Jo Ann White acquired her first Shih Tzu in 1967, before the breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. Thus began her ongoing love affair with this delightful breed. Her first champion, who did not want to stop going to dog shows when she retired from the conformation ring, became the first Shih Tzu bitch in the United States to earn both a show championship and an obedience title.
Jo Ann has bred and/or owned about twenty champions and several obedience titlists under her Heavenly Dynasty kennel name. She is the former president of the American Shih Tzu Club, which awarded her a lifetime membership for extraordinary service to the breed in 2004, and is vice president of the Shih Tzu Fanciers of Central Florida.
Jo Ann is the author of several other books, including "The Official Book of the Shih Tzu, " and numerous magazine articles about dogs. She has been the Shih Tzu breed columnist for the "AKC Gazette" since 1988. A freelance reference book writer and editor with particular interest in the Third World, she now lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with two retired and very spoiled Shih Tzu. Many of the photographs in this book were taken by her late husband, Richard Lawall.
