Toffee
Shih Tzu - fashion model
Toffee, all 12 pounds of her with a great Shih Tzu bustle to her walk, was brought to a shelter at the age of 8 when her owner went to a nursing home. Perhaps the reason the family wouldn’t keep her was accidents in the house? She had a bladder just crammed full of stones which we had removed the day after her arrival. The stones had done great damage to her bladder wall; it took several months to clear up all the infections left behind. Toffee also has a serious case of “dry eye” which we’ve fought to control, using several eye topicals under regular ophthalmologist supervision. This little girl definitely is high maintenance and expensive which has put off adopters, but her temperament is absolutely the best! She’s tolerant of anything, great in new places, and a super traveling or ride-along companion. Her debut as a runway fashion model was a great success, too (she looked pretty cute in a sparkly tutu – remember we said she’s tolerant!). She loves sitting in the sun or just out in the pasture watching, and making mad dashes back to the house as well, but her flat little face and short little legs make real “walks” a struggle. After all this time, Toffee has decided that her foster mom is “her person” – a great honor. We won’t ask her to change allegiance again and we’ll love her as long as she is comfortable.
Update: After nearly 5 years with her ODH family, Toffee slipped away in the middle of the night as quietly as she could. Too many issues for a stoic little dog but we tried our hardest to beat them and so did she. Toffee had been the Princess here ever since she chose me as her person, and her place will be very hard to fill.