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The magical "little lion dog" dates back over 1000 years to Tibet, but their earliest known predecessors began around 10,000 years ago in the Gobi Desert, making them one of the oldest dog breeds. In fact, your cuddly little lap dog has one of the closest genetic relationships to wolves!!! Who would have thought that this pint sized ball of fluff would be more closely related to their wolf ancestors than many of the larger breeds- take that, people who say Shih Tzus aren't "real dogs"!
Their name is in Mandarin, and in fact, they were the official dog of the Ming Dynasty- truly royal dogs! In fact, they were bred solely for companionship, which is one reason they make excellent family dogs who want a loyal, friendly, and cuddly friend in their home.
They were also almost wiped out during the first half of the 20th Century, but the breed was carefully rebuilt using just 14 dogs (seven males and seven females). While no dog is truly hypoallergenic, reports say that the Shih Tzu is about as close as one can get.
I have found Shih Tzus to be intelligent, brave, kind dogs who love nothing more than to be with "their people"- they love and attach strongly, and are notoriously "velcro dogs".
