Meet Moo!

Moo is Professor Bedell’s Shih Tzu mix! While her other doggie sibling, Linus, is equally as cute as Moo is, I have sadly already written a post about the White Highland White Terrier, but still enjoy this super adorable picture of the doggo siblings.

So enjoy that picture, go reread the Westie article, and keep scrolling to learn about Shih Tzus!

History

The history of Shih Tzus is actually quite a mystery! There are several opposing theories about their origin, but the one that seems most popular is very similar to that of the wonderful Pugs. Many experts actually believe one of the dogs bred to make the Shih Tzu was a Pug! In China, over 1,000 years ago, the emperors’ royal breeders were given the task of designing the Shih Tzu for the emperors. The breeders would compete to create the most beautiful dog, and the winner would be rewarded with lavish gifts. Then, the Shih Tzu would live with the emperor and his family where it would be absolutely spoiled. The emperors were especially known for dressing their Shih Tzus in long silk robes. However, much unlike the Puggo, the Shih Tzu was completely reserved for the emperor. In fact, the outside world didn’t even know that the Shih Tzu existed until the 1930s! But ever since the world was exposed to the adorable charm of the Shih Tzus, they’ve attained global popularity.

Picture Credit

Care

Height	9-10.5 inches
Weight	10-16 pounds
Life Expectancy	10-18 years

Okay, I can’t really sugarcoat this one. Shih Tzus require a decent amount of work to maintain their gorgeous hair. It’s important to brush their hair with a high quality wire brush with flexible pins, and make sure you remember to brush their mustaches and topknot. In general, you frequently see Shih Tzus with their hair in a topknot because otherwise their lengthy locks will irritate their eyes. If you dislike the style of the topknot, you can just keep the hair trimmed short. There are several plus sides to having to take care of the long hair including that they don’t shed that much and they don’t require much exercise!

Famous Shih Tzus

There are many famous people who have Shih Tzus including Bill Gates, Mariah Carey, and the Dalai Lama. However, the most important dogs in Shih Tzu history aren’t nearly as famous as they should be, so I’d like to highlight them! In the early 1900s, Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi was in charge of the Shih Tzu breeding program. Her untimely death in 1908 coupled with the Communist Revolution meant that the breeding program fell into shambles. Fortunately, a few members of the breeding program realized the severity of the situation and saved seven male Shih Tzus and seven females to recreate the breed. Now, every single Shih Tzu alive can be traced back to those 14 dogs who saved the entire breed! So Shih Tzu lovers everywhere should thank those dogs for allowing your precious doggo to exist today!