Wordless Wednesday: Millie's Ice Cream Cone

I always knew Millie was smart. Amidst a sea of toys to choose from, she singles out the ice cream cone in today's heat. Hope you're staying cool today!

Thank you, Samantha.

Back in February, I introduced you all to Kelso, the Shih Tzu that started it all. She was my first Shih Tzu, with us for 18 years (!), watching me grow up. When Kelso was six (and I was 14), she had a litter of puppies – four sweet baby Shih Tzu’s, two of which we would keep: Spike and Samantha. Spike is still with us (he is 15 now), and lives with my parents, but four years ago tomorrow, we lost our sweet Sammy girl to congestive heart failure.

In honor of Sammy’s life, I’d like to share with you all just a little bit about this sweet girl who has meant so much to me.

Samantha was the gentlest, kindest dog we’d ever had. She was a friend to absolutely everybody she met, hopping up in a lap whenever the opportunity presented itself. But don’t be fooled – Sammy had a mischievous side too. You may have heard me call Millie the Stealth Bomber. This originated as Sammy’s alter ego. In her 11 years, she never saw the value of pottying outside when a perfectly good carpet inside would do the trick.

Sammy chasing her brother down!

Her best friend was her brother Spike, and she taunted him mercilessly, as siblings do. She didn’t care much about toys, but Spike did, so she would steal them from him just because it would irritate him. And if he had a toy that she wanted to steal from him, she used the tried and true “bite him in the ass until he drops it” maneuver. Poor Spike.

Bad hair day.

Samantha wasn’t graceful or beautiful (if you’d ask the AKC, that is). She was always disheveled like she’d been out all night on a binger.  She had various health problems (seizures, a heart murmur, a slipped disc and the resulting paralysis that the wonderful vets at Virginia Tech miraculously fixed). But she was, of course, a beautiful, perfect girl in our eyes.

When she wasn’t even a year old, Sammy had puppies (Word to the wise, spay your pets at 6 months. We thought she was too young to get pregnant – boy were we wrong). My parents were out of town when she went into labor, so my 16-year-old older sister and I helped to deliver the puppies. I can still remember sitting on the laundry room tile when Sammy jumped into my lap, let out a huge yelp, and out came a pup. Right in my lap. It was gross and amazing all at once.

I considered her my guardian angel. She was with me at a time in my life where I needed a friend, and she never failed. (Show me one dog that would. I’m betting you can’t.) I am forever grateful to her.

Four years later, I still think about Sammy often. I suspect I always will. The joy and laughter she brought into our lives is immeasurable. Thank you, Samantha.

Love always,

Layne, Kelley, Mom & Dad

My freshman year of college at orientation, we were supposed to bring a photo to share with our new classmates.
This is the one I brought.

A classic Sam-Spike face-off.

Sammy with my sister (L) and me (R).

Sammy with my Mom & Dad.

My beautiful girl.

After Sammy passed, my Mom made a keepsake box for me that I keep right on my desk. That's her collar on the front.

My guardian angel.

Cool Off with Banjo in the Snow!

In cleaning up my computer the other day, I stumbled across this old video. It's supposed to be near 100 degrees for the next 4 days... I hope you're staying cool today like Beag-ie Smalls!



Flashback: Banjo in the Snow from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

Mildred Charged with Vandalism

Busted on Millie Cam.

Banjo and Millie are Pinterested

You've probably heard of Pinterest already, but in case you haven't (I've been a late adopter on this one), let me introduce you. Pinterest is the digital equivalent the cork boards of yore that we used to adorn with all the cool things we used to pull out of fashion magazines, cookbooks, etc. You can save absolutely anything you want to your Pinterest from the entire world wide web. It's really cool. Of course, I have a Pin Board that is dedicated to dog items (whether they are for the dogs, or for humans). You can check out all my fun doggie finds from around the web here. 


There. Now you can join in my obsession. Good luck getting anything done now! <evil laugh> Enjoy!

A Total Surrender to the Dog Crazies

In case there was any doubt, my entire family is dog crazy (though I may take the cake for being the most vocal), and that includes my parents. So when they came up to visit us and brought us a custom Millie cake (for no reason other than it was cute and resembled Millie), that seems totally normal, right?

It's funny, because this cake genuinely brought a smile to my face. Of course it was cute, but it was more so the fact that I share this love and obsession with my family. They get it. And while others may look on at me as "that crazy dog lady," (which at one point in my life I may have tried to hide or at least downplay to some degree), I somehow don't feel the need to justify the outrageous dog obsession that I have inherited. I'm obsessed and proud.

Tell me, do you have any crazy dog-person tendencies that you're proud of?

So you think YOU can dance?

Is it just me, or is this one of the smartest (and most amusing) dogs you've ever seen? This dog needs an agent.

(Nearly) Wordless Wednesday: A Belated Happy 4th of July!

Ok, I know we're a couple of days late in wishing you all a Happy Fourth, but better late than never, right? Banjo and Millie wore red gingham bandannas that I made (and by made, I mean, I bought fabric and cut it into triangles) to show their patriotism. All in all, a highly eventful day, as you can see.

We know we're gorgeous.

This bandanna looks more like a tie...

Mmmm. Bandanna.

It's exhausting being this cute.

Shih Tzu Barking Frenzy

While staying with her Mom and siblings, Millie witnessed her first barking frenzy. If you know anything about shih tzus, you probably know that they like to bark. Little dogs, big voices. And once one starts barking, the others absolutely must join in or else the universe might implode. But in our house, Millie is surrounded by the world's quietest beagle (also a rarity), so she never learned to bark for no apparent reason. If you watch in this video, Millie is standing around with siblings Brie, Wally & Penny as they bark at poor old Spike (who if you listen closely, you can hear growling back). As I watch, I'm fascinated, because Millie actually doesn't join the frenzy. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't think Millie knows she's a shih tzu. She doesn't bark. She likes water. She definitely doesn't know she's a shih tzu.

Shih Tzu Barking Frenzy from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.

Upon returning from vacation, we learn which dog REALLY loves us.

I know, I know. I've taken OVER an entire week off. Closer to two weeks actually. That might be the longest I've gone without obsessively posting since I started this blog nearly a year ago. I'm sure you all anxiously awaited my return didn't notice my absence, but I certainly missed all of you and blabbing on and on about Banjo & Millie. But I had a good reason!

On a boat in Antigua.

You see, my husband and I just celebrated our one-year anniversary. And he whisked me away to Antigua! So while I sunned on a tropical sandy beach, drinking Antiguan Rum Punch and gazing out over the most beautiful turquoise waters (if you care to be jealous, see photo at left), poor Banjo and Millie had to stay behind.

And though I had not a care in the world for a good solid week, I did certainly miss the pups. In fact, I talked about them to complete strangers, shared photos, and the husband and I even carried on with our usual ridiculous odes to Banjo and Millie that we have so cleverly replaced key lyrics with their names. Needless to say, they were sorely missed. So in my mind, the feeling was reciprocated...

Banjo hiding out.

It turns out that was only half true. While we were away, Banjo and Millie stayed with my parents. If you recall, my parents have 3 other shih tzus - Delaney (Millie's Mom), Penny (Millie's sister), and Spike (no relation). And it just so happened that my sister was out of town too, and left her two shih tzus with my parents as well, Wally and Brie (Millie's brother and sister). So the house had 7 dogs, and Millie had an absolute field day. But poor Banjo, being the anti-social dog that he is, didn't enjoy himself quite as much. While he loves people, he finds other dogs irritating, so you can imagine 6 crazy shih tzus running in circles around him wasn't exactly his cup of tea (see photo at right).

Penny & Millie playing their hearts out.

But when both dogs returned home on Saturday, I quickly learned that Millie had forgotten all about me amidst all the fun of staying with the grandparents, and was even depressed to be home (see photo left). Ouch! And here I was thinking she missed me, when I'm not quite sure she noticed our absence. But Banjo on the other hand was ecstatic to be home, away from the chaos of 6 barking mad shih tzus!

Best Friends from Banjo and Millie on Vimeo.