At first our new dog was a bit skittish. Having a home and being around people was all new to him. He had lived his life in a kennel, and was not accustomed to life as a pet. He was a breeder and had sired several litters already. Part of the deal when we adopted was that he could not be bred and had to be neutered. We were good with that as we didn’t need a little Romeo running around trying to hump things that didn’t need humping.

The next order of business was house breaking. He made a few mistakes at first, lifting his tiny leg to mark his territory, but he was amazingly quick to learn about going outside. Honey walks him several times a day and he anoints mailbox posts, telephone poles, and cable TV boxes. We tried to crate train him as that is supposed to be the easiest way to housebreak. But he was not having being locked in a cage. So we returned the cage to the pet store and he sleeps happily in bed with his humans.

He is the sweetest dog ever, even cuter than his pictures, and very smart. He has learned to walk on a leash outside and does not whine or yap constantly like some small dogs. We didn’t hear him bark for a long time, but when he did, it was a hugh bark for such a small dog. He warmed up to us quickly, kissing us profusely when he realized he was loved and had a forever home. Although he is small, he has a hugh personality and is such a good boy we can’t believe it.

His birth name was Blaze, but I didn’t like that as it sounds like a horse. After days of pondering every name we could think of, we finally settled on Simba. Names like Peanut make him seem too small. Cooper was a close second choice. Honey liked Pluto; I liked Rocky. We settled on Simba as the ShihTzu breed is called lion-hearted. They belonged to Budist Monks historically and were bred to be pets, not working dogs.

Simba had his first checkup with the vet and has an appointment to be neutered and chipped. He has started obedience training and quickly learned to sit on command. His favorite thing, other than peanut butter treats, is following Honey around the house or napping on his lap. Dogs are pack animals and we are his pack.

He does not replace the pet that we lost. You never really get over such a loss. But he has returned a part of life that was missing. The empty hole in our hearts is now full. He has brought joy back to our home.

Copyright 2024 Sheila Moss