Ah well, can always enter the dog in the Chinese Crested class where s/he will be in the company of loads of other dogs who have been shaved.
"This behaviour is completely unacceptable," said Chairman of magistrates Nicholas Moss to defendant Adam Davey, 26. "You do not treat other people's property including a harmless pet in this fashion."
Of course you don't. Absolutely shameful.
It's a bit like taking someone else's child to the barber and shaving its head, apart from the fact that such a sudden shock will cause real suffering in this cold weather. I can't believe you're not shocked.
ReplyDeleteI can't stop laughing. Hope the bald little ShiTzu gets to be a real dog for a bit while the hair grows back. That and shaving gives a good clear look at structure.
ReplyDeleteYes! I imagine it will be a relief for the dog to be able to run around unencumbered by all that hair
DeleteAm I right in thinking that you are going out and about in just your underwear, Jo, whatever the weather, because it's "such a relief to be unencumbered by protection"? Having to then provide the dog with an artificial coat for protection rather than its natural one has defeated the object.
DeleteDogs which have hair which sheds as opposed to a woolly coat which doesn't, should never be clipped. (Poodle-type coats which don't shed require clipping as a welfare issue.) It ruins the texture of the coat making proper grooming much more difficult and removing the weatherproof topcoat can cause health issues such as chilling.
Eh? Loads of people keep Shih Tzus in a short pet trim.
DeleteLoads of people's dogs are overweight, or are left crated all day. Just because it's common practice doesn't mean it's good practice.
DeleteYou can often see with the pet trims that they've made a mess of the hair and it ends up even more prone to knotting. Also most in that trim I see are often wearing coats.
Deleteyes and most of them wear coats .. not their own but "purchased ones' all cute and expensive.. what is wrong with the dogs natural coat? which is long and flowing..
Delete"pet trims' are for lazy people who for some off reason want a dog with long hair that they can cut it off..
Cyn are you saying only short haired dogs are 'real dogs'?
if so you need an education in the history of dogs..the Shih-Tzu naturally has a long double coat.
Jemima is reaching for straws at this one..
Ha Ha. No obviously I don't go out naked.
DeleteYour're right trimming does affect the texture of the coat, but this breed and many other toy breeds can have eye problems, so trimming their faces helps keep them clean and prevents the hair from irritating. The fact is that despite the history of this breed, their hair occured through human intervention, not naturally. Also the majority of Shih-Tzu's do not live with Chinese royalty but in centrally-heated homes and are taken for walks through fields and parks, where dare I say it? Long, flowing coats just aren't that practical. In any case, trimming a coat isn't cruel, it doesn't hurt the dog, any more than four hours of baths and brushes before a dog show.
The fact is that humans put a lot of labels on dogs:
Schnooky Wookums, Killer, Champion. But a dog just wants to be, well, a dog; despite its noble history. And if trimming a coat short means it can run through woods and dig holes without the owner having coronary about its hair then I say all the better. But of course that is just my opinion.
I would expect trimming hair short around the face would make it more likely to stick in eyes and irritate it. You can have a coated dog and keep it at a sensible length without scalping it.
DeleteRegularly trimming the hair is just an option if you don't fancy a top-knot and I'm not saying scalp the poor dog, just trim the hair short - i.e 'a sensible length'; there is a difference.
DeleteI agree with Mary. Going from a lot of hair to being shaved can be physically traumatic in cold weather. I have a shih tzu who doesn't even have very long hair to begin with - I keep it less than in inch long - but I recently had him groomed and had his hair clipped relatively short, and he's now shivering even indoors - and I live in Southern California!
ReplyDeleteI would hope that the Shih tzus owner will provide it with a jacket and make sure it is kept warm, oh and the boyfriend gets to sleep on the floor without a blanket!
ReplyDeleteI like the new Format by the way, very smart.
Jemima back to your old habit of petty and snipy, no wonder the rest of the dog world have shut the door on you, well you could write more rubbish for Beverly Catty's tired out mag. However I suspect you are tryingto work out how to hijack Crufts for your own self publicity again.
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh at Anon 23.34's remarks. Anyone who thinks the preparation required to 'present' the chinese crested for show anything other than laughable must need their head examined. The sensible dog world have far from turned their backs on Jemima, just the one's with their heads in the sands, or their backs to watch.
ReplyDelete"Hell hath no fury like a (wo)man scorned", to almost quote Shakespear. Sounds like the guy was sore at coming second in the lady's affections behind the shih-tzu. Sounds like that was no more than he deserved. For her, as we say after winning nil at Crufts every year, despite JH "there's always next year".
ReplyDeleteWell, dogs are a reflection of the owners.... and apparently a creative outlet for many of them as well?
ReplyDeleteTrue, and is it not a sound principle that owners may treat their pets as they wish, provided it does not cause suffering? This post's principle seems to be "provided it doesn't look silly to JH". In a world where unmade beds, pickled sharks and garden sheds are considered art, are clean-shaven dogs really the silliest things around?
DeleteI watched the film of the poor little puppy being clipped and shaved and then taken off to have its ears taped.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was that if there is such a thing as reincarnation, I most definitely do not want to come back as as a show quality Chinese Crested.
Is there any reason why you show an American video and suggest that UK dogs, as your Crufts reference alludes, receive the same treatment?
ReplyDeleteTis OK
ReplyDeleteShe has forgiven him and they are trying to rebuild their relationship.
According the the Daily Mail......so it MUST be true right?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261717/Dog-owner-feared-pet-run-lawnmower-boyfriend-shaved-it.html
I hate this new fashion for dogs of boutique clothes for them, far more cruel in my book.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, of course the UK dogs are completely different and don't need to be shaved to be hairless. It's just the American ones!
ReplyDeleteYeah, right. They shave Chinese cresteds in the USA, they shave them in Finland, and my friends in the UK shave theirs.
Aaaaw You feeling bad Jemimma that the Chinese Cresteds passed all vet checks at Champ shows proving no shave/ clipper marks.Dragging up old stories lol Note the hairiness of said pup on video--nothing like a Shih Tzu coat Grow up and move on
ReplyDeleteWhy shave himself instead of Shit-zu's hair? That's not a good attitude after all! Proper dog grooming is different from a drunk man shaving his dog.
ReplyDeleteI always wonder how does it affect to dog's senses when facial hair is trimmed away. In my opinion, whiskers sould be left alone.
ReplyDelete