Shih Tzus' Fourteen Founding Dogs

After the 1949 Communist revolution, Shih Tzu dogs associated with China's imperial elite were killed, and the breed disappeared from the country. Modern Shih Tzus trace their ancestry to 13 dogs imported into England and Scandinavia between 1928 and 1952. Breeders also crossed a Pekingese into the line, bringing the recorded founding stock to 14 dogs.

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