Living with Max: a Shih Tzu

Out of all 195 dog breeds globally, Shih Tzus are definitely Filipino’s favorite, according to a study conducted by HouseholdQuotes.

We Filipinos definitely love dogs, but it seems that we love Shih Tzus the most; in fact, my family even has a Shih Tzu in our home, whom we named Max.

With that, let me share with you my experiences and what I observed after having a Shih Tzu in our life.

They are friendly to strangers and other dogs.

As I often jokingly say to my family, ‘Madali mananakaw ‘yan si Max’ because he always angrily barks at people. He eventually melts like ice cream after receiving pets from them. He also feels fine with other dogs around him, but most of the time, he’s being snubbed because he is smol.

They want your attention.

I was the first one to discover that this cutie loves belly rubs; since then, every time he sat or lay beside me, I know what he needs – endless belly rubs and kisses. He is also very clingy; whenever he notices someone is not busy anymore, he would tap his paws, look at us with his ‘paawa’ eyes, and sometimes bring his toys with him, asking for us to play with him.

They will always make you worry.

Since Max is a pup, I already can’t count how many times we brought him to the veterinary clinic. The first time was when he had an eye infection, a ‘cherry eye’ popped in his eyes, and the succeeding ones were because of his skin. We then learned that dogs like him are prone to infections in the eye – as dogs like him have naturally protruded eyeballs – and allergies on the skin.

They will bring you comfort.

Our baby has always been very expressive; he cuddles us when we feel sad or when he just wants some belly rubs. There are also times where he would lay in a spot where he could see all of us, like at the sala. Whenever someone goes out, he would sit patiently near the door and excitedly welcome anyone who would come home. Seeing his cute face plus his kisses and hugs truly relieves our stress after a long tiring day.

There are so much more about him than what I can say here, but one thing is for sure, he is one of the most lovable ‘baby’ my family could ever ask for as he always spreads love and warmth in our humble home.