My boy was so good sitting inside this homemade costume and greeting the trick-or-treaters 🎃

Yesterday, I had to make the most difficult decision of my life. When we get them as puppies we don't think about them, old and frail, suffering in pain from whatever nature decides to strike them down with. We see the light in their eyes, their warm wet tongue on our cheeks and the kind of companionship they offer that you just can't get anywhere else. Their soulful eyes and their warm faces cuddling against us as we hold them close will be forever etched in our hearts.

Chandler was my first shihtzu. I had always wanted a shihtzu ever since I was a little girl, they reminded me of ewoks from Star Wars. When I was 37 years old, fresh out of multiple surgeries for my Crohn's disease, I took a trip across Pennsylvania to meet with a breeder. My mom was buying herself a little shihtzu she had spied that her breeder friend was selling. Beige fur, dark face and a happy little expression, Chandler was the name my mom picked out for him. He weighed only 1lb but he was full of life, wild and nippy like most pups but easy to forgive for his playful assaults. Chandler immediately took to me, climbing in my lap, rolling around trying to bite my hands and melting my heart instantly. I knew he was mine before we even left the place to make the trek home. My mom kept teasing me saying, "Hey don't you steal my puppy!" Which is exactly what I did as Chandler and I became the bestest of friends immediately.

I used every excuse to take him to my room as I laid in my bed and played with him, letting him cuddle up next to me after he tuckered himself out. I would lean down and inhale the way he smelled, that new puppy smell that is just so irresistible to most. And as he slept I would gently stroke his little fat belly just to feel the small softness of his life beneath my hand. Small and fragile, I swore to protect him with my life and to give him everything I had and was. He was my heart now, the one who would never break it, the one who would always be there for me.

As the years went on we grew only closer with each passing day, our bond that of provider and ward, mother and son. His favorite food was McDonald's nuggets and even though I knew that it wasn't good for him, I would sneak him some because I loved the way his eyes lit up with excitement when I handed him a small piece. He grew and grew, not much for a little guy, but enough that he reached 7lbs. His favorite activity was to follow me to the bathroom and steal all of my sanitary napkins and throw them all over the floor. I let him because I knew he was having fun.

He was there for me through my broken engagement, my many Crohn's flares, and all the times I just couldn't handle the world. We would sit and watch CSI on Hulu and my family was just tickled by the fact that if he heard the theme song he would react to it. He loved his bed, which just so happened to be mine, and would beg to go up with a heating pad just to snuggle with me while I relaxed. At night he would demand I lift up my covers and let him suck up my body heat while we slept. His favorite game was when I put a sock on my hand and he would attack me and try to steal it.

But much like time ages humans, he began to slow down. Yearly vet visits turned into twice a year when I noticed he was losing his hearty appetite. Blood panels revealed that my little man was suffering from the start of kidney disease. It was now my job to make him comfortable and pain free, which I did faithfully every day. As his appetite diminished more over the next year or two I gave him whatever foods he wanted but his poor little body still began to wither.

I promised myself I would not let him suffer at the end, that I would listen to his body language. So when I saw that he couldn't drink or eat much, I knew his time was coming. With a heavy heart and ignoring my own wants to selfishly prolonge his life, I took him to the vets. His blood panel showed that he was in renal failure. I looked him in the eye and asked him quietly, "Are you ready, my little baby? Is it time?" His little pained brown eyes seems to answer, "It's ok mommy, I'm ready."

I held him close in my arms, his little head placed softly on my arm, as he closed his eyes and left me peacefully. My choice to euthanize was to spare him the pain of death that his renal failure would cause him, letting him drift off like the wind. And I will never forget how deeply a little 7 lb ball of fur touched my life for 11 years. And how I never knew how much love little brown eyes could express with just a glance. There is a hole in my heart now that will never be filled but I know I will see him again... at night... when I close my eyes, my darling little Chandler.

Cubby had a long day - but next to pops, they are the kings of the couch!!!!

These are my girls freshly groomed on Halloween. Molly is the black & white girl, she is 7 and very sweet but scared of rain and all loud noises (we live in WA). Mazie is my little 3 yr old lazy butt who isn't phased by anything and sleeps until noon.

And she’s really quite anxious about it and won’t settle

Bjorn on the right, Journey on the left. They both took their costumes off in the car, before they even got to daycare 🤣🤣.

Seriously, i created an account here just to ask about that. I have a 3yr old female that just decided peeing at the edges of her training pads instead of the center. We been using the same pad brand for quite a while.

And not only peeing but also the feces... That's driving me crazy as it started out of nowhere. I just bought a new pack of pads with less layers. I'm wondering if she's finding it "way too soft".

She seems to "aim" at the edges and never misses it🤦

In case anyone might want to follow https://www.instagram.com/mochibobalulu_theshihtzus?igsh=aDJxc29iMzAxcmdl

She was trying to lick her thing while I was not looking. This was her reaction the moment I checked her. 😂

Did he get switched while I left him with the groomer ?? 🤣🤣

Bruno 4 months old then and 1 year now

Tiny laziness

For those curious we played the the floor lottery in removing carpet and are still working on getting the glue from the subfloor up 🤷‍♀️😂

Sorry if this has been posted before. I'm still a relatively new owner and a shih Tzu is my first dog ever. My 5 month gal has learned to climb up and down the stairs but then I stopped taking her down the stairs because I had some internal anxiety about what if this causes health issues (like IVDD, luxating platella or arthritis?) makes her more susceptible to developing anything earlier rather than later?

I just want to make sure that I'm not harming my little girl unintentionally and want to be the best dog mom I can be. For now I have been taking her down the stairs in our apartment but when we go home after a walk she is adamant on climbing up the stairs.

Is it okay?