Died Oct 29, 2003 :(
This has got to be the most play full breed of all the toy breeds. The Shih-Tzu is a breed that has an origin that is somewhat obscure. The breed originated in Tibet as a temple dog and was at times given to the Emperors of China. The first Shih-Tzu came to the United States in 1930 and the AKC recognized the breed standard in 1938. It was not until 1969 that is was permitted to be shown as a separate breed in the Toy Group. In 1969 there were only 2,811 Shih-Tzu's registered with the AKC Such a bumpy beginning for the breed has not hurt it's ultimate popularity. In 1994, the Shih Tzu was the 12th most popular dog of AKC's 139 breeds with more than 37 thousand new individual registrations. The dog's popularity and convenient size have let to two serious treats to the Shih-Tzu breed. Puppy mill production and crossbreeding with the Toy Poodle to produce the Shih-poo are favorites of mass production kennels that have several small breeds. If you want a Shih-Tzu, please check out the breed standard before buying . This will help you decide if the pups or adults you are looking at are true representatives of the breed.
