SHIH TZU HISTORY

by **mhyke7** Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:45 pm

Shih Tzu History

The exact date of origin of the Shih Tzu is not known, but evidence
of its existence has come to us from documents, paintings and objets
d'art dating from A. D. 624. During the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 A.D.),
the King of Viqur gave the Chinese court a pair of dogs said to have
come from the Fu Lin (assumed to be the Byzantine Empire). Another
theory of their introduction to China was recorded in the mid-17th
century when dogs were brought from Tibet to the Chinese court. These
dogs were bred in the Forbidden City of Peking. The smallest of these
dogs resembled a lion, as represented in Oriental art. "Shih Tzu" means
"lion". The Shih Tzu is reported to be the oldest and smallest of the
Tibetan holy dogs, the lion being associated with the Buddhist deity.
These dogs were bred by the Chinese court and from them the dog we know
today as the Shih Tzu developed. They are also called "the
chrysanthemum-faced dog" because the hair grows about the face in all
directions.

It is known that the Shih Tzu was a house pet during most of the
Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 A.D.) and that they were highly favored by
the royal family. Dowager Empress Cixi (T'zu Hsi) kept an important
kennel of Pugs, Pekingese, and Shih Tzu. After her death in 1908 the
dogs were dispersed and breeding mostly ceased. When the Communist
Revolution occurred in China the breed became almost extinct. Every
Shih Tzu today can be traced to fourteen dogs - seven bitches and seven
dogs - some of which were imported to England where breeding of the
Shih Tzu began in 1930. There the breed was first classified as "Apsos"
but after a ruling by the Kennel Club (England) that Lhasa Apsos and
Shih Tzus were separate breeds, the Shih Tzu Club of England was formed
in 1935.

From England members of the breed were exported to other countries
in Europe and Australia. American soldiers stationed in these countries
brought the breed back to the United States thus introducing them to
this country. The Shih Tzu was admitted to registration in the American
Kennel Club Stud Book in March, 1969 and to regular show classification
in the Toy Group at AKC shows beginning September 1, 1969.