This month’s bundle of cuteness belongs to Lenny Boucher of Rossi North America. Peanut, a 15-year-old Shih Tzu, joined the Boucher family when she was just a wee pup. Since then she has been providing companionship and just making life happy for the family since she became one of them.
Although she was originally a gift for Lenny’s daughter, Peanut is definitely a daddy’s girl. “She’s a Shih Tzu, so her tail is always curled up. But when I’m away on business trips, she gets depressed. Her tail drags the floor and she sits in front of the window waiting for my return. She will not let her daddy out of her site,” he said.
Here are some interesting facts about the breed:
- It is more than 1,000 years old, and although it is frequently associated with China, it originated in Tibet, a western neighbor of China.
- Shih Tzu translates to “little lion.”
- The breed was almost destroyed during the Communist Revolution with the death of Dowager Empress Tzu His, who supervised a world-renown breeding program. Upon her death, the program fell apart making it almost impossible to find a Shih Tzu.
- A group of dedicated breeders managed to protect seven breeding pairs, and those 14 dogs are responsible for the entire line. Some of these were possibly exported to England. From there, they were exported to other countries in Europe and Australia. American soldiers stationed in those countries brought the breed to the U.S.
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