I jump in and out of them. Sometimes I can look like a fury leave monster! We love to have walks out and mum and dad have taken me all over the place. As well as leafy woods, I love the seaside and areas of large open space, especially if there are loads of different smells and things to get stuck into. Sometimes dad grumbles if I get too messed up with leaves and twigs as they get stuck in my fur and it takes hours to get them all out. I also have muddy paws which leave marks all over the car much to dad’s delight! (he always has an old towel in the car now just for this occasion!). There are some things that happen that you just can’t resist like walking passed a huge chocolate cak...

Jimmy T Hamster One Saturday morning, Mum and Dad went shopping. They came back with a small cage and loads of bags of saw dust and fluffy bedding. What’s going on? I thought I’m too big to fit in that cage and hope that they don’t get any ideas of me moving out of their bedroom into the kitchen. My first ever night with my new family Mum wanted me to live in the kitchen at night and Dad had slept with me in a sleeping bag on the kitchen floor. Mum tried to settle me down at night in the kitchen, but I was not having any of it, I used to cry and whimper until she gave in and let me sleep on the floor in the main bedroom – result. So, what was this all about? I found out shortly when Dad and RJ left home for a brief period and came back all excited. Wait…what’s that that Dad has in his hand? A small fury creature popped their head out and sniffed the air. This is Jimmy the Hamster it was announced, and he would be the family’s new pet. I was intrigued as I had never met a hamster be...