Patient or not? A dog waits as his owner chats at the farmers market in Blarney on St. Patrick’s Day this year. More Photos.

Oscar our Shih Tzu is as comfortable in snow as he is in any other extreme weather. He’d rather be indoors in the warmth! It snowed heavily and steadily today in Blarney. We took Adam out in it after wrapping him up warm and he played with the kids down the road, throwing snow around,…

My dog Oscar shows his appreciation for recycling efforts to save the world.

We attended a beautiful christening in Fermoy today and afterwards it was off to Mitchelstown where we joined the other guests in a light lunch of finger food and sandwiches. Loved that apple tart afterwards. Yum! This is our shih tzu, Oscar, who we took along for the drive. After the main course was over…

The Happy Shih Tzu Our Shih Tzu, Oscar, received a long overdue grooming today. Here he is on the 10th of December 2007. Can you imagine how much more hair grew since then? Yes, this photo is very similar to this beach photo. They were taken moments apart. I’m running low on prepared images, it’s…

Shih Tzu in flight My Shih Tzu Oscar just after he picked up the ball I threw for him! Most dogs have a strong fetch instinct but Oscar’s was hidden away until we discovered it earlier this year. Now he loves the phrase "where’s the ball Oscar?"

Shih Tzu and the Ball Shih Tzu dogs love to play ball! We only found this out after a dog trainer came to the house and “ruffled his fur” a bit and in the process Oscar became a lot more relaxed. Now he adores playing ball and even one mention of, “where’s the ball?” and…

The groomed Shih Tzu Our pet Shih Tzu, Oscar, has been suffering under the unusual August weather. It’s actually quite warm, and his long coat is more useful for colder weather. So this morning we had him groomed and doesn’t he look cute?

Sssh! my dog was nowhere near your private property! My shih tzu Oscar can’t read. “Private property” signs mean nothing to him but thankfully nobody was around when he wandered into this large garden!

Eye of the Shih Tzu This is Oscar, our Shih Tzu. He has been a part of our family for just over a year now and he’s very devoted to my wife Jacinta. He loves playing with me too, but I know who he’d save from a sinking ship! We were worried what would happen…

Dog in a lampshade Poor Oscar. It’s not bad enough that he got the snip but he had to wear what looks to all the world like a lampshade for two weeks. This was only a week after he moved in with us last Summer and the poor fella was not impressed. Thankfully he got…

Dog on the beach Oscar ambling along on the beach at Garretstown in Co. Cork. He never liked the beach, there’s just too much dirt and gravel and sand and just plain yuck, but he had a great time that evening. I don’t think Shih-Tzus are the most adventurous of dogs! Compare this picture with…