ABOUT FALLING STAR SHIH TZU

Falling Star Shih Tzu was founded by Troy Clifford Dargin and has been in effect since 1985. Many people ask me how I got involved in showing and breeding dogs. I have always loved animals, especially dogs. I begged my Mom for a dog and she had two stipulations: it had to be close and it had to be cheap. Well, the only thing that fit that bill was the Shih Tzu and I am so glad it did. I love the breed. In my opinion it is the perfect pet for anyone. My parents have supported me in everything I have ever done. My grandparents lived right next door so it proved for a close knit family. We didn't know any better than to look in the paper for a dog. So we accumulated a few Shih Tzu and started to breed. I was what I now call a "back-yard breeder". What is a back-yard breeder you may ask? In my opinion it is someone who breeds two animals together without having any background or education on the breed. Breeding is like anything, one must know what they are doing otherwise one can come up with terrible genetic defects. An exhibitor (Sally Johnson of Heartland Shih Tzu) called me on one of my puppy ads and invited me to a dog show... I was hooked. Thank goodness for Sally. I spayed my other pets and began to research the breed. Whenever I embark on something I put my all in it. I remember coming home from school and doing nothing but sitting in front of the television watching old Shih Tzu national tapes, reading old Shih Tzu Bulletin and Reporter magazines (see link page) and reading Shih Tzu books. I was training my eye for the "type" of dog that I wanted.

I found the type that I fell in love with. I loved the Dragonfire (Red Raider) and Wingate (Dickens) lines. I contacted both but Peggy Hogg of Dragonfire Shih Tzu was just getting out of breeding at that point. Jody Neal of Wingate told me the only way she would sell me a dog was if I came out to California to study with her handler, Clive Harrold for a summer. So off I go on my 16th birthday to learn how to groom. I didn't know a thing when I got to Clive's estate. I didn't even know how to coordinate my fingers to use rubber bands. Well, I am very glad I went that summer because I learned about 5 years of knowledge in 3 months time.

I obtained a dog from Judy Wilson (Prospect Hill) upon my return from California (during my sophomore year of high school). Judy is such a great person. As my first dog I trashed her coat, I really didn't do justice to Judy's nice dog. But Judy was there to mentor me along with others. I then acquired a few dogs from Kandy Jones (Mijoy). These were not dogs I bred with but dogs I practiced showing. I gave Kandy my word that I would finish them and that I did. It is important to me that I finish what I start no matter how long it takes. That is really the secret to any success. One can't assume to be a professional in a year's time. It takes years to perfect the art of showing dogs.

We have had the priviledge of flying all over the United States, including Puerto Rico and Alaska with our dogs. We have had dogs in the top 10 and had the privilege of earning the Lainee Award for top producing bitch in 1997, tying for that award (with my own dogs!!!). We have had top producing dogs and several Registry of Merits on our dogs. We have finished over 55 home-bred champions in a 10 year period.

At Falling Star we are dedicated to producing only the best dog possible. We don't breed to just make money. We do think that pet buyers should have the ability to buy from other than puppy-mills and back-yard breeders. We also believe that if "experts" in the breed don't share their dogs with others then we really aren't doing much for the improvement of the breed. Don't get us wrong, we don't sell to just anyone, but everyone has to start somewhere. When a novice has shown their dedication at learning then we are willing to do our part to help out. Just think what could happen in our breed if every breeder took one person to mentor. At Falling Star we have strived very hard to perfect the "look" that we have established. We breed for health of course and we like a very pretty head but the dog must be able to move with a high head carriage (which is part of the breed standard). Thank you for taking the time to review our site.