Life With a Shih Tzu: Smokey’s Curtain Protest
- Sheila Buffy
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Today was one of those ordinary days that somehow turns into a moment you don’t forget.
We were busy around the house, doing chores, moving from room to room, getting things done. Nothing unusual. Just a normal day.
But Smokey noticed something we didn’t.
At some point, he stopped following us. No little footsteps behind me. No quiet stare from across the room. Just… gone.
I didn’t realize it right away. Then I glanced toward the window and something about the curtains caught my eye. They looked a little different, like they were hiding a secret.
I looked closer and there he was.
Smokey was sitting behind the sheer curtains, completely still, wrapped up in the soft fabric like he meant to be there. His little face peeking through, calm but serious at the same time.
I didn’t say anything out loud.
I quietly called my husband Dennis, whispered his name, and pointed toward the window. When he saw Smokey, he smiled right away.
Dennis started talking to him.
“Smokey… are you hiding from mommy and daddy?”
Smokey didn’t move.
Dennis kept going, giving him a voice and making us laugh.
“Daddy… I waited all day and nobody got the hint. What am I supposed to do next? Take off my birthday suit? Look ma… I’m a squid.”
Smokey stayed right where he was, like he meant every word.
A Quiet Moment in Life With a Shih Tzu
This wasn’t hiding.
This was disappointment.
When we finally asked him, “You want love, Smokey?” he still didn’t come out. Not even a step. He stayed tucked behind the curtain, letting us know that just calling his name wasn’t enough.
After we finally finished cleaning, I sat down on the couch and took a breath. Almost immediately, the curtain shifted. Smokey stepped out slowly, like he needed to make sure the moment was real. Then he walked over, jumped up on the couch, and settled right next to me. No fuss. No protest anymore. Just quiet relief. He pressed himself close, as if to say, this is all I wanted. And just like that, everything felt right again.
Not because he was called.
Because I stopped.
Because I made space.
That was his point.
Smokey doesn’t bark for attention. He doesn’t make noise. He waits. He watches. And when he feels unseen, he finds quiet ways to remind us he’s still there.
Moments like this are part of life with a Shih Tzu, where love is shown patiently and without words.
What Life With a Shih Tzu Teaches You About Love
Moments like this stay with me.
Not because they’re dramatic, but because they’re honest. A reminder that love doesn’t always ask loudly. Sometimes it simply waits, hoping to be noticed.
Smokey has been teaching us this quiet language for years. Through pauses. Through looks. Through the way he waits without a sound. These small moments shaped our home and became part of our family’s story.
If moments like this feel familiar, you’re not alone. They’re the kinds of moments that inspired me to write Smokey The Little Dog That Saved Us.
For now, the chores can wait.
Smokey is on the couch.
And that’s exactly where he wanted us to be.
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