When Shih Tzus come into the rescue

What happens when dogs come into the rescue?

When we are asked to find a new home for a Shih Tzu, the first thing we do is arrange a temporary foster home.

We sometimes have to collect the dogs, often at very short notice.
We prefer all dogs to go into a home environment so that they can be properly assessed.

The rescue is run entirely by volunteers who take no payment.
We are always looking for caring people able to help with this temporary accommodation, or with collection of dogs. Could you possibly help?

All of the dogs are checked by a vet as soon as is practically possible.

Any necessary vaccinations are given. Many of the dogs we receive are in need of treatment and this is paid out of rescue funds.

Most vets are sympathetic and some give us substantial discount, but our vet bills still run into thousands of pounds each year.
An example is Teddy Two who who spent 14 weeks in a foster home last summer running up a vets bill of over £600 pounds.

The dogs are often filthy and their coats are frequently matted. Once the dogs are clean and healthy they are usually ready to go to their new homes.

How the dogs are rehomed:

Potential new owners are visited by a home checker to make sure they are able to offer a rescue Shih Tzu the right sort of home.

They are asked to fill in a form telling us a little about themselves and their lifestyle. Based on these details and the information received from the home checker, our co-ordinator tries to match the right dog with the right home.

Anybody adopting one of our dogs has to agree to certain conditions including not to pass the dog on and not to breed from it.

Ongoing help and advice is, of course, freely available to all new owners.

Indeed many keep in close touch often sending photos. It is lovely to see the dogs settled happily in their new homes. You can see pictures and read about some of the dogs in Our Stories page

So you want a Shih Tzu? information about the breed and what problems we get in rescue.

Adoption information including How to apply to adopt a Shih Tzu, What it is like living with a rescue Shih Tzu? and a common question: Why do Shih Tzu need to be rescued?