Zuzi's Tail: A Furry Bundle of Love: Zuzi 2
Dogs are our best friends and loyal companions. When Tzu-Lyn (Zuzi 1) passed on at the age of 14 1/2, it broke my heart, and I decided I could not go through the emotional pain of putting another Poodle or Shih-Tzu to sleep.
I should not have gone shopping to the mall two weeks ago, but when I met this ten-week old puppy she stole my heart and I brought her home.
Zuzi does not know her three pounds of feisty fur when she plays. She thinks she is a bigger dog especially with her needle-like almost teeth that attack my ankles and steal my slipper and chew on her stuffed toys and anything else she deems appropriate.
When she stares at me with those big expressive eyes there is no such word as: No! It is amazing to see her behavioral traits at such a tender age. She was bred by Tibetan Monks to be a lap dog, a cross between a Lhasa Apso and a Pekingese. Some believe the Dalai Lama presented the Empress of China, Tzu Hsi, in the 1860s with a pair of these breeding dogs. Shih-Tzu means "lion dog."
Later, a British woman took some of these dogs back to England with her in the 1960s and eventually they arrived in the USA. When I rub her tummy and sing: "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window." she falls asleep in my arms like a human baby.
I could not believe how fast those little legs could run when I took her to the park and started jogging. When I am busy writing at my computer she will bark and stand on her hind legs and wave her front paws at me to get my attention, to the point I melt and pick her up and stop working.
Zuzi's ears perk up at the sound of any loud noise and she stares at me for security. She also cuddles into my neck at night and falls asleep while I get a crunch in my neck. I must have lost ten pounds the 
last few days by waking up at 2:00 AM feedings, 3:00 AM playtime, and walking around the room hoping on just one slipper, and bending down to change potty pads.
Here are some photos of my new adorable, sweet-faced holy terror, puppy who is now in charge of my life.
She wishes all my readers a Happy Spring, full of butterflies, yellow daffodils, and hope in this crazy mixed-up world she is trying to understand.
—Alinka Zyrmont
Zuzi 1 with Rudy