Shih Tzu puppies and dogs in Mound, Minnesota

Every minute matters when it comes to rescuing a Shih Tzu.  We may get a short notice that someone needs to surrender their dog or a puppy mill dog needs a temporary home. We can’t help if we don’t have families willing to foster, and we are always in need of more foster homes! If you live in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area and want to help save lives, please complete either our online Foster Sign-Up or download a word version here: http://www.northstarshihtzurescue.org/foster/ (please note: neither dog pictured are available to foster or adopt, both are in their forever homes) NorthStar Shih Tzu Rescue exists to benefit both Shih Tzu and Shih Tzu blend dogs and the people of our community. We operate as a no-kill rescue that provides rescue and adoption services, and meaningful outreach programs in order to advance the welfare of these companion animals, to serve and educate our community, and to make a positive, loving impact on the lives of both. NorthStar, located in Excelsior, MN, actively works to rescue Shih Tzu and Shih Tzu blend dogs from dangerous environments and shelters with the ultimate goal of placing them in loving, permanent, adoptive homes. We rescue unwanted, abandoned, and abused dogs. We have them vaccinated, micro-chipped, spayed or neutered, provide other medical care, and rehabilitate them in carefully selected foster homes. We also serve as a resource to our community and all pet owners by providing education and information on the benefits of adopting an animal in need as well as responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, good nutrition, and positive behavior training. We strive to increase public awareness about companion animal overpopulation, commercial breeders, and to offer solutions to end the killing of adoptable animals. We work in alliance with local animal shelters, pounds, other rescue groups, and humane society organizations to ensure these animals are not forgotten. Visit this organization's web site to see any additional information available about this pet.November 1, 2024, 5:42 pm

A portion of my adoption fee has been sponsored by The Wilbur Fund. The adoption fee sponsorship credit of $100.00 will be applied during the contract process. Hi my name is Riggy Moe and I am from Minnesota! Riggy Moe is a Senior dog, she is very sweet and adorable!! She is full of personality and she is a social gal as she likes to make new friends. She does great with my other dogs as well. She also likes going for walks when the weather is nice. She is doing well with her housetraining and her crate training, I recently have let her run of my bedroom, kitchen and she has been doing well with that.She is used to sleeping on my bed with me as I have doggy stairs for her to use and she definitely let you know her place is on the bed, I affectionately call her my Sassy Princess! She is a wonderful companion dog who already has me wrapped around her little paw as I just adore her! From the Vet: Ms. Riggy Moe is a spunky senior gal ready to find her final forever home for her golden years. She has a history of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye) and requires lifelong medication to keep her eyes comfortable and healthy. Her adopter will need to maintain consistent treatment and establish care with their primary veterinarian for ongoing eye management and monitoring. She has undergone extensive dental care, including numerous tooth extractions, to ensure her mouth is now healthy and pain-free. Upon arrival, Riggy Moe was underweight. After reaching a healthy weight, she successfully underwent surgery to repair a luxated (dislocated) left hip. She has recovered well, but her adopter should monitor her joint health long-term and keep her at a healthy weight to support mobility and comfort.

You can fill out an adoption application online on our official website. Thank you for stopping by to see me!  Please fill out an application to set up  a private meeting.  Starling is a brave little six-year-old Shih Tzu whose sweet, silly personality has truly blossomed in foster care. When she first arrived, she was terrified of people and her new environment—but she has made incredible progress and is so ready to continue that journey in a loving forever home. These days, Starling seeks out her people and happily spends time nearby—especially if there’s a lap involved. Once she feels safe, her playful, quirky side shines through in the cutest ways: a little bounce here, a wiggly roll there, or rubbing her face along the ground in pure joy. It’s impossible not to smile around her. Starling has gained so much confidence in her day-to-day life. She proudly trots up and down stairs, is fully potty trained on a schedule, and does wonderfully with full access to the main floor while her foster parent is away. She loves exploring the yard, carefully sniffing every corner with growing curiosity and confidence. While she may be timid when first meeting new people, she warms up quickly and becomes a devoted, affectionate companion. She has shown friendly curiosity toward neighbor dogs with no signs of fear or aggression, suggesting she could thrive either as an only dog or as part of a pack. Starling is still learning that the leash isn’t so scary—she currently freezes when it’s introduced—so she’ll need a patient adopter committed to helping her build confidence at her own pace. She is crate trained, knows “go potty,” and is overall a wonderful, well-mannered little girl. She will also need regular grooming to keep her coat healthy and comfortable (her groomer reports she’s an absolute angel!). Starling has worked so hard to become the joyful little princess she is today. Starling didn’t just learn how to be a dog-  she learned how to love, and now she’s ready to give that love to someone who sees just how special she is.  With a gentle, patient home, she will continue to blossom into an incredibly loyal, loving, and delightfully quirky companion who gives her whole heart once she knows she’s home.  Please note that some of our dogs are obtained from shelters, surrendered to our care, or released from breeders. Each animal's bio is based on our experience of the animal within our care, an educated guess based on physical characteristics, temperament and information shared. Each dog receives basic grooming when coming into rescue, but for some dogs they have not received grooming attention until recently and grooming may be required shortly after adoption. This will be at the adopter’s expense, so we encourage you to research the breed and be prepared for grooming expenses. Underdog cannot guarantee hypoallergenic or non-shedding qualities of any dogs in our rescue. Some of the animals come from situations where they are lacking experience in a home and confidence in humans. In turn, they require another companion dog and/or a fenced in yard in their forever home in order for them to feel safe. If you are interested in a particular dog whose bio states those needs and do not currently have them, please understand that your home might not be the right fit. Please use the filter on our Adoptable Dogs page to find the perfect match for your home.   ***Be sure to check your spam/junk folder as sometimes our emails end up there*** Visit this organization's web site to see any additional information available about this pet.If you have other questions about me you can email Underdog Rescue at <inquiries@underdogrescuemn.com> ADOPTION EVENTS:      Adoption events are updated at the top of each dogs animals' as their foster home signs up. Check back for updates on which events they will be attending. If an event is not listed within their bio above, the animal is not planning to attend.  Please understand that all of our pets are in volunteer foster homes and sometimes "life" happens and the foster family cannot make it to their scheduled adoption event. If you are traveling from a far distance to meet a specific animal, please understand we cannot guarantee event attendance. We recommend filling out an application and we will set up a private appointment. Private appointments are only scheduled after an application is submitted and approved. ADOPTION PROCEDURE: The first step in our process is to complete an online adoption application on our website: http://www.underdogrescuemn.com/adoptionprocess/   Note: In most circumstances Underdog Rescue will only adopt within 60 miles of Minneapolis, MN.  All of our foster animals can be seen by appointment with an approved adoption application. Contact us at http://www.underdogrescuemn.com/contact-us/ if you have further questions. FOSTER CARE: All of our animals are fostered in individual homes or doggie daycare facilities. While they are in our care, they are part of our families and given lots of love. We work on training, crate-training and socialization prior to adoption, but each bio is written by the foster as they see them, in their home. Each animal's behavior is evaluated and we have a sense of its temperament and personality, but it cannot be guaranteed. We look for adopters who will give each animal the wonderful life and permanent home that he or she deserves in time and with patience.  If you have an interest and ability to be a foster home, please visit our website  www.underdogrescuemn.com/foster-applications  and fill out a foster application. NUTRITION: Nutrition is vital to the rehabilitation and life-long health of our pets.  All of our foster animals are fed a premium diet such as NutriSource, Canidae, Orijen, Nature's Variety, Fromm, Pure Vita, Stella and Chewy's, Primal, or balanced raw diet.  All adopters are required to continue providing premium diets for the life of the animal. YOU CAN HELP: Not able to foster or adopt right now? Please consider sponsoring an Underdog. Your donation will help us buy dog food and pay for medical costs. Visit this link  www.underdogrescuemn.com/donate   to donate.  (Please note: A Paypal account is not necessary to use Paypal. When you get to the Paypal page, just use the link to the left of their login to make your donation via Paypal without an account.) April 25, 2026, 10:32 pm

Bubbles and her sister Buttercup were surrendered to a kill shelter because their owners just had too many and couldn’t find homes on their own. Their mom is a long-haired Chihuahua and their daddy is a Shih Tzu and they were born on February 2nd last year so they are now a year old. Bubbles has been spayed, is up-to-date on vaccines and heartworm negative. She’s also microchipped. She weighs about 9 pounds and is full grown now. Bubbles is great at the Vet and The Groomer and loves riding in the car. She needs a little practice on the leash and she’s making great progress on house training. Bubbles is a very friendly and a super snuggler! She and Buttercup are very bonded and we would very much like to get them a home together. They are so funny together! They play and run zoomies around the house. They would do well with older children and we have not had them around cats but we feel like she would be fine with proper introduction. If you would like to give this super affectionate love bug along with her sister, their forever home, please email omlc7@hotmail.com or dogs4mylife@gmail.com. If you do not see a response, please check your spam folder.

Buttercup and her sister, Bubbles were surrendered to a kill shelter because their owners just had too many and couldn’t find homes on their own. Their mom is a long-haired Chihuahua and their daddy is a Shih Tzu and they were born on February 2nd last year so they are now a year old. Buttercup has been spayed, is up-to-date on vaccines and heartworm negative. She’s also microchipped. She weighs about 6 pounds and is full grown now. She is great at the Vet and The Groomer and loves riding in the car. She needs a little practice on the leash and she’s making great progress on house training. Buttercup is a little shy at first, and she definitely tries to boss her sister around, but they really love each other! She and Buttercup are very bonded and we would very much like to get them a home together. They are so funny together! They play and run zoomies around the house. They would do well with older children and we have not had them around cats but we feel like they would be fine with proper introduction. If you would like to give this super affectionate love bug along with her sister, their forever home, please email omlc7@hotmail.com or dogs4mylife@gmail.com. If you do not see a response, please check your spam folder.

Winnie is a 4-year-old, 10 lb Poodle mix who is looking for a patient, loving home where he can feel safe and supported. He’s a shy little guy at first, but once he gets to know you, he becomes incredibly loving and wants to be near his people as much as possible. In fact, he’s happiest when he plays fetch with his favorite fox toy and happily curls up close with his foster family at the end of a long day.He absolutely lights up when he plays with the small dog in his foster home and clearly gains confidence from having a canine companion around. Because of that, Winnie will require another resident dog in his future home. He does best with smaller dogs and can be afraid of dogs over about 25 pounds. His history with cats is unknown. Winnie would do best in a quieter home with older, respectful kids — dog-savvy children over 13 who understand how to move slowly and give a shy dog space.He is still working on house training and has not yet been introduced to walking on a leash. He is not crate-trained due to separation anxiety. He has a surprisingly big bark for such a small dog and can be vocal when left alone, so he will require a home without shared walls (no apartments/townhomes).Winnie would thrive in a home where someone is around most of the time — someone who works from home, a retired household, or a home where people come and go throughout the day.With the right environment — a calm home, a confident dog friend, and patient humans who will let him move at his own pace — Winnie will blossom into your new best friend!If you are interested in this dog, fill out an application at this link to get the ball rolling - https://pethavenmn.org/adopt/adoptable-dogs/dog-adoption-application/The adoption fee is $450. Adoption fee includes spay/neuter, heartworm/Lyme test, all age-appropriate vaccinations (distemper, rabies, and Bordetella), heartworm and flea/tick preventatives, and microchip implant (including registration). Adoption fees INCLUDE a mandatory sales tax of 7.525%. Age and breed are based on veterinarian and intake professional’s recommendation and not guaranteed as a rescue animal’s history is often unknown. Due to post-adoption services provided, we prefer to adopt within a 150-mile radius of the Twin Cities. However, we will consider up to 250 miles if the foster agrees to travel requirements and staff approval.