Writing this post, I was torn between categorizing it as Simple Living and Efficient Living, because there are just so many reasons why shih tzus improve your life. I could categorize it as both, because I’m the damn writer, right? Well no, because I’m going to keep my life simpler and allow myself only one category.

How’s that for some minimalism, you digital minimalist freaks? (I say that with much love in my heart.)

Anyways, in the end, I decided that through all of the following points, the most common thread is that shih tzus make your life simpler, thus we shall be tackling the subject of simple living through floof companionship.

The Automatic Vacuum Cleaner

This is probably the easiest and most obvious way that a dog can simplify your life, but sometimes it can seem a little counterintuitive. For example, you may ask, what about the hair? What if they poop or pee in the house? What if they decide to eat a full bag of candy corn and puke seven times on your white sheets?

Well, no dog is perfect. Except for the Shiht. For example, they don’t shed. What’s even better is that their hair picks up everything, so you really never have to mop a wood floor. They’re a little tiny dust buster, and if yours is as acrobatic as mine, she can even do tables, bookshelves, counters, and pianos for you. And she only pees once in a blue moon which is nice. Bladder like a tank, that one.

So you get a dust buster and a vacuum all in one. That’s half your cleaning right there.

Save Money on Match.com

There is no better wingman than a dog. Period.

Find a park where a lot of other dogs walk, and you suddenly have a dating pool of people who are caring, enjoy the simple things in life (like walking dogs) and understand and share the same values as you do (dogs, dogs, and more dogs). Having a pup is a lifestyle, a long-term commitment, and a super easy way to both weed out the thorns and source a viable dating pool.

Why specifically a shiht? Well, for starters, endless poop jokes. As you probably know by now, this is very important to me.

Regardless of the fact that I found my shiht on the side of the road and she may or may not be a true shih tzu, she will always be a shit in my heart.

The important part about your soul mate being a shih tzu is the small and floofy factor. Little dogs have the most attitude, meaning they can play with the big dogs just as easily as the small dogs. Men, being manly and such, tend to have big dogs, and the shihts can hold their own. Women, being feminine and such, tend to have smaller dogs.

(Obviously this is incredibly gender-biased, but go with it for two seconds.)

My POINT (finally, I know) is that a shih tzu is, as I like to say, 15 pounds of fierce. Boar-like on the inside, and itty-bitty on the outside, means that they can get along with any dog, and anyone. Ever felt like you needed a friend? Bam, shiht. Ever felt like you needed a human friend? Bam, take your shiht out.

Save Money on a Gym Membership

If you are lucky enough to have a non-lazy floof, a wonderful upside to required walkies when you get home from work, is that those walkies add up quick! Rain or shine, you walk a mile every single day because the love in your heart can’t tell your little floof ‘no.’

Have a fetch-playing floof? That’s another workout right there. Sure, you have to shell out some money for their food and toys, but there’s nothing better than canceling that $50/month gym membership.

Even if you have a lazy pup, chances are, a quick game of chase will go a long way. A few laps around the house adds up just like those walkies do.

And you know what’s even better? That bacon you were going to eat that you accidentally dropped on the floor? While your dog was all the way across the house napping? Well, she knows and got to it before you could even recall whether it’s a 3-second or a 5-second rule. Obviously, she just wants to keep you healthy.

I feel like there should be a game show in which they shout “CANCEL, THAT, MEMBERSHIIIIIIIP!”

Always There For You

Need a hug? A laugh? A good cuddle cry? Your dog is always there for you. They’re that non-judgmental, always-there-for-you-no-matter-what friend that will always put you first. That’s a kind of love and trust that just doesn’t come in human form, and it keeps you healthy and mentally strong.

Any dog, big or small, will always love his or her human. We’ve evolved together as two very distinct but complementary species, meaning the bond between a pup and a human is one that can never be truly explained. There will always be something special between the two of you that no person, even a fellow dog owner, can understand.

And that, my friend, is priceless.

 

This article is dedicated to my recently passed (as in, since I started writing it)
little nugget, Miss Ragamuffin. May your days be filled with sunshine,
walkies, fried chicken, and all the love in the world.