Teddy 2

It is amazing that this sweet little face that is looking for a treat can change so fast.

Not quite so sweet anymore is it? How would you like to try to take that treat away from her? She doesn't get this look for just any treat. My husband is feeding her a clam and clams are one of her most favorite things. Chows were bred in northern China and fed a seafood diet. My last chow was not pure bred and even she loved seafood. When I would make crab legs she would sit by me and cry until I gave her some. Teddy prefers a lot of her seafood still in it's shell. She happily eats shrimp and lobster shells.

Back to sweet again! Many of you asked Teddy questions yesterday and many of you mentioned that you would like to squeeze and hug her. Well, as much as you might like Teddy, Teddy does not necessarily feel the same way about you! Don't take this personally. It is just the nature of chow chows. Even within a family, chows usually bond with one person and stay rather aloof with everyone else. In our family, I am the alpha dog. Teddy listens to me. However, when she has a boo boo, she will not let me near it. She goes to the park with my husband every day but she takes him to the park, not the other way around. If he does something she does not like, she nips him. She loves the Blog Tech and his sister, but all interaction is on her terms. Once again, kennel training would have made life a lot easier with Teddy. For many dogs, kennel training is not a bad thing. In Teddy's case, it would have been ideal. If she had perceived the kennel as her personal space, she might not have felt the need to protect the entire house and property. If you met Teddy walking on the street or in the park, she might let you approach her. Approaching a chow has to be done very carefully though. They do not have good peripheral vision and any quick movement around their faces can elicit a bite. They are also very cautious, so slow movements and a calm low tone to your voice is preferable.

Jane Fonda, taking a nap. This was after Teddy had all of the testing done when she kept having spiking temperatures. You can see her shaved bare belly. They shaved three of her legs and we were vacationing in snow country so I bought heavy socks and cut the bottoms off and made her leg warmers. She actually seemed to like them.

Here is a pic of her in all of her chow stubbornness. It was slushy on the sidewalks and she refused to leave the car. No amount of coaxing could get her out of the car. See that look on her face? When she puts her paw down about something, she sort of tucks her chin down and lets her face folds fall forward. This is a chows version of giving you the stink eye.

Unless she is sleeping, she always lays with one foot pointed out back to make for a quick get up and go. It's like her kick stand.

You can see her three shaved legs. Thank heaven we found out what was wrong with her. She had an IUT infection. How shall I put this.......to avoid this happening again, Teddy now gets a Brazilian in that area.

You can see that Julia Chow is always ready to assist me with cooking.

And hopefully will receive a treat or two.

There is nothing quite as cute as a chow looking down the steps. That is when the chow face is at it's best.

Please drop something mama.

An empty bowl is always a sad moment. That food disappears so fast.

You can see how much thinner Teddy looks before her winter coat grows in. Notice the helicopter ears. When she is outside, her ears are moving constantly, listening for possible intruders.

Teddy loves riding in the car.

Like a restless child, this sometimes lulls her to sleep.