Shih Tzu

Alright, so my roommate has a Shih-Tzu, for those of you who don't know what this is, I'll link a picture for your visual enjoyment.

My roommate's Shih-Tzu weighs around 12lbs. I know cats that weigh more than that. Sarah calls him something funny- Skippy? I can't remember- but that's the kind of dog it is, one whose name you don't even bother to commit to memory because it's never going to do anything worthwhile. This isn't the point. The point is-- WHAT are they bred for? What is their purpose for LIVING? As any good nerd would, I researched to find out, and do you know what I came up with? Nothing. Yep, this dog is as useful as a bag of hair. In fact, their reason for being was succinctly summed up as, "Today this breed is very popular, both as a companion and a glamorous show dog." Glamorous. Seriously? What do people THINK when they buy one of these dogs? Unless I was the recent recipient of a lobotomy, there's just no way. It's very similar to smoking cigarettes, I suppose, the warning is right there on the label, but you don't heed the advice of the SURGEON GENERAL.

To be fair, tiny dog behaves rather well around guests and the like. My dogs, on the other hand, act like it's the first time they've seen other life forms and go into a frenzy of tails and tongues. Tiny dog gets just as excited, but seriously, he weighs 12 pounds, what can he actually do? Oh wait, we covered that already, nothing. Plus, my dogs are actually DOGS-- and not the glamorous kind. It seems to me that some people get rather smug when tiny dog is all cute, and glamorous, just curling up on someones lap, and my dogs are behaving like-- SHOCK, GASP-- DOGS! Both of my dogs, however, are in advanced obedience. They will both be trained as search and rescue dogs, and on top of that Zulu will be trained as a Canine Good Citizen so we can make hospital and nursing home visits and bring a little cheer to people in need. They have jobs, their breeds have purpose. Both thrive on learning new things.

But, never fear, my dogs have given this jobless, purse-accessory a purpose in life: their personal squeak toy.