I’ve decided that I need some help handling all the emotional weight of what’s been going on. I’m really cracking under the pressure, and normally I’m pretty good at finding ways to help myself through stuff like this, but this time I’m really at a loss. So I’ve talked it over with my parents and we’re looking into getting a service/therapy dog for me. I’ve been declared disabled, so I definitely qualify for one, the hard part now is finding the right dog. My Mom has severe allergies, so most breeds are out of the question. But just today I met a nice family who has a therapy dog for their handicapped daughter who has allergies like my Mom – they have a Shih Tzu and it’s the nicest dog ever. But best of all, it doesn’t produce dander, so there wouldn’t be any problems with bad allergic reactions.
But even apart from the allergy issue, Shih Tzus are perfectly suited for what I need. I need a dog that will love me, spend time with me when I’m stuck in bed, cuddle with me, play with me, and generally just provide me with some companionship and emotional support. But now the trick is finding one, since most service dog training facilities only seem to train larger dogs for things like guide dogs and other forms of service animals, like retrieval and mobility help. Right now I just need a therapy dog, in particular a Shih Tzu, and I don’t know where to look.
So yet again, I’m asking everyone out there for help. You all really saved the day when I asked for help with my cell phone, so I’m hoping maybe you all will come through for me again. I really need help, badly, because I’m not exactly in a great spot right now emotionally. It’s bad. Worse than it’s been in a very, very long time. So if any of you know of anyone who has a well-trained shih tzu that they can no longer care for, I would love to adopt them. I’d give them a wonderful, loving home, and the dog would have all my undivided love and attention. Or, if you know anything about service animal training facilities in the general DC area (or even off into the surrounding states, that’s fine too), I’d really appreciate any information you can give me. It would mean a lot to me, and as always, I would love you forever and ever and would be eternally grateful. I’ve also posted on Craigslist, so if you know someone who’s looking for a good home for their dog, you can share the Craigslist post with them. It’s here, so please feel free to take a look.
As always, thank you. I don’t know where I’d be without all you wonderful bloggy people coming to my rescue. You all rock.
Hey Heather!
Sorry you have been feeling so poor lately!! Congrats on the decision to get a dog…dogs give the very best company and can make you feel so much better when you’re blue!!
So a Shih- Tzu is your breed of choice eh? Sweet! They are very cute little dogs! A word of caution tho. Although they are considered to be a hypo allergenic dog…they do shed small amounts of fur but due to their double coat it usually gets trapped in there until the little guy runs around or does some other vigorous activity.
As for caring for them they are not all that low maintenance. Especially around the eyes. You gotta clean them every day with warm water and a cotton ball or they get these gross little goobers around them..and they can stain the fur around the eyes a yucky colour (My saint Bernard’s eyes do this as well…and let me tell you its hard as heck to get off!!!) If you give the dog bottled water it is supposed to help with they amount of mucus he produces…or just water with no chlorine cause apparently it does something to them.
As for their hair…if you let it grow out you gotta brush it every day or it will get nasty little matts in it(yuck) or you can shave it short..that looks very cute as well!! But you should always let it grow long in the winter so they don’t get cold. Also because they are a snub nosed dog they do not do well in high temps.
As for where to get one… have you thought about looking around for good breeders…sometimes they have older dogs for sale as well!! Be very VERY careful of posting ads looking for a dog…bad people use craiglist and other online listing programs to sell their backyard bred dogs…usually which have a lot of health problems and can wind up costing you a lot of money in vet bills not to mention the heartbreak if you have to put him down…no one wants that!! So I suggest that you look up good breeders in your area to see if they might have an older dog for sale. Do you have a preference as to age or sex? I can look around for you and see what I find.
Feel free to email me if you have any other questions about how to recognize a good breeder from a bad one, how not to get ripped off for a dog or anything else.
I really love dogs, can ya tell lol.
Hope you feel better soon heather!!
oh PS…Funny story…today I stepped on a knife and sliced my pinky toe up pretty good…and the first thing that popped into my head was “Oh great now Ive got 8 toes” hahaha!!!
Oh I forgot!!
Try out http://www.petfinder. com it allows you to put in what kind of dog you want, where you live and it will match you up with great dogs that are waiting for a home in shelters around you!! Its great, i looked for some shih tzs and they have lots!Im not familiar with where you live…otherwise Id post you some links….but yeah, go check it out i think youll find a good little doggy on there!
Krystal