We have 3 Shih Tzus.
They rule us, just the way we like it.
We have two brothers from accidental successive litters (from friends of ours), and the daughter of the oldest male from our next-door neighbor's female.
Three is plenty, believe me.
Or, is it? I am such a sucker.
Raising dogs is arduous work, and maddening at times.
All well worth it, too.
They ALWAYS give more than they receive, and they do it unconditionally.
I refuse to feel guilt over having pure breed dogs because they all needed homes, too.
I am all for rescuing the many millions of dogs who overpopulate the landscape through no fault of their own.
If only the supply didn't so outweigh the demand.
Dogs have been with man from the beginning.
It's no wonder.
I do not need to explain how incredibly necessary dogs are in our lives.
They simply make life much better, richer, and all the more enjoyable and positive even when we are in our darkest hour.
While we have always preferred small dogs because of the tiny home we've occupied for 32 years, we love big dogs a lot, too.
But, with the littler guys, you can have 3 small Shih Tzus and still not feel crowded.
To the contrary, it wouldn't be "life as we know it" without them.
Our attitude is that our dogs are born trained.
While the dog fancier may growl at this notion, we know who really gets trained during obedience school: the owner.
I think a well-trained pooch is a wonderful thing.
It's just that we're not that type.
The breed matters not.
Nor does the purity of the breed.
For me, all dogs rule all the time.