Many centuries ago, somewhere on the mountains of Tibet, a small, playful, fascinating, adorable dog-named Shih-Tzu was born. They were highly prized as a treasure companion and regarded as sacred. Pairs of Shih-Tzu were occasionally given to distinguished visitors as a token of goodwill and luck. This is how they came be established in China. The Chinese called them “Lion Dogs”. Shih-Tzu means lion. The Chinese often clipped their Shih-Tzu to look like little lions. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Shih-Tzu was a cherished pet highly favored by the royal family. The Manchu Dynasty (1644-1912) favored the pampered darling.

The first Shih-Tzu were taken from China to England, Ireland and Scandinavia in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The breed is believed to have become extinct in China after the Communists came into in 1949. The Communists considered per dogs useless consumers of food and viewed them as a symbol of privilege.

The first Shih-Tzu were imported to the U.S. from England in 1938. The breed gained popularity during the 1960s although there were only a little over 300 dogs recorded in 1963. By 1969, 3,000 Shih-Tzu were registered. Today, the Shih-Tzu is one of the top 25 most wanted dogs.