Rescued from the streets of Korea to newest Fluff Dog Crew member: Meet Daphne the Shih Tzu

I had no intention on getting a third dog. Yet, two weeks ago I came across the face you see above on my favorite rescues website. This little cutie was up for adoption from SASS Rescue and I couldn't get her out of my mind. Her original name was "Owho" and she came all the way to Ohio from Korea. She was taken in by Domo's Friends who rescues dogs in high kill shelters in South Korea. Her early background isn't clear, but she is around 2 years old and a little firecracker of energy. 

Now named "Daphne" after the character from Scooby Doo, she has been a part of our family for a full week now. She is super loving and sweet. Daphne loves to burrow in blankets and is already very attached to me and my husband. She is also super mischievous! Like a cat, she likes to jump up on counters looking for food! 

I look forward to sharing her with everyone and getting her acclimated to her new life. She already knows how to take a great photo and be a perfect snuggle buddy.

From Puppy Mill Survivor to Spoiled in Suburbia: Meet Molly the Shih Tzu

Our family had never rescued before. All of our dogs had come from breeders. Some we learned later were not reputable to say the least. After being so involved on social media for a while, we were learning that the stigma of rescue and shelter dogs weren't always accurate. There are instances when best intentions don't work out, but we kept seeing so many happy stories. We found that so many wonderful fur babies had adapted and flourished when they became part of a family with love and care. We began following SASS Rescue on Instagram after I had researched for a Shih Tzu rescue here in Ohio. The work that they do for these dogs is incredible. My mother and I literally fall in love with a pup every week! I already had two dogs and was unable to have another at the time when we first saw Molly. After seeing her photo, we had to figure out a way to adopt her. She was a puppy mill survivor, age unknown, with a sweet little tongue that stuck out all the time due to her lack of teeth.

Molly went to live with my parents, brother, and Lucy their Brussels Griffon in October 2015. She was very shy and timid, but eager to embark on her new life. She still makes great strides to this day. She has become such an affectionate and sweet little girl. She loves her cozy beds and blankets, she dances for her meals and enjoys things that the first several years of her life she was deprived of. Rescue dogs are not less than desirable or irreparably damaged. They can and will become wonderful companions and family members if given the time and patience to allow them to thrive.

Our family is so grateful to SASS Rescue for all the love and hard work they put into these amazing pups.

Andis Trim N’ Go: Paw Grooming Tool

I do all of the fluff crew’s grooming myself. I am not a trained dog groomer, but I am a licensed cosmetologist and am a hairstylist as my career.

That being said, Molly is a puppy mill survivor. My mom adopted her from SASS Rescue in Urbana, Ohio in October 2015. Molly took a long time to get used to being bathed and groomed. Now she is actually the best behaved for her grooming sessions out of all four of the crew.

The only aspect of grooming Molly that I hadn’t been able to master was getting the fur off her paw pads and in between her toes. Molly’s paw pads are extremely sensitive and would bleed anytime I attempted to clean them up with trimmers. I resorted to just cutting what I could with scissors.

Here is a before shot of her paw pad:

Last week I had picked up the Andis Trim N’ Go while at the BlogPaws conference. It’s cordless, operates with a “AA” battery and fits nicely inside my palm. I was pleased that it runs very quietly, which is a huge help for grooming a nervous dog. I went to work on Molly’s paws with the trimmer. It cut through the fur with ease and Molly was much less nervous than any other time I have tried to do this. This was the first time all of her paws were shaped up and free of excess fur. I believe that each time I use the Trim N’ Go, Molly will become more and more comfortable with having her paws groomed.

After shot of Molly's paw:

Update: I have currently used this tool on Molly three times and am still getting great results!