Furbee's Sleeping, Dreaming Tongue

Furbee was so exhausted after a long day of "going bye-bye" that his body could no longer keep up with his mind. While Furbee slept as heavily as a rock in Stone Henge, his tongue flapped outside of his mouth as-if he were panting or licking something - only he knows, but his tongue stayed out the whole time so it was really cute to watch him dream.

His leg muscles occasionally spasmed in-motion as-if he were running somewhere, but again, Furbee's tongue was sticking out of his mouth as he dreamt - probably about the day he had just experienced, or the day as he would have preferred to have experienced it.

Furbee and Sophie Visit Strictly Organic Coffee Co. in Bend, Oregon

Furbee and Sophie took a ride with their papa to Strictly Organic Coffee Company in Bend, Oregon for a refreshing cup of rich, creamy, double-Espresso Joe with plenty of sugar for the first time ever today! The coffee shop located at 6 SW BOND ST roasts their vast varieties organic, environmentally-sustainable Fair Trade coffee on-site and serve it with an array of snacks and food options from their kitchen where pastries are also baked fresh daily, and meals are made-to-order.

The outdoor patio dining area is dog-friendly and is a great place to watch people from all walks of this beautiful life as they drive, walk and sometimes fly by. Seating was readily available here at Strictly Organic during our visit for coffee and banana bread both inside and outdoors. The crowd is calm and casual inside - thanks to the comfortable climate control, and outside we were entertained by an eclectic musical artist who also paints and sells her artwork.

Full of colorful character and feminine energy that would make RuPaul proud, multi-talented "Monica" serenades passers-by on the street-corner with her painted banjo - singing melodies of life and love by musical artists including, but not limited to John Denver among others. Monica's canine companion sat by her side - minding her own business as other dogs walked by and even joined-in to accompany Monica's singing vocals with a funny, cute and ear-filling howl! The outdoor dining area is absolutely perfect for those Spring and Summer mornings when organic coffee, maybe a soft piece of Strictly Organic's freshly-made banana bread, and fresh, breezy, naturally-oxygenated air are all you need to start your day with a furry friend or two. Furry friends Furbee and Sophie look forward to returning even if it's just to people- and dog-watch.

Strictly Organic also hosts various live musical artists throughout the week including Canaan Canaan, a young girl whose hybrid musical style combines Japanese lyrics with acoustic-accompanied American-English in an original style she refers-to as 'cuddle pop'. Other artists, according to their website include; "Rebecca Smith (contemporary harp), Joe Balsamo (Blues), Bobby Lindstrom (rock), Jumpin’ Joyce Respess (Folk Rock) and the Classic Jazz Duo (Dillon Schneider/John Allen)". Also, "a very popular and supportive Songwriters’ Open Mic, hosted by Hal Worcester takes place Thursdays 6-8 PM". This venue is obviously community and artist-oriented by providing artists a place to play for the public without charge (with exception to wares such as music cds, for example), and giving the community an added value to great service they already consistently receive here. This business is special because it adds value to the source its coffee is purchased from, but to the community where the coffee is distributed and consumed in, because it facilitates integration and growth of local Central Oregonian culture.

The shih-tzus did not want to leave this stop, but their papa loves them so he knows to bring them with him next time he comes to visit Strictly Organic in Bend to experience more of their great food, drinks and people at the most valuable cafe and interesting corner in Central Oregon!

Shih-tzu hate taking showers, but love having clean bodies!

Furbee and Sophie love laying beside each other, but they really enjoy it when they've both been cleaned with a fresh shower. Sometimes it depends on who needs a bath more, but Sophie is a very cooperative ragdoll that makes cleaning easier than Furbee because Furbee dislikes water near his head or rear-end.

Before any water is turned-on and warmed to a nice, warm temperature, their fur is combed-out to remove snags and tangles. Once their fur has been combed-out - the shower water should be warmed to a temp the dogs can handle. Furbee has a low tolerance for warm water because to him it's hotter as he has a smaller body than we humans so he is bathed with relatively cooler water, but Sophie doesn't complain and she's bathed with the same warmth preferred by temperate humans.

After a refreshing rinse, the babies are lathered from tail-to-head using a Cedar shampoo which is applied with therapeutically (for the shih-tzus and I) massaging strokes that helps promote healthy circulation and good, general health. This opportunity is used to identify any abnormal growths or scabs that may have occurred since their last bath, but it's also a way to find and remove fox-tails, splinters, thorns, or any other noticeable health hazards.

After rinsing the lathered shampoo completely, the anal gland is checked for 'expression fluid' which is removed from the exterior of the anus by feeling for what feels like tiny, round marbles on either side below their anus; the tail is manually lifted and held in-place, the anus is pointed towards a poop-spray-safe wall-like surface and the little sacs are gently squeezed from bottom-to-top until the sacs are drained. A successful anal-gland expression should stink worse than anything you've ever smelled - so don't get it on your skin or any surface that is not easy to clean. Immediately clean and sterilize any surfaces touched by the anal gland fluid. Sometimes the fluid is pearlescent; other times it's mustard-like, but in all cases it smells horrible. The best way to know whether your dog's anal gland needs to be expressed is to feel it from the outside, but another indicator is if your dog is scooting their butt on the floor; they are not just 'wiping' their butt on the floor to upset you - their butt is probably upsetting them and they perform the routine to provide relief. A simple expression will usually solve this.

Jack Rebney Loves Shih-tzus!

Jack Rebney is a unique type of celebrity because he never intended to become famous, but an unauthorized video containing cut-takes of a Winnebago commercial he was shooting became viral before viral was a word used to describe infectious popularity. While the public fell in love with Jack's frustrated and vulgarly-expressed language in this video he was presenting for Winnebago dealers, the Winnebago company fired him as soon as they saw the cuts that one of the people making the video put together. It is the opinion of the author of this blog entry that the Winnebago company should instead of capitalized on Jack's popularity and if anyone was going to be fired - it should have been the person who put all the cuts together, made copies of if and distributed it to everyone they knew, because Jack's permission was never obtained to release the compilation of takes. Normally, the 'takes', 'cuts', or 'cut takes' as they're known - depending on whom you ask - are excluded from videos and the final version of the video Jack presented did not feature any of his vulgar frustrations. What does appear in the video, is a scene where Jack is showing viewers the storage space; he opens the door and behind the door of the storage compartment are two happy young girls and a cute black and white shih-tzu.

Years later, a film-maker decided to catch-up with Jack to see how he was doing and ultimately the film was released much to the public's satisfaction. The film helps people see that Jack is not really the angriest man in the world. Jack probably isn't even the angriest Winnebago sales-person because it's not every day frustrated salesmen are recorded on video for their flaws to be viewed by the public with a microscope.

Jack lives in Northern California - apparently alone, with the exception of his canine companion. Jack's eye-sight has deteriorated over time and with age, so he navigates his daily walk with his dog (not a shih-tzu breed) by holding-on to a rope that guides him away from and back to his home safely. Jack doesn't understand why so many people found his expressed anger in the old video to be entertaining, but he values the love and appreciation his fans express to him as long as they don't invade his personal space.  His sense of humor remains healthy and his wit is quick and as sharp as a razor-blade.

Request the DVD/film/movie title, "Winnebago Man" at your local public library and if they haven't purchased it yet - recommend it for purchase so you and your friends can watch the story of a man who ages gracefully and stays true to himself.

Shih-tzus; the free computer keyboard warmers!

There is no doubt that Mr. Furball is a mama's boy - as seen in this photo.  Whether mama's listening to meditations or affirmations, Furbee just likes to touch and connect any way the space around him will allow. He really doesn't mind mama being on the computer as long as she can still reach him to give him physical, loving affection - she just can't expect to be comfortable enough to continue being on the computer uninterrupted and in-peace.

What is so important about a shot like this is that it teaches us that living being are more important than technological advances. A computer may entertain your attention for hours on-end, but no computer will ever genuinely create emotions built on the foundation of a loving and trusting relationship that these lap dogs do. Computers and chips don't come to you when you call them, they don't lick you with love salivating from their mouths, and computers won't feel nearly as soft as furry shih-tzus do when they're resting their little bodies on your body.

Of course, it's not healthy to use laptops directly on your lap and your pets should not rest their bodies so closely to the radiation-emitting devices; it's at this point that you're morally required to make a decision; continue on your sickness and headache-inducing computer under poor lighting, or shut it all off and give your babies (the shih-tzus) lots of love until they fall asleep; which would you prefer be done to you if you were them?

The Shih-tzu Wishlist

It isn't fair to Sophie that her Papa can shoot pictures of her and edit to entertain himself and the rest of the world by creating animations of Sophie mid-lick and yawn while nervously waiting for Mama's affirmation, but the genuine expressions were the ones caught while capturing daughter in her moment with Mr. Frisbee - and the catalyst for the idea that the shih-tzus need to have their own Amazon.com Wishlist (seen here: Furbee and Sophie's Shih-tzu Wishlist).

Other than Love Bear, a full-sized Care Bear with hearts on its chest is Furbee's Wishlist item, but since they're a rare fine, he's willing to try cuddling with an 8" version titled Care Bear Love a Lot Bear 8" Plush Stuffed Toy for as little as $7.

Sophie helps occupy the personal gap filled by a quality partnership. Furbee is one of Sophie's consistent life partners when her attention isn't occupied by Mr. Frisbee (a vinyl-type of plastic, pink-colored miniature frisbee disc that once had two eyes and a smile illustrating a traditional happy face. The disc was probably a gift traded in lieu of paper tokens won in fixed-to-lose game-houses) - pictured in this article, and "Ball-ie" - a small-sized tennis ball (not around at this time) torn into shreds, and the eyeballs of any menacing plush toy that doesn't blink at her.

If you're a Shih-tzuLovers.blogspot.com fan, you feel your life has been enhanced by the existence of our companion creatures, in particular those shown here - feel free to let them know by sending them an Amazon.com Wishlist item. The first item on Sophie's list is a replacement for Mr. Frisbee, but since a pink frisbee with the traditional happy face is going to be a hard find - the next best thing was any frisbee that hasn't been chewed to chunks she may swallow; shih-tzus are as smart as you make them, but you still have to beware of what you allow them to ingest. One lone frisbee seems impossible to find, but Sophie's Mini Flying Saucer Assortment (6 dz) is $10.94 (shipping included), or for half the price - a 3-Pack of Squeaker Tennis Balls (Small Dog Toy) sells for $4.45.

Of course, as long as the shih-tzus have their Mama and Papa - that which matters more than anything money can buy - they are truly happy. With Sophie eyeballing squirrels in the yard, and Furbee playing Officer Herbert - using his sharp senses to detect danger or unexpected visitors - artificial entertainment only goes so far. There is no entertainment so precious as real love and that's what all living things want and need to experience - shih-tzu blogs aside. Non-shih-tzu parents can give back to the world by spreading their love to the next two living creatures that have the capacity to return your genuine affection.

They Won't Take Any Shih-Tzu

Seven Psychopaths (Movie) Shih-Tzu

It's a wonderful day when movies are made featuring our favorite furry friends and family members can receive the credit they deserve by having movies made about them - highlighting their best qualities - modeling shots. The "Lion" dog is known primarily for its long, illustrious mane of hair that requires daily combing as a maintenance ritual, oral dental cleaning for proper hygiene,  eyecare and more. In this film; however, the shih-tzu's job is the same as it was in royal Tibetan palaces when they weren't busy chasing rodents out; looking as cute as a princess and nothing more. The shih-tzus are so-loved by kings, queens, and a few, select Hollywood Union cardholders - that whether the Director calls "action" or "cut", the shih-tzu stays in character.

The shih-tzu pictured in this blog was found in a movie entertainment magazine ad on the free shelf/rack at the local public library. The DVD was reserved online and watched to the horror of too much violence in this reviewer's opinion. Save your time and rescue an animal from a pet shelter instead; it's a much greater contribution if you have enough love to share.

75% of 105,043 online movie reviewers at RottenTomatoes.com rated the film highly and it was considered by public library researchers/purchasers as good enough to buy and share with the public. "Seven Psychopaths" has a plot involving the kidnapping of a shih-tzu for ransom. Spoiler Alert: "The bad guy loves the shih-tzu!"

One thing that can be said on behalf of shih-tzus is that "it's about time" someone made a shih-tzu the main prop of a movie plot. 

Oral Dental Cleaning Quote

On Thursday, November 8th (2012), Furbee (left) and Sophie (right) took a trip to the Sunriver Veterinary Clinic to find out what to expect with an oral dental cleaning. The appointment was more for Sophie than for Furbee because she likes food for humans that has fat, salt and sugar in it; like cream cheese, chicken meat, and flavored, sweetened yogurt. These are not normally the types of foods you would expect to find dogs hunting for in the wild; particularly because the cream cheese animal, because it lives too high up in the trees for them to catch. Chicken meat is normal, but it must not be fried - the acidity of fried foods are not healthy, they may weaken your pet's immune system, and the bones must be removed so no ones chokes. Yogurt is a dairy product that is not naturally sweetened and when it is artificially sweetened, the sugar feeds the oral bacteria - allowing it to grow out of control unless you brush your dogs' teeth daily, according to people who know from experience. Since the shih-tzus' teeth are not brushed daily - bad foods have been eliminated from their diet. The main problem now is to get both parents to agree on the babies' regimen. 

The oral cleaning consultation was an eye-opening experience because the price range was between about $350-450, which paid for blood to be drawn so the veterinarians could determine which anesthesia to use and how much of it Sophie would be able to handle, intravenous (IV) fluids possible extractions (Sophie has one baby snaggle-tooth that never fell out and one tooth that grew-in sideways), the full cleaning service (removal of calcified plaque, etc.) and a vet sitter to pet Sophie - keeping her calm as she wakes up from being under anesthesia. One important point to note is that by putting your pet under anesthesia for oral cleaning - you are really risking their life because there is no guarantee our pet will awaken from the anesthesia. Anesthesia has a coma-inducing effect, which is far from natural, but it is done when pets are not properly trained to allow humans to put their hands in their mouth to clean their teeth. There are some helpful videos helping in training pet owners to make their pets comfortable with putting their hands in their dogs' mouth by doing it daily, coating a finger with pet-specific toothpaste, applying it liberally on the teeth - allowing the pet to become familiar and hopefully enjoying of the flavor (Chicken may be a good one) and finally - carefully brushing. Brushing your pets' teeth regularly helps reduce or eliminate the cost of taking them to have their teeth professionally cleaned. In this situation, the quote was too high for the family's financial situation, but the clinic was generous by giving Sophie some freebies, including; a couple enzymatic chew-strips (which your dog is not supposed to swallow, but Sophie does), a sample of Natural dog toothpaste, a dog toothbrush (with a small tip at one end and a larger tip at the other - for dogs with larger mouths), some round dry treats to create friction against the plaque when they're eating them, and some refrigerator magnets providing phone numbers to vets during regular business hours as well as an emergency vet service that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sunriver Veterinary Clinic

Sophie's Morning Sunbathing Ritual

On bright sunny mornings, Sophie steps outside while everyone inside is still asleep, and she can take time for herself to meditate. No two sunny mornings are alike so if it's tolerable enough outside - Sophie will find a comfortable spot on the wood deck, rest her warm strips down, and watch. Sophie likes to see; because when she sees something she likes - her body-landuage changes to a playful tail-wagging posture. Her favorite sight to see is squirrels, but she also likes birdies and deer, too. When she's finished experiencing "me-time" meditation, she comes inside with warm fur, which - if you would wake up and pet her - you would feel. 

This is the only shih-tzu (between the two) that sunbathes every morning she can, during the daytime occasionally - as long as the climate is tolerable and she's well hydrated - like she's a plant! When she comes in from sun-bathing outside - her fur's as warm as if she had just fluffed herself up in the dryer. 

Animals are excellent indicators of our environment; if they're healthy and vibrant - we can take queues from their behavior and learn. In this lesson; Sophie is teaching us that an excellent source of Vitamin D (and other stuff, too, I'm sure - in moderation) is the Sun. Humans apparently aren't the only Sun worshipers; the ecosystem, plants and animals need it to survive, too. Without the "Sun" of God, all life on Earth as we know it - would die. Thank you for that lesson, Sophie. We love you, pretty girl. 

Shuh-Tzus Stares

Many people who have children understand they (the shih-tzus) sleep and rise by the light of the Sun since they come from the land of the rising Sun; Tibet, China; palace guardians as they continue to be. While Sophie sunbathes on the wood deck, Furbee guards mama and papa.
On days when extra rest may be  available for you - shih-tzus' body-clocks know better. The photograph shown here shows Furbee's wide, unblinking, beedy-eyed gaze; the one you can expect to receive when you haven't provided breakfast or awaken from your warm, uninterrupted slumber. The key to understanding the shih-tzu way is to understand balance of energy.
The Sun so loves the Earth that it shines it's only begotten light on Furbee's dark-masked face. Feeling so loved that the light would shine on his humbly handsome face, he awaits to be loved and adorned with nutrient-rich supplements industrially manufactured by chemists and scientists for his mental and physical addiction. Furbee shivers his body when his gut tells him something is wrong; like mama not waking up when he feels she should be. Extensive experiments have not been conducted into determining whether shivers return throughout the day after receiving what he wants, but the odd behavior is cute sometimes; when it isn't because his fur's too short and his body feels too cold.

The shih-tzus have an unspoken code of love and loyalty...to food it seems. Dog training manuals readily expose the magician's secret to getting animals to obey; the very food they require for survival - in measured and well-balanced increments. Furbee & Sophie have the luxury of open-bowl-feeding, which means they have access to their food 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With that said, the beggars love to make their appearance while lunch is being prepared, vegetables are being cut, and the roast beef deli slices are being pulled out - spilling their meaty, scented aroma into the air - wafting by their little black button noses (or snouts, if you want to act snooty). The shih-tzus loyalty seems oddly attracted to the feminine energy until the masculine energy returns to the cave with yum-yums; including beef that's been roasted! Feel the dual stare (pictured).

Sleepover at Dixie and Sassy's!

Dixie (Left) and Sassy (Right)
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Dixie and Sassy welcomed Furbee and Sophie into their home where they'll be sleeping-over for a couple weeks while Mama and Papa are away.

Dixie's demeanor is so loving that she rolls her head into your hand if you reach to feel the side of her furry face. If you're not sure whether it's okay to pet her because she's only 'just' met you - she will extend her paw in a 'come hither' kind of way that melts your heart once you reciprocate her attention.

Sassy defended her personal space when Furbee drew near to sniff himself into familiarity. Furbee, being a fertile male, was curious about the new perfume, but Sassy wasn't having it and she let Furbee know where his boundaries were.

Sophie has adjusted nicely - sitting at the feet of Dixie and Sassy's papa while he works on the computer, and sitting behind their mama to feed off her protective, motherly, feminine energy just as any good girl would do. The girls, Dixie and Sassy are adjusting to the new, temporary tenants; Furbee and Sophie, but they will all miss each other once the adventure comes to a head in a couple weeks. At least now the shih-tzus will have new friends to explore the Central Oregon territory with.

What do you see?! What do you see?!

Furbee & Sophie on look-out patrol. (Filename: P1020037.jpg)

Furbee (left) and Sophie (right) like to see what's going on outside the truck when they're going bye-bye. In this particular situation, they were waiting for mama to come out of an appointment.

Whether at home or waiting in the truck for their Mama, the shih-tzu's like to be asked, "What do you see?!", especially Sophie. When you ask the question, they look around as-if they're expecting you to scout interesting sights on their behalf. Of course, even better than just looking around - they like to walk around - exploring new places and things, but when it's cold out - they just look out from within the same confines of climate control as shown here.

Furbee's favorite thing to see is kittens while Sophie's favorites are squirrels, birdies and other small animals in-general. Furbee likes kitty's because he used to visit a kitty-friend's house where he would play with a cute kitten that would paw his face. Even dogs (like Furbee) can find other animals to be cute. When asked, "What do you see?" Sophie looks out windows to look for birdies or squirrels. When asked, "What do you smell" - she wiggles her nose to smell the air and usually, simultaneously shows her two teeth.