Public Service Announcement: Proper Grooming

My friends, I'm blogging today to stress the importance of proper Shih Tzu grooming.  You can't just take us to the groomer every 8 weeks and torture us with baths occasionally at home.  You've gotta brush our furs, too.

• Even when we don't like it and have a fit about it.
• Even when moms are crazy busy at work, working long hours.
• Even when moms are on multiple business trips in a single month.
• Yes, even during holiday trips to grandma's house.

Let my recent torture be an example to you of why brushing is important.  You see, when you don't get your tail brushed -- and when it's constantly wagging -- mats form.  And mats in your tail are nasty and they can get ouchy.  And you know how to fix a badly matted tail???  You can't.  Instead, THIS happens:

That's right.  I have a shaved, nearly-naked tail now.  No big floofy tail anymore.

It's so embarrassing.

I have definitely voiced my displeasure at Mom over this atrocity.  It's just ridiculous.

Let me show you just how bad this is for my floofy furs.  Here's what I looked like the morning of my groomer appointment:

  

And here's a picture from the morning after.  Naked tail.  No floof to wag.

I suppose I shouldn't give Mom all of the blame since I don't like to be brushed anyway.  She feels terrible, too, of course.  She says every time my little naked tail wags it says to her, "You're a bad mommy. You're a bad mommy."

But it IS nice to have those nasty mats gone.  And it's easier to wag now that my tail is more aerodynamic. And let's face it...this certainly hasn't impaired my ability to roll on toys...

(Or to roll "near" toys, I guess...)

(My aim was a little off...but I was sure enjoying the moment!)

And a shaved tail doesn't impact my ability to nap, either.  Napping is important, you know.

So take a lesson from Mom and I.  Brush your tail.  Brush it regularly.  Please.

This concludes my Public Service Announcement.

P.S. Do you think they make hair extensions for doggie furs???

Ack! Groomer!

I thought I was safe. I thought I had won the War of the Groomer. I was super-duper shaggy and Mom hadn't made me go to the groomer in a long, long time. Imagine my horror, then, when she took me there this week. ACK!

I went from LOTS of shaggy fur to almost no fur. I feel practically naked now!

WHY did they cut off all of my shaggy furs?! Sure, I'm super cute now, but is that really necessary?

Even my belly is naked!

The worst part of the groomer trip, however, was what the silly groomer did to my poor, poor tail. My tail was really fluffy. I AM a Shih Tzu, you know. We have fluffy tails! And Mom and I loved my shaggy tail! But look at what it looks like now...


Yep...the groomer SHAVED part of my tail!!! She told Mom that I had some mats in it. I think she just got confused and thought I was a poodle or a lion. After all, that's the tail that I have now...a lion's tail or a poodle's tail.

Need proof? Just look at this comparison...


See? My tail isn't a Shih Tzu tail anymore! I'm a lion now! Or a poodle. (Lions are more ferocious, though, so I'm sure my squeakies think I'm a lion...)

I hope my tail grows back fast. Stupid groomer.