TRIBUTE TO ANGEL AND GYPSY

Gypsy Rose Lee was my very first shih Tzu. A black and white girl about 10 pounds. I had wanted a Shih Tzu since about the age of 12. I finally got my beloved Gypsy at the age of 20, only 3 months after my daughter Jessica was born. I knew basically nothing about the breed at that time. She had an umbilical hernia and a badly undershot jaw but we all loved her for her outgoing sweet temperament. Gypsy was a great dog. She was in our life for 13 years.   She went everywhere with us, kept my kids entertained, bolstered my love for the breed and helped raise others babies. She was there when I needed to cry and when I laughed and the kids could roll all over her and she was great with them. She loved the 4 legged babies. She ultimately lost control of her bladder and developed tumors all over her body. I regret to this day leaving her with my ex husband when I left him.  I asked him to put her to sleep for me because I couldn't bare to do it. She died in 1997.

Panda's Little Angel was born in Nov of 1993 and also a black and white. Can you tell what my favorites use to be? She was born to one of my girls, Panda.  Panda developed an infection from a retained placenta and had to be put to sleep when the puppies were only 3 days old. There were 2 puppies in the litter, so I became mom to both. I took them everywhere with me, I bottle and tube fed them every 2 to 3 hours in the beginning spacing it out 4 to 6 hours as they got older. They slept in a crate by my bed, so I would hear them as soon as they started to get hungry. I walked around with them in my bra to keep them warm.  Besides having 2 real kids to take care of, I now had 2 new born babies, needless to say I didn't get much sleep. Plus I still worked.  As their personalities developed I became extremely attached to both puppies. I sold them both, before they were 4 weeks old, I knew I couldn't keep them both. Then at 6 weeks little Angel got hurt and had a little blue spot on her eye that the vet said may or may not make her blind later on. She never went blind , by the way. The lady didn't want her after that, which was just fine with me, I already wanted to keep her anyway. She stayed here till the day she died at the age of 14 1/2 just this past March 2007. She always went with us everywhere. She went to work with me when we owned a gas station and slept in my briefcase. Just before she would have her babies she would go into my kids rooms and get 3 stuffed animals and place them in her crate as they were placed in her crate as she grew up. One against each side and one against the back. I never got over how funny it was to watch her do that. The way she was raised, she raised her babies as well.  Just like Gypsy she loved all the puppies weather they were her's or not. If I put one of the moms out she would go get in their pen and bed down with the pups. I thought she would be a bad mom never having a real doggy mom, but she was the best mom ever to all puppies. She thought she was a person not a dog. If we were eating she always got her share of the good stuff for her. If we ignored her she would bark at us and let us know that she was there. She thought she was human and we pretty much did too.  Angel left this world pretty much like she entered it. With me feeding her every meal, holding her body up to go potty, carrying her everywhere because she could no longer walk. I couldn't stand it any longer.... with tears running down my face, me holding her wrapped up in a blanket ,with her big eyes looking at me, she went to sleep forever.

Misty  is only about 4 years old and she is still alive, but I feel she needs mentioned here because she was a very special girl to me. She now lives with a great woman who keeps me updated on her. I will have one more litter from her in the future.  Misty is a gold and white girl that needs lots of attention. This is why she now lives with another lady where she can get that one on one attention she needs. She is the most loving girl I have ever seen. I have never had a dog like her before, she was born in Oklahoma and resided here with her sister until about a year ago.  At a young age, I knew there was something special about Misty, She would climb on our back and lay her paws on our back if our back was hurting, once I had a bad stomach ache and she laid on my stomach that's when I knew she had a special gift to identify with peoples pain and try to help that person. If someone was feeling bad or upset in the family she would gravitate to them. Once I had to put another moms babies with her which she accepted immediately. I hesitate to say this but  since others have told me the same thing about their puppies from her, I feel she has a special talent to sense  pain in people; emotional and physical. So I honor her here.  She is truly a special dog I will never forget.