Shih+Tzu

=media type="custom" key="7357451"__Dog #9: Shih Tzu__= __The__ **Shih Tzu** from Mandarin is a breed of small but very ancient dog type, with long silky hair. The breed originated in China. The name is both singular and plural.Shih Tzu ([|simplified Chinese] : 狮子狗; [|traditional Chinese] : 獅子狗; [|pinyin] : //Shīzi Gǒu//; [|Wade–Giles] : Shih-tzu Kou; literally "Lion Dog"), is the Chinese name rendered according to the [|Wade-Giles] system of romanization in use when the breed was first introduced in America; the Chinese pronunciation is approximately [|//�11�SHIRR�21�-tsə//]. The name translates as Lion Dog, so named because the dog was bred to resemble "the lion as depicted in traditional oriental art", such as the [|Chinese guardian lions]. The Shih Tzu is also often known as the "Xi Shi quan" (西施犬), based on the name of [|Xi Shi], regarded as the most beautiful woman of ancient China, and, less often, the [|Chrysanthemum] Dog, a nickname coined in England in the 1930s. The dog may also be called the Tibetan Lion Dog, but whether or not the breed should be referred to as a Tibetan or Chinese breed is a source of argument, the absolute answer to which "may never be known".  Information from Wikipedia: []

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