JUST TICKLES MY SOUL

The following was written by my very good friend Janis McGee for an article in Top Notch Toys. The peice was published with a cute photo of her dog which I will try to obtain for the site but for now I think it fitting to put a photo I came accross of Bomer showing us how he felt about the ring on the day the photo was taken. Anyone who shows Shih tzu can appreciate this. I will be adding it to my website as soon as I find the perfect place for it. In the mean time here it is..........



WHAT I’M THINKIN’





Yeah, it’s a beautiful day in downtown Yah-Yah and I see my human
preparing to take me outta my warm and fuzzy surroundings to yet
another noisy place to show off.



“On the road again – I just can’t wait to get on the road again” is
playing on the radio as down the highway we go. Hey up there in the
front, could you go a bit easy on the bumps? Errrrrr, please! Oh
well, guess I better get some shut eye, big weekend coming up.



‘You want me to do what?’ Stay in this pen until when? I know I’ve
been washed, dried and ironed, but you know it would still be great to
get out and run around a bit. Not on the carpet you say – my coat you
say. But you know the carpet absorbs better and my skirt will stay
soooo much cleaner that way. Okay, now you’ve done it – put me
outside the door in this pen and I’ll show you. Don’t tell me to be
quiet – whadda-you-expect, theres lots of people out here lookin’ at
me and making funny faces and talking really strange.



Oh, my goodness, it’s still dark outside, is it really time to get up
and why are you putting me back in that van? Okay – okay, short ride,
that’s good.



Rollin’ rollin’rollin’ keep those doggies rollin’, rollin’ rollin’
rollin’ inside. Hi everybody, I’m here – it’s ME, ME, ME – today is
all about ME! Oops, wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I got this in
the bag.



Now my human is going to do strange and unusual things to me – pretty
grueling, but I’m surely getting used to the beauty treatment. Guess
if they can carry an entire beauty salon and somehow pack it neatly
and logically into a vehicle, then my friends and I can certainly
submit to the occasional indignities which allow us to be the most
breathtakingly beautiful dogs at this show.



Okay, now you’re talkin’ – hey everybody, over here – lookit ME! I
told ya – didn’ I – beauty – pure and simple. Okay – not so simple –
but - beauty none the less. You know, my human said I was supposed
to have arrogant carriage – How’s this?



Carriage – hummm! Do you have to carry so much stuff? A table to put
me on, a pretty cover for the table, a bag full of beauty supplies, a
rope around my neck and golly gee whiz, you’re carrying me like a sack
of potatoes – ugh!



Alrighty then – we’re here. Brush, brush, brush – put that armband on
your arm and yeah –HERE’S JOHNNY!



Now, who’s this and what are they doing. Oh, oh – look at all this
competition. Lovely! I thought I heard an intake of breath – yeah, we
are quite breathtaking, aren’t we? You be the judge. Here we go.



Around and round the ring we go

Some of us fast, some of us slow

There’s those of us who really glow

And those of us that just don’t know

There’s those who really bounce and sway

And those who simply want to play

But I am smooth at natural speed

TO WIN, TO WIN is what I need.

I’m not too big, I’m not too small

I’m not too short and not too tall

My topline is a level place

My profile is thing of grace

My tail is curved up over my back

‘bout perfect mam’ and that’s a fact

My head is as high as it should be

Not sticking out in front of me

We stop and then must go to table

And I must act a bit ‘Clark Gable’

My human helps me strike a pose

Then here you come right at my nose

You take my head within your hands

And probe all through the rubber bands

Sometimes gentle and sometimes not

How much do you need to know what I got?

My head is broad and round you see

It suits the very size of me.

I look at you through large round dark eyes

Keep lookin’ mam, you’ll be surprised

My jaw is broad, my muzzle square

My teeth are pretty and just look at this hair.

My chest is broad and deep – do tell

But not a barrel you know – very well

Now moving on still checking me

I have straight legs like they’re supposed to be.

My shoulders are good, not up under my ears

And check out these elbows, they’ll last me for years

I’m sturdy, short coupled – no physical exaggeration

The grooming is simply human indoctrination

It doesn’t change what is under the hair you see

It’s up to you to find the better parts of me.

I’m supposed to be good, I’m supposed to be sound

If you’ve done your job, I will be found

If you read the Standard, surely you know

I’ll be in the ring – hooray! BEST IN SHOW!

Photo Op – smile.

Okay, enough poetry. Back to the grind now. Ow, ow, getting that
teasing out is really tough sometimes. How many more days did you
say? Fine, I’ll just go to sleep, dream of tomorrow and tomorrow and
tomorrow.



APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE



Thank you and good night – Be careful out there!







Janis Clary McGee

Written – October 15, 2007