A dash of lion, several teaspoons of rabbit, a couple of ounces of domestic cat, one part court jester, a dash of ballerina, a pinch of old man (Chinese), a bit of beggar, a tablespoon of monkey, one part baby seal, a dash of teddy bear and the rest dogs of Tibetan and Chinese origin

In time of this writing, I have been owned by a Shih Tzu named Penny, for almost 8 years. It was in 2002, when a friend gave her to me. Penny together with her mother, Peggy Sue, was originally kept for breeding purposes. However in that same year, my friend was busied for taking his father to a hospital. He called one day asking if I want to adopt Penny. Hence that night, I excitedly drove off to his house to pick up Penny (leaving Peggy Sue behind). Penny was shy and timid, typical for a puppy on her new home. She was so thin that i could almost touch her rib cage and cord when I hold her up. Since then i took extra care for her (as well as my family), especially after hearing the news that Peggy Sue died the next day for eating Rat poison.Penny's color was always been debatable among my friends, some says she's Gold and White, others claim she's Brown and Black. Though I don't care much about the color, I have always believed she's Red and White.As we were starting, Penny and I had a hard time. As the sole purpose of the Shih Tzu as my new companion and house pet, she was always lively, alert, friendly and trusting towards all. But her long, coat needs daily brushing and maintenance; and that made it all complicated for the both of us. During that time I believe I'm O.C., or not really, or its just being addicted to the breed. I could remember that every time I would look at her I have that urge to grab a brush and straighten her hair right away. But like any other owner-pet relationship we managed to cope up with each other.  And that "Affection", I can now see, is not something one has in limited supply like money or drinking water. It’s more like a muscle that grows the more you use it.”