Kenji is a sweet Shih Tzu. He is only 3 years old with a happy disposition. He wasn't so thrilled about getting groomed at Fifi's, but that might have been because it was the same day that we pulled him out of a kill shelter. Imagine that, this poor little thing in a kill shelter! How awful that must be. And then take him out, put him in a car, drive him to the groomers, and someone tries to put him under water..... Yeah, I can see how that might have upset him! Somehow or another he managed to fracture his jaw in two places. Our wonderful vets at Tuskawilla Oaks Animal Clinic wired it for him and expect there to be no complications. The wires will be removed late April/early May. Meanwhile, he is racing around acting like nothing is wrong until he gets a wire tangled in the couch. Ouch! His foster mom has had some wonderful insights on him:

Foster update 3/14/2008: Kenji's continues to do very well at my house. Everyone at the dog park loves him and can't believe he is still looking for a home. He is now 100% crate trained and we almost got the house training thing! He doesn't mind baths but isn't much of a swimming dog. He enjoys wading in the pond at the dog park or eating the mud at the ponds edge! He loves to fetch soft squeaky balls and chew on them. He is great in the car and loves to wrestle with dogs at the dog park. We mostly play on the big dog side of the dog park because i have two bigger dogs. Kenji loves people and especially people food..we are working on not begging. Just a GREAT dog in general! If your looking for a small dog with a big dog personality this is the pup for you!

Foser update 2/25/2008: Kenji is the best foster dog I have ever had. He is so great with my German Shepherd puppy that I'm tempted to keep him. He plays with her 24/7! He loves to play fetch and run at the dog park and in the backyard. He is so sweet and loves to be pet and cuddled. But at the same time he is perfectly happy playing with my other dogs or chewing a bone! He is almost crate trained...i give him no food in the morning and a little bit of water. This helps him hold it in the crate. Also we haven't had an accident in the house in about three days...but he gets let out alot! He is such a great little dog! He gets along with all dogs and cats! He was playing with a greatdane last week at the dog park and loving every minute. He isn't much of a water dog. I think the best home would be a home with another playful dog...since he seems to love having a buddy to play with sooo much!

Foster update 2/18/2008: Kenji is such a great little boy. He kind of looks like a combination for Dachshund (because he has such a long body with short little legs), Shih Tzu (with the classic ShihTzu head and face) and a bit of Pekingese (with the bowed front legs). He is such an interesting looking dog with a great personality to go with it. He loves to run and play with my German Shepard mix pup, loves to cuddle on the sofa and get his belly rubbed! He is not yet housetrained but we are working on this. I have not heard him bark yet! He does well with my cat but at first I don't think he had ever seen a cat. My cat and Kenji had a staring contest for about 5 minutes before Kenji decided to approach. After getting a good sniff he has decided to be optimistically cautious of her and spends most of the time just keeping his distance and watching. He loves to play tug of war with his humans but sometimes can get a bit rambunctious and can use him mouth to play with you. I just put a bone or toy in him mouth to let him know that hands are no for biting when playing. He is too short to jump up on the sofa and bed with out help but has no trouble jumping down when ready to play or go outside. He loves to sleep in your bed and chew on rawhide bones! He is such a joy and makes you laugh with his goofy personality. Could this be the dog your looking for?


Are you unfamiliar with the Shih Tzu breed? Pronounced SHEET-sue, they are known as alert, spunky, happy and hardy. They are bred with an underbite which gives them a constant "smile