✨ Gertie – Your Little Shadow with a Big Heart ✨ If you’ve been looking for a tiny best friend who will adore you completely, Gertie may be the one you’ve been waiting for. Gertie is a darling black and white Shih Tzu with a gentle spirit and a whole lot of love to give. She came to rescue from a hoarding situation alongside several other dogs, and she has done exceptionally well as she’s settled into a safe, loving environment. Her sweet personality continues to shine more each day. She absolutely thrives on attention and will happily soak up every cuddle, belly rub, and moment spent by your side. Whether she’s snuggling on the couch or enjoying a little playtime with her favorite toys, Gertie’s happiest place is wherever her people are. She has a low to moderate energy level, making her a wonderful companion for a home that enjoys a relaxed pace with a touch of playful fun. Gertie does well with other dogs, cats, and respectful children over 8, though her true preference is clear—if her person is nearby, that’s all she really needs! She can enjoy the company of another dog, but she’s just as content being your one-and-only. Gertie is doing well with her house training when kept on a consistent schedule. Like many dogs adjusting to a new environment, she does not yet signal when she needs to go out, so a routine will set her up for success. She prefers not to be crated and would do best in a home where she can be close to her people as much as possible. Her ideal home is one filled with love, companionship, and plenty of time for cuddles and connection. A fenced yard is a nice bonus, but not required for the right family. Gertie does have dry eye, which is common in the breed and easily managed with daily eye drops. She handles her care well and continues to blossom more each day. If you’re looking for a sweet, affectionate companion who will be devoted to you through and through, Gertie may just be your perfect match Gertie’s adoption donation is $500, and she is being fostered in Central Ohio. She is fully vetted and ready for her forever home — she has been spayed, microchipped, and is up to date on her vaccines, including rabies, distemper/parvo, bivalent canine influenza, and Bordetella. Gertie has tested negative for heartworm and has been started on heartworm and flea/tick prevention, and she has also had a dental cleaning.

Good with Dogs, Good with Cats, Good with Older/Considerate Kids Only, Good with Adults, Somewhat vocal, Does Good in the Car, Leashtrained, Cratetrained, Likes to be in your lap, Obedient, Affectionate, Intelligent, Even-tempered, Gentle, Goofy

PLEASE NOTE:   If you are viewing this biography on a website other than the Ohio Fuzzy Pawz website like Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet, or another search engine (the OFP website is www.ohiofuzzypawz.com), not all information transfers to partner websites in some instances.  If you go to the  individual webpage of our dogs , you will be able to get more information each dog.

Visual breed identification in dogs can be unreliable so, in many cases, we are only guessing at the predominant breed or breed mix.  We get to know each dog as an individual and will do our best to describe each of our dogs based on personality, not by breed label.

Our Adoption Process

The adoption process has several steps involved. Please review prior to submitting an application. Our adoption process is detailed here:  http://www.ohiofuzzypawz.com/info/adoption

Our volunteers work very diligently to process each application and we try to ensure that we are making the best match possible for each dog.  We do not schedule meetings with dogs until an application has been approved.  It can take up to a few weeks to process an application or as little time as a few days, from the time you submit an application, please be prepared to adopt as we cannot hold dogs.

Special Requirements

Some dogs may have special requirements (for example, medications, a fence) -- if you apply for a dog, please be sure to read over the biography completely to see if there are any special needs and if you're home would be suitable.  If we indicate on the dog's biography that a fence is required, this means your home must have a physical fence.  Other dogs may require a "strong vet reference" which indicates that we are looking for a home that has a documented history of veterinary care with previous pets. 

The first step in our process is to submit an online adoption application at www.ohiofuzzypawz.com/forms.  The application MUST include the personal references and veterinary, grooming, and landlord references (if applicable) and their respective contact information.  If you do not include the references and the contact information, your application will be delayed as it CANNOT be processed.  Once the references have been successfully completed, a home visit is then scheduled when a rescue representative can meet all members of the family or residents of the home.  No application is approved prior to the home visit being done.   At that point, the Directors will discuss any and all applications on a foster dog and make a selection--in many cases, there are multiple applications for each dog, so please be understanding that our only priority is the successful placement of each of our foster dogs.

Out of State Adoptions

We do adopt out of state to outstanding applicants, however, our process requires a home visit, so out of state adoptions can take longer.  We do not ship our dogs, adopters should be prepared to pick up the dog in Central Ohio. 

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