I purchased my first Shih Tzu puppy in 1996 after my daughter begged for many months to let her have one. I had been breeding and showing Chows since 1992 and had admired the long, flowing coat and flat faces of the Shih Tzu. It wasn't hard to fall in love with this lively and vivacious little toy dog.

The Shih Tzu is a very intelligent, very alert, proud and good tempered little dog. They have a keen sense of themselves and at times are extremely self-centered. The word, Shih Tzu, means "Lion Dog" in Chinese, but they are often referred to as the "chrysanthemum faced dog". They are also very affectionate, friendly and trusting towards all people.