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Yes, you read right! Penny is one of the only rainbow-colored Shih Tzu's we have seen online, and she is one of our precious Shih Tzu's. My partner got Penny when she was a puppy, and she was the runt of the litter which no person wanted. She wasn't able to receive enough milk from her mother compared to her siblings, and people still think she is a puppy sometimes due to her size. However, for what she lacks in size, she makes up for in personality! Penny is classed as a golden-colored Shih Tzu with a coat and her face having black on it; this golden appearance when we let her hair grow longer truly does give her the 'little lion' appearance that you can read more about in our ultimate Shih Tzu guide. Even though Penny would never be allowed to compete in a traditional dog show, she has competed at the local dog show in our town and beat out 50 other dogs to take first place! This was due to her being one of the cutest competitors and being about to perform numerous tricks and routines, despite the large crowd's attention. She is an extremely smart dog. In case you're wondering, where did we get her color done? We get her grooming and coloring done at our local groomer, Uncanny Animals, a short walk from our place and at the forefront of grooming with some absolutely amazing styles they produce daily. Uncanny Animals is known for coloring and dying dogs' hair, so my partner thought she would try it. To say I was surprised when I sore her for the first time was an understatement. I won't lie; it was hard for me at first to take Penny for a walk with her new doo as everyone would stop to look at her or laugh about the hair, making me quite upset. However, she is known in the area now, and I would say 99% of people who see her have nothing but positive things to say, and it brings a smile to most people's faces. We have even had grown me come up and ask for photos with her so that they can show their kids, which is always nice to see. For now, we are going to keep having her hair done this way as it 100% matches her bright, vibrant, and friendly personality. Penny with her groomer, Annie from Uncanny Animals Penny performs the high five on stage in front of a packed crowd Penny with her first place prize pack from uncanny animals Can you dye your Shih Tzu's hair safely? 100% YES, you can! There are various safe pet-dye products like the OPAWZ pet hair dye, which is 100% safe for all dogs over 12 weeks old if you want to try it yourself. Or if you're not confident in trying it yourself, a good local dog groomer will be able to do this however, there are groomers who will specialise in this. To see what is possible visit the website of Australian groomer, Uncanny Animals for some inspiration on what is possible. Penny was featured on the news! Yes, that's right. During the pandemic, dog groomers were closed, and a large number of dogs were having issues with their faces and eyes due to being able to get a groom. The local news station needed a dog to grab the attention of the viewers, and our very own Penny was chosen to be featured by the local news station, as you can see below, with her being interviewed about the dog groomer work ban at the time. Penny being interviewed by channel seven news Can Shih Tzu be service dogs? I have another article on this subject; however, I personally know from first-hand experience how important our Penny was to my mother, who was in palliative care, and myself personally in helping me deal with the experience at the time. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows for any breed of dog to be a service animal and considers......... “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability”https://adata.org/service-animal-resource-hub/basics Based on the above definition, a Shih Tzu or any dog for that matter would be classed as a service dog. If you're after purchasing a pet for an older relative for support, a Shih Tzu is really one of the best choices you can make.