It all began with a picture my friend Toni showed me of her new black and white
shihtsu and I was hooked…  I not only wanted one, I had to have one…  So I
called the breeder my friend Toni got her shihtsu from and was put on a
waiting list.  I waited and kept calling Ann (the breeder) for one year and a
half.  I wanted a female, black and white.  And then… In May of 2004 after one
of my phone calls to check up on any new litters I found out she had two
litters.  And the best thing was that there was a black and white female.  I
begged and pleaded, to please let me have her, but of course she had to call
other people who were also on a waiting list.

Finally after many questions, Ann agreed I could have her, the black and white
one.   I agreed I would send a deposit of half the payment.  But shortly after
that phone call I had a horrible accident which landed me in the hospital for 8
days.  During my stay at the hospital, all I could think of was that I would
lose this beautiful shihtsu puppy to someone else because I had not sent the deposit.

I was discharged from the hospital on a friday afternoon, and saturday morning I
made my way to Western Union still sore from my hospital stay…  She was
finally mine, I was told.  I told Ann, please start calling her Sassy so she
knows her name by the time I get her…  I could not wait until July 6th when I
had to pick her up…

I still had to find someone to make the long 3 hour drive to pick her up…  My
cousin went with me on a tuesday 7/6/04.  I waited in the waiting area and Ann
bought her out looking like a powder puff.  We bonded instantly…  And when I
put her down she knew she was mine…  She kept following me around and kissing
me.  I sat with her on my lap all the way home.  She kept looking at me for the
entire ride.  I was in love.

We were in love. That night she slept on a blanket on the floor, in my
boyfriend's house at the time and never cried once, and when I would check up on
her she would look at me with the most loving eyes.

It's been 7 months since I've had her, and I can't tell you how she's changed my
life.  When I'm down and out she comforts me, when I'm happy she smiles and
plays with me, and when I just need someone she lays with me…  She is the best
thing that has happened in my life…  and my life would not be complete without
her.

Hi there. Here is my shih tzus Story. Our dog is a female puppy who is one year
old. We've never had shih tzus  before. I actually saw one for the first time
while jogging around our local lake. It was so cute, I had to get one. Well,
Bubbles is a small dog with short little legs. She's also more stubborn than a
country mule. My wife and I live in a residential area where there is some
traffic. I fancy myself somewhat of a runner. My favorite race is the San
Francisco Bay to Breakers. Our garage has a puppy door to the back yard. When I
come home and open the garage door she is usually in the house, but sometimes
she's in the back yard.

She hears the car and comes sprinting through the puppy door.

On several occasions I get out of my car and say "Bubbles to me" which
means run as fast as you can in the other direction. Well, I can run fast, but
not nearly as fast as she can. When this happens, I get to run an obsticle
course through neighbors' yards, over fences, around trees. When I get close she
smiles and runs in circles until I'm within two feet, then she sprints off in a
new direction. The only way to catch her is to corner her in a yard. When I pick
her up, I can't even scold her because she just wiggles and licks my face. That
dog is one heck of a runner.