Sweet Shih Tzu A.J. always a charmer

I have had dogs almost my entire life. Most of them were members of the Heinz 57 variety that were given to us by a friend who had too many puppies.

Later, on the advice of a friend, we got our first registered breed, a Shih Tzu. He was a gray/black and white who somehow was given the name Angus. We had him for two years, and he suddenly died of congestive heart failure. We debated for months over whether we wanted to risk more heartache by getting another dog.

We decided that we loved Angus enough that we would get another Shih Tzu. This one was a black-headed little angel with a white mask and white forehead. His body was black with white mixed in.

When we first took him home, I walked around with him standing in the palm of my hand, and every time I sat down, he put his head inside the front of my shirt and went to sleep. I knew right away we had something special. We decided to call him A.J. which was short for Angus Junior.

A.J. was a bright, happy, playful and loving puppy. He was also very intelligent and loved to travel. But it was his way with people that was truly amazing.

He would go up and greet everyone by looking them in the eye, wagging his tail and when they looked down at him, he would look at them with those sparkling and loving eyes. He could melt even the coldest person into patting him on the head.

When he sensed someone did not want him close by, he would lie next to me and nap while they visited. If they showed him friendly attention, he would lie down by them and let them pet him. He never jumped on anybody or tried to get in their lap. Being next to them was good enough.

His charm even worked through the window of my car. I took A.J. with me everywhere that I could, and that included the drive-throughs at Rite-Aid, the bank and fast-food restaurants.

He would stand in my lap and stretch his head out of the window so they could pet him. After a visit or two, they would see A.J. and give him a treat. They knew his name, and on more than one occasion, they would come outside just to pet him a little bit.

We lived on a golf course and even many of the golfers came to recognize him and speak to him. I actually watched these guys jump across a ditch to get into our backyard so they could pet A.J. He just seemed to bring the best out in people, and they brought the best out in him. It was a mutual love affair.

I cannot count the road trips A.J. and I made together. As soon as we got out a suitcase, A.J. would go sit by the front door. When we opened the door, he would run out and get in the car and sit there until we left. We kept his food and water in the back floorboard and his bed was between the front seats on the console. He would sleep for a while, then jump down and get some water and food and jump back in his bed.

Once in a while, he would crawl out of his bed and put in his head in my lap. His way of saying he wanted some attention. After a few years, all of my friends learned that if A.J. was not welcome in their house, neither was I. No hard feelings and no resentment. I would rent a motel room, but I never considered leaving my friend at home.

We shared over 11 wonderful years together. He was my traveling buddy and my best friend.

On a visit to the vet one day, they discovered a growth in his side, and it turned out to be cancer. They tried to remove it but could not get rid of all of it. We knew we would soon lose him. I was committed to the Great Race from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, and it had been planned for several years. The vet said he was confident A.J. would live for two months so I would have time to go on this two-week race and get back home.

Unfortunately, our calculations were wrong. I had been gone just four days when Bettye called and told me A.J. was fading faster than the vet thought.

I was in Kentucky when I got the call he would make it only 24-48 hours. We agreed to keep him from further suffering; we would have him put to sleep the next morning.

She wanted him to sleep in our bed, so she got one of my shirts and put it on the bed close to him. Later that night, Bettye called again with news I could not bear to hear.

She told me A.J. crawled onto my shirt, closed his eyes, gave a deep sigh and went quietly to join Angus. I cried like a baby and I will never get over the fact that I was not there to help my best friend in his final moments.

It has been five years since A.J. passed away, and every now and then as I get in the car, I still look down to see if he is ready to jump in the car. We still miss him dearly. He left us with a love for Shih Tzu's, and now we have two named Buddy and Jerry. They are a great pair of friends who carry on A.J.'s legacy for being loving and friendly dogs.

Noel and Bettye Ison

Walterboro

Compiled by Brenda Rindge. Got a pet? Tell us about it. If it's furry, feathered or slithery, and you love it, tell us why in 250 words or less. If it's a hero, tell us. Send pictures (in JPEG format via e-mail) or a hard copy by snail mail that you don't need returned). Submit by e-mail to pets@postandcourier.com or mail to Pets, The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston SC 29403-4800. Always include your name, address and a daytime phone number.

---

---