Although this page could be considered offensive to some, I make no apologies.
There is nothing quite like a shih tzu personality and it isn't the same when they are cross bred.
There is the obvious reasons for not buying a cross breed, like you never really know what you are getting, the person who sells the puppies to the pet shop will say anything - whatever is the flavour of the month to get their money. There are many horror stories, not only with vet bills but with people buying dogs that just don't suit their lifestyle. They buy this lovely little fluffy puppy in the pet store window, they are told it is a shih tzu x maltese or similar, lets face it could you tell the breed of a fluffy cross breed? They take it home, fall in love with it, 6 months down the track it is this massive dog that couldn't possibly be what it was supposed to be. There is no comeback, you can't go back to the breeder - who would know who that was, the pet shop can't help - you are stuck with it, a dog that you can't part with but one that just doesn't suit you. And you have paid double the price that you would have for a purebreed that you know what it will end up to be.
The pet shop does not give you "after sales service", there is no ongoing advice on grooming, training, or any other little problem that a pedigree breeder is only too happy to help you with.
There is also the problem of the way these breeding dogs are kept. You must have heard about puppy farms. Well by buying these cross breeds you are encouraging the opportunistic people to keep on breeding, while there is a demand there is money in their pockets. These bitches are having puppies from 9 months of age, still a baby themselves, and are mated every 6 months till they can have no more then discarded, they are kept in appalling conditions without love.
If I can educate people and save one dog from a life of misery then my soapbox will have been worth it. Please think before you buy, there is behind the scenes horrors happening and by buying these puppies you are in fact contributing to the problem not solving it.
This is the reason my puppies are sold on a desexing contract and older dogs go to homes already desexed. My dogs are not available to be used and abused. They are for loving companions only.
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