When I was 21 years old (I won't disclose when that was) I bought myself a puppy. I went to the Galleria Pet Store in the Riverchase mall in Hoover, AL and there I met one of the great loves of my life. She was this fluffy ball of energy and when I went in the visiting room with her she was so excited to meet me! All her litter mates were already gone and I could not leave her. She was 10 weeks old and I named her Chewbacca Leigh Maxwell. I called her Chewy for short. I was young and completely ignorant and had absolutely no idea what to do with my new puppy. Looking back I am kind of shocked that any one with the money could just go buy a puppy! No screening or application or where to contact if you had any questions later on. So to sum up a naive and inexperienced young woman (me) came home with her very first in door puppy and had absolutely no knowledge of what to do next. It was my first Shih Tzu.
I learned as I went and I did educate myself on the breed. I adored my Chewy and she went every where that I did. She was my very first baby really and when I met my now husband he fell in love with her too. When Chewy was around 4 years old we started experiencing serious healthy issues with her. The first problem was very serious and she almost died and the treatment caused her problems with incontinence. After that she soon lost her sight and had continuous skin infections. We did all we could but we lost her before she turned 8 years old. I miss her still. Matt and I went without a dog for a while and focused on having babies and building our careers... but my love for the breed still burned strong and I started doing more and more research about Shih Tzus and what might have gone wrong with my Chewy.
Hindsight is 20/20. First and foremost I had no idea that buying a puppy at a pet store was a risky thing. I also did not know that in doing so I was supporting puppy mills. I had no idea that dogs were kept in small cages for their entire life; bred over and over without any socialization, love or even basic comforts! I know this now and I grieve because I know that Chewy's problems were linked by inbreeding and not taking care of DNA screening to make sure genetic problems weren't being carried through... Poor Chewy never stood a chance as she was the poster child for bad breeding practices. Her spirit though was beautiful and pure.
So I did the research and began to understand what I did wrong in buying a pet from a pet store and how you need to go to breeders and do homework to find the right puppy for you. I started researching and looking for breeders as my boys started getting older and I had that desire for a new baby of the 4 legged version. I read on breeding practices and what registry was most respectable and what guidelines well respected breeders used. Somewhere in this process I started having the desire to become a breeder. I don't know if it was over night or a gradual conclusion but I was going to breed my own Shih Tzu's. I wanted to first start with one new puppy as our pet and I wanted to start with a male and I did. I found Saint Jude and fell in love. He is so sweet and loving and caring to us. He is also smart and laid back. He was the perfect future daddy to our puppies. I then found Miss Daisy and she too was just gorgeous and everything a lover of this breed expects. She is spunky and a flirt and demands your attention at times. They were my babies and I adore them. Later came Hannah who is this adorable sweet girl who loves to hug you.
I wanted to take control of bringing in the new life and raising affectionate puppies for other people to enjoy. I wanted to slowly start and not overwhelm myself or get to a point where my dogs stopped being our companions. So this is exactly what we did. We did not breed Daisy her first cycle but did her second and had a litter of 3 puppies where 2 survived. The process from breeding to babying our pregnant dog to helping deliver her pups enthralled me and I stand today just as passionate about the process as I did then. I knew there would be harsh cruelty as not all puppies are born to live but the beauty of it all is so very worth it to me. My goal is fairly simple now. I want to slowly build up my breeding program but never have so many animals that I would neglect paying the amount of attention that they need to flourish. I want to produce beautiful, healthy, and happy puppies that will be adored and spoiled through out their lives. I want to screen our future parents to make sure that my babies are given the very best life possible. I had my first litter in 2010, second in 2011, and now two in 2012. I really made a point in taking my time and really trying to find my place as a hobby breeder in Alabama.
So now we have a total of three Shih Tzu babies - Saint Jude, Daisy, and Hannah Doll. They are all great examples of what this breed should be in looks and temperament. I see the families that have one of my puppies as an extension to my own family and I like to keep tabs on how they are doing. I send them all Christmas cards and stay in communication via Facebook too. They tag me in pictures to let me see how their baby is doing. I am so happy with all the puppy parents and hope to continue bringing new people into our "Shih Tzu Family."
This is my passion and where my heart is. I will never sell a puppy to someone I am not absolutely sure will give the best care to my puppy. I in turn will never sell a puppy if I am not 100% sure that the puppy is healthy and not carrying any type of congenital defect. I believe in what I am doing and want happy pets and owners. I honestly think about my grown up puppies and wonder how they are doing. I am really lucky that my mother in law has one of them so I get to love on him all the time. I also get to see others from time to time because we pet-sit while you vacation. Why? Shih Tzus are not meant to be boarded. They are bred for companionship and to keep them locked up is torture to them. Let us play with your puppy and give him tons of love and affection so that he feels rewarded while you are on vacation. I call them "puppycations." :) We don't ask for payment but will gladly accept a donation of puppy food as we can always use more of that! I really hope our new parents with our current two litters will take advantage of the puppy sitting and adding me as a friend on Facebook - Taylor Morrison is my name and I love what I am doing and feel so thankful that I went ahead and did this. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment and to those who are checking in with my blog I want to thank you for taking time to read this and I love that you are enjoying the photos I am posting of all my babies. If you feel you are a right match for one of my puppies feel free to email me or call me, taylorsmorrison@me.com or 205/504-0116. God bless!
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