Adoption Process

Adopting a Dog

Our Shih Tzu can come from a variety of situations... Shelters, owner turn-ins, like dogs that are abandoned because of their owner's death, as well as cast offs from commercial breeders, etc. Rather than leave these dogs to die in a shelter or their current situation, we put them in volunteer foster homes where they are treated like members of the family. Our entire organization is made up of volunteer foster homes. We do not have a shelter.

Each foster dog is socialized in a home-like setting. We then evaluate them extensively. We will treat any medical condition identified by our veterinarians. All dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccines are updated and test them for heartworm, lymes diseases and started on monthly preventatives for fleas, ticks and heartworms. The dog is evaluated thoroughly to place in the appropriate home. Each dog stays in their foster home until they are adopted.

Rescue dogs may have some "issues" to work through (we will advise you of any identified "issues" dog has prior to adoption). These dogs are often very scared and unsure of where they belong. There may be some training needed or some bad habits to correct, however, rescue dogs usually have plenty of love, affection and gratitude to give back. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you saved a dog!

Placing a rescued Shih Tzu in a safe and loving home is our number one priority. Besides assessing the Shih Tzu for its needs, we also assess potential homes to assure that the environment and caregivers will be able to provide the right balance of love and attention that each and every Shih Tzu deserves. We are always searching for that special person or family that is willing to open up their home and is ready to be smothered with love by these most wonderful pets.

General Guidelines

These are some general guidelines we follow in choosing the homes for our dogs:

  • All pets in your house must be already spayed/neutered before we will place a Shih Tzu with you. The only exceptions are if you are showing the dog in conformation shows, or if there are medical reasons.
     
  • We want you to be committed to the dog for the rest of its life. Ask yourself if your lifestyle is changing due to a move, getting married/divorced, changing jobs, etc. Will those lifestyles affect your decision to keep the dog? Adoption is for the rest of the dog's life.

Some Things to Keep in Mind

Please understand that adopting a dog is a lifetime decision and should not be made quickly. Our adoption process takes time and does not happen immediately.

  • The dog may never be allowed off a leash/lead unless it is in a securely fenced yard.
  • The dog must be kept on heartworm and flea prevention.
  • The dog must be an indoor dog and treated as a member of the family.
  • The dog is never to be left outside when you are not home.
  • The dog must wear ID tags at all times.
  • You must be 21 years old to submit an adoption application. Our adoptions require a person to be of legal age to be able to sign the adoption contract.
  • You may not adopt a dog as a gift for another person or as a surprise for someone. This is not fair to the dog or the person involved.


Please remember, our first and ONLY consideration is the safety and happiness of our dogs.

If you are out of the area, we will in some circumstances do a "long distance" adoption, but we will not ship a dog. We do prefer that you come and meet your dog. As all our dogs are in foster homes in different places, when you inquire about a specific dog we will let you know its location prior to discussing adoption plans regarding that dog.

What We Look For in an Adoptive Home

All pets in your house must be spayed/neutered and current on vaccines and heartworm test before we will place a dog with you. (The only exception to the spay/neuter would be if you are showing the dog in conformation shows, or due to a substantiated medical reason.)

We also cannot hold dogs--we do not have the space available.  When your application is submitted, please be prepared to adopt from the date of submission of your application.  We do indicate that it can take up to 2 weeks for processing but that is more the exception than the rule.

What Does Current on Vaccines Mean?

Current Vaccine Protocol consists of Rabies, DHPP, and bordetella (recommended), annual heartworm test, and heartworm prevention.  We also accept titer testing as an alternative to a vaccine history.

Adoption Requirements

Adoptions to families with children under the age of 8 are done on a limited case by case basis.  Preference will be given to families with children if you currently have a dog in the home. Our primary concern is for our foster dog. Many dogs are turned into shelters and rescues because of problems with young children. We do not place young dogs into elderly homes as there stands too much of a risk for injury to the person and the dog. We do, however, always have an abundance of dogs in the 4-8 year old age range looking for wonderful homes. They are the perfect age for most any household and especially senior adopters. 

  • Our application requests 3 personal references, and we do contact them.
  • We also conduct a home visit for every application.  This is an opportunity to meet all members of the family. We do require that all members of the household be present for the home visit.
  • Adopters must be over 21 years old.
  • We do adopt to renters, but you must list your landlord as an additional 4th reference.