Oh, I guess I am one of those…

barrelmakersdaughter.com ♦ June 20, 2012 ♦ 5 Comments

I guess I am one of those… little-dog people. Being on my fourth Shih Tzu (see photo proof of Jin-Jin, the Wonder Dog), I think I should have come to this realization earlier, but until now I have always said that I am a dog person. It’s actually much more specific than that. I cannot contain myself and must speak baby-talk to any diminutive doggy I see. I don’t say this with pride; I’m just stating a fact.

I am usually a very focused person. That is, unless a petite pooch makes its way into my line of sight. Immediately, I develop ADHD and all I can think about, talk about, coo about, is that little ball of fluff.

There was a time in my life that I was drawn to larger dogs: specifically Golden Retrievers. It was during my teens and I yearned for one. We had a Welsh Terrier at the time, but I longed for a Golden. Right before my freshman year of high school ended, my parents told me we were moving from Illinois to Minnesota. I was devastated. As a nerdy introvert, I was just finally recovering from our move in the MIDDLE of 4th grade (that’s a fun transition–mid school-year) and was actually excited for my sophomore year of high school. Now I had to start over again?! I quickly asked if I could please get a Golden Retriever puppy when we moved to make up for the horrible injustice of the situation. The answer of yes made the move a slightly easier pill to swallow. However, the promised puppy never materialized. The reason I remember being given was that the new house was too “fancy” to have a puppy (I invite my parents to correct that memory if I am wrong!) I buried that desire for a big dog so far down it has never resurfaced. From then on, it’s been teeny dogs all the way.

Mai Lyn, the first Shih Tzu, was acquired when I was a young newlywed. We bought a house a year after we married, and we picked her out right before moving in. She was followed nine-or-so-months later by Dickens, who I brought home in a Moses basket. (Clearly, I had strong mothering instincts and really needed a child.) Dickens arrived on or close to the day we threw Mai Lyn a 1st birthday party (please refer to previous parenthetical statement.) Many years later, my third Shih Tzu, Jasmine, came to live with me when I was single again; she was six and had terrible separation anxiety when I got her. She needed me, and I her, so it was a perfect match. That brings us to the aforementioned Jin-Jin, The Wonder Dog. She was a 40th birthday present, promised to me before she was even born. She and her littermates arrived on May 19th that year, the same date that both my mom and dad were born, so she is extra special to me. She is nine now, although you’d never guess it from her size, playfulness and personality. She is a character.

It’s not just my little dog I’m crazy about. If you’ve got one, I am going to go gaga over it, too. When walking, I cannot pass a small dog on its owners leash without commenting on how cute it is. And if I am driving past you when you are walking a tiny pooch, please know that I am not crazy as you see my lips moving while I look at your dog from inside my car. I am merely telling him or her, “What a cute baby you are! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!” See? Not crazy at all–perfectly sane!

Lest I be judged too harshly as a little-dog person, I feel I must mention and clarify that I am not a person who dresses up Jin-Jin, the Wonder Dog in canine clothing. Because while I am one of those, I am definitely not one of THOSE!