You will likely live near an animal rescue facility, so looking for Shih Tzu puppies for adoption wouldn’t be too difficult; if it’s a long trip, pack and prepare for it. You will not speak with a breeder, who will know the lineage of the puppies, but with the shelter staff, who will not always be provided with that information as they rarely discriminate between breeds. Sometimes owners who bring their Shih Tzu puppies to the shelter for adoption also leave documentation of the puppies related to breeding and other health matters, but that’s rare.
Most of the Shih Tzu that you would find in Shih Tzu rescues are adult dogs, but every now and then a litter is drawn to the attention of rescue personnel – a good soul brings them to the shelter or someone alerts staff to abandoned puppies. in a box, shivering with cold and hunger. This means that some Shih Tzu puppies for adoption may not be as healthy or are recovering from malnutrition. A contributing factor to abandoned dogs is the existence of puppy mills, which breed dogs for the sole purpose of profit, regardless of whether they deviate from the healthy breeding standards set by kennel associations.
It is strongly recommended that you adopt an adult dog from a rescue group, for a variety of reasons. Animal shelters are not funded by corporations, most of them anyway, which means they have limited facilities, manpower, and resources. They use foster homes to house some dogs as a way to increase their facilities and better care for orphaned dogs. It basically allows the shelter to help more dogs when it adopts them as it provides a good home for one of their own and they can take in more abandoned dogs. That’s why adopting from them is good for you (you get a new companion), the dog (that you get a new home), and the shelter (that you can help more dogs).
You may be lucky enough to bring home a healthy liter of Shih Tzu, if that happens be sure to speak with the staff who cared for the puppies to get them back to health. When it comes to taking good care of puppies, the staff can certainly guide you on what to do and what to avoid. If it’s been that long since you’ve looked after the puppies, then the staff can certainly be of assistance.
You could have a nice time raising Shih Tzu puppies; Remember that adopting a shelter is a recommended option (not to mention very affordable) if you are not going to bring your dogs into dog shows. This breed makes a great companion, especially if you have the time, heart, and finances to keep several of these toy dogs.