STRMN Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota

STRMN Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota

Rescue, Rehabilitate, Rehome

Your donation will help

STRMN rescue a Shih Tzu

in need. You may make a

tax deductable donation to

STRMN at P.O. Box 46562,

Eden Prairie, MN 55344

or through our secure

Paypal account. (You do not

have to have a Paypal

account to make a donation)

Shih Tzu Rescue Of Minnesota
P.O. Box 46562
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
www.shihtzurescuemn.org

RESCUING SINCE
2007!

2024 RESCUE REUNION

The 2024 STRMN Rescue Reunion
Photos are
now available!

CLICK HERE

Visit the STRMN YouTube channel for delightful videos featuring adopters, foster homes and board members.

MEET AND GREET
OUR AVAILABLE DOGS

First Saturday of every month
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Petco Southtown location
7995 Southtown Dr.
Bloomington, MN 55431
(next to the MacDonald's)
[Click HERE for Directions]

THIS IS A MEET & GREET ONLY. WE DO NOT ADOPT OUT DIRECTLY FROM THIS EVENT.

[LEARN MORE]

"Happy Tails"
Successful Adoptions

The following are four stories, examples, of how Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota hears about and brings dogs into rescue.

STRMN Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota

Ike was playing in the yard and accidentally ran into a stick or the branch of a bush, scratching his

eye. The eye became infected and was ready to rupture. STRMN took him to a veterinary

ophthalmologist, who did a skin graft onto the cornea of his eye. Ike had to be kept quiet for several

weeks. His foster mom diligently put several medications into his eye every day, and eventually the

eye healed. He now has great vision in the injured eye and most importantly, his eye was saved.

Mattie got his name from the condition he was in when he was rescued by STRMN. His coat was

so dirty and matted that his foster mom gave him the name Mattie. He was found as a stray in rural

Isanti. He was probably abandoned, and based upon his very thin body and horrible coat, he was

most likely on his own for quite a while. During that time out in the elements, his eyes also became

very scratched and irritated. He required surgery to correct a cherry eye, and multiple trips to the

ophthalmologist for treatment of his damaged eyes. Today he is healthy and carefree in his new

home.

Poor Chazz was trying to crawl out of a northern Minnesota roadside ditch when he was found

by a good Samaritan, who stopped and picked him up. He apparently had been abandoned and

ultimately hit by a car. He was obviously injured, especially his eye and one side of his head, and

needed immediate veterinary care. The concerned woman couldn’t afford to care for him herself,

so she contacted STRMN. We asked her to take him to the nearest vet, and said if he could be

saved, we would pay for it. If not, we would pay to have him humanely euthanized. The vet

generously donated some of his fees and even helped to transport Chazz to another vet that was

closer to the Twin Cities, where he was met by a STRMN volunteer. He continued to receive

veterinary care in the Twin Cities and recovered under the watchful eye of his foster mom. When

he was brought in to rescue, he was originally named “Blackie” because he was all black. After a

good bath, we discovered he was black and white, and his foster mom renamed him Chazz. Now

he is happy and healthy and in his new adoptive home.

Bebe was a sweet seven year old girl who was surrendered to STRMN by her owner. Bebe had

a long history of blood in her urine and the owner knew she was in pain, but she couldn’t afford her

veterinary care. She also had severe periodontal disease and some abscessed teeth. STRMN took

care of Bebe’s bladder stones and treated her gum disease and bad teeth. She is now pain free and

living in a wonderful adoptive home.

On July 24, 2013 two volunteers from Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota traveled to Fargo, North Dakota to

bring 15 Shih Tzus/Shih Tzu mixes back into rescue. The dogs had been seized from a puppy mill near

Fargo. A neighbor of the person who owned the puppy mill saw several neglected dogs in a wire pen

outside the owner’s house and reported him to the authorities for suspected animal abuse. When the

authorities investigated, they didn’t anticipate finding about 160 more dogs who were kept confined

inside a searingly hot metal outbuilding. They were kept in small, stacked crates in a closed building with

no ventilation or air conditioning. They were housed five dogs to a crate. The crates were so small that

the dogs had to lie down on top of each other; there wasn’t enough room for them to even lie next to

one another. They were found in six inches of feces, and all were malnourished, filthy, matted and

terrified.

The dogs were immediately seized by animal control and taken to a local veterinarian, where they were

shaved, examined, tested for heartworm and parasites, and given initial vaccinations. All of the females

were given an ultrasound to determine whether they were pregnant, and, of course, many were indeed

pregnant.

Of the 174 dogs seized, 168 were considered viable for rehabilitation and adoption, but the veterinarian

was in no position to house or care for 168 dogs! A Fargo dog rescue stepped in to organize care for the

dogs and contacted many area rescues to seek help with fostering them. Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota

was contacted, and we were excited and proud to be able to take 15, almost 10%, of the dogs that

were rescued. Volunteers who normally weren’t foster parents offered to take a dog. Others helped with

mentoring and taking the dogs to vet appointments. Everyone rallied to help these wonderful dogs, who

were so happy to be in loving, secure foster homes.

When the dogs were in the mill, they were nothing more than a means to make money for the owner.

They were identified by a number, and had no names. But as soon as the dogs were in the arms of

their rescue foster parents, they were a dog with a name. Being given a name was just the beginning

of their new lives. Following are the dogs who came from the mill:

F9 became Sophie

F19 became Cassie

F27 became Gabby

F33 became Chloe

F34 became Tacy

F45 became Cookie

F47 became Teenie

M1 became Toby

M20 became Stanley

M22 became Po

M29 became Henry

M36 became Charlie

M38 became Bentley

M41 became Arnold

M42 became Peeta

But our happy story took a twist! When one of females was taken in to be spayed, the foster mom had

expressed a concern that she thought her foster dog, Cookie, was pregnant. To our surprise, and

secret delight, she was indeed determined to be pregnant! Cookie was then placed in a foster home

that had had considerable experience in birthing and caring for pregnant dogs and their puppies. On

August 28th Cookie gave birth to five beautiful puppies. We knew that Cookie had given birth many times

before, but this time she was in the comfort of a loving, secure home instead of a brutal puppy mill. She

is a serene, gentle, attentive mother, and very content with her babies. Thankfully this will be the last

time she will ever be forced to have puppies. Cookie’s five puppies will be placed in STRMN foster

homes when they are old enough to be separated from their mother, and then put up for adoption.

Now back to the other 14 dogs! All of the dogs received necessary vetting, which included a

spay/neuter, vaccinations, dental cleanings, and various other medical services. They all needed

bathing and grooming, and some had some had suffered emotional trauma that required particular

attention from their foster parents. But whatever the dogs needed, they received. The foster parents

and other volunteers were very devoted to every dog, and all were brought back to good health and

emotional wellness so that they could be adopted. At this writing, three of the foster homes have

"flunked" and adopted their foster dogs, which often happens. Four others have been adopted and the

remaining dogs have some very good adoption applications pending. We know they all will find their

forever loving homes soon.

We are so thrilled and honored to have participated in creating happy lives for the 15 puppy mill dogs

rescued and for the five born in our rescue. The Fargo dogs are just wonderful and we wish we could

keep them all, but that isn’t our mission. We have a long list of dogs waiting to come in to rescue; so

many that we sadly must frequently turn them away because we don’t have enough foster homes. They

consequently end up in shelters, given to a disreputable rescue group, or even worse, advertised on

Craig’s List or as "free to good home", where they are often end up in the hands of someone who uses

them for breeding or as bait for dog fighting. We know by the behavior of some of the Fargo dogs that

they were, at one time, someone’s family pet. They were already house trained, they knew the

excitement of riding in a car and the joy of playing with toys. How could their previous owner let them

end up in the hands of a puppy miller and living a life of hell?

We also ask how it is possible that puppy mills even exist. There are thousands of puppy mills, hundreds

in Minnesota, yet they go undetected because they are physically secluded. There is no official agency

that regulates or inspects the owner’s business or the conditions in which the dogs are kept. The dogs

suffer in long, painful silence while the puppy miller continues to breed them and sell the puppies to pet

stores. This miller in Fargo was known to sell puppies to pet stores nearby, yet the pet stores didn’t

care enough to question their origin. 99% of all puppies sold in a pet store come directly from a puppy

mill. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of not buying a puppy from a pet store. In fact, don’t

buy anything from a store that sells puppies. You are directly supporting a store that perpetuates the

business of puppy mills. Until adequate state legislation is enacted which prohibits puppy mills, they will

continue to proliferate. Please encourage your state legislators to pass a law banning puppy mills and to

craft laws that will ensure comprehensive inspections and restrictions on businesses that breed and sell

puppies.

The Fargo Fifteen (ultimately 20)!

Here is Mimi in all her glory! What a transformation from when she came into rescue, very

overweight and having an unflattering haircut. Carolyn and her daughter came to Shih Tzu Rescue

of Minnesota’s meet and greet at PetCo two years ago. She had lost her Shih Tzu, Mickey, just two

weeks before. She fell in love with a very overweight Mimi and adopted her. Carolyn was diligent

about feeding Mimi normal sized meals, very few treats, and they did lots of walking. Mimi’s weight

gradually reduced and her energy level increased. As her hair lengthened all the beautiful colors in

her coat became more apparent and her hair is now silky and shiny. When she runs it flies out at

her sides, her face expressing the joy she has with becoming a healthy nine year old. She loves her

life with Carolyn and is finally living the life that we all work at so hard to give to these precious little

souls that we are privileged to have pass through our lives, for even a short time.

If you would like to see Mimi’s entire album of 50 photos, go to Robert Lawton Photos, click on

“Client Galleries”, click on “Mimi” and the password is “Carolyn” in all lower case letters. You won’t

be sorry if you take a peek at these. Robert is very pleased with them also.

Mickey

Mickey came into ShihTzu Rescue in April 2016, arriving from a Humane Society in Sioux City,

Iowa. Not much was known about his past history, but it was suspected he might have Cushings

Disease, which is an adrenal gland disease. He tested positive for the disease and was quickly put

on a medication that helps control the symptoms and allows him to live a normal life. Mickey also

needed a doggy dental and had several teeth pulled. But, after he healed, he was still able to

chew his doggy bones, a favorite past time for sure. Mickey is good with other dogs, children and

adults. He is mellow, not a lap dog, but an independent thinker. Loves belly rubs, rolling on his

back and nice walks outside. Mickey was with his foster parents for almost 9 months. Then in Jan

2017, Mickey was adopted by a wonderful family in Stillwater who wanted a mellow, older dog to

help their puppy mill ShihTzu acclimate to the family more completely. They love Mickey, and he

has been blessed with his new forever family.

BUDDY
A Story of Cruelty, Love, and Transformation

In November of 2010, our rescue received a

frantic request from a young woman who had

three Shih Tzus that she needed to immediately

surrender. She loved them dearly, but she was

in a relationship with a controlling, abusive man

who ordered her to get rid of the dogs. It was

either her dogs or him, and her fear of her

boyfriend was great.

Foster homes were found for each individual dog,

and Phyllis and Ron Ettinger, volunteers with

STRMN, went to the woman’s house to pick up

the dogs. They were met at the house by a man

wielding a gun, who threatened them, saying

they had to take the dogs immediately or he was

going to kill the dogs.

Of course, Phyllis and Ron did their best to calm the menacing man while maintaining their own

composure, and reassured him that their purpose was to take the dogs. But little did they know what

was in store.

There were two docile female dogs, who were easily put into the Ettinger’s car. But a black and white

six year old male, named Fang, put up a fight. He clearly didn’t trust anyone and fought back, biting, at

any attempt to touch or even approach him. He did trust his female owner, but no one else. With her

help, Fang was loaded into the car. It was clear that Fang had been severely abused by the boyfriend.

When a dog is met with such abuse and threats, it has two options: fight or flight. The two females

chose flight, and they found safety somewhere in the house away from the boyfriend, and avoided

confrontations with him. But Fang chose to fight, only fueling the boyfriend’s frequent cruelty and

brutality. One can only imagine the torture that Fang endured at the hands of this despicable man.

But on the day that Fang and his two siblings were rescued, they began a journey that changed their

lives forever. Because the two girls were docile and receptive to love and attention, they did well in

their foster homes and were soon adopted by wonderful families. And Fang’s name was changed to

Buddy, to shed the name’s horrible connotation and give hope for a brighter future.

But Buddy’s journey was not so simple. He had endured so much, and even with the help and

understanding of his foster parents, he resisted anyone approaching or touching him, and lashed out at

any attempts to engage him. It was immensely difficult for his foster parents - how do you even begin

to help a dog when you can’t put a leash on him without being bitten? How can you give consolation

to a dog who bears his teeth at you when you even look at him? How can people feel safe with an

aggressive dog in their home? As difficult as it was for Buddy’s foster parents, it was also difficult for

Buddy. Every look in his direction signaled fear for him; fear of being hit, kicked, tortured, or yelled at.

This foster home was yet another fear for him.

At great expense, Shih Tzu Rescue of Minnesota hired a professional trainer to help Buddy’s foster

parents gain an understanding of Buddy and to enable him to overcome his fear and aggression.

Several STRMN volunteers also regularly participated in Buddy’s training to get him accustomed to new,

safe people and situations. Ron Ettinger, was especially devoted to Buddy and went to the foster home

on weekends to walk Buddy, and to build and maintain a relationship with him.

But Buddy’s progress was very slow; concerningly slow. After many months in his foster home, he still

could not be trusted to not bite when approached. He had to be sedated to be groomed. STRMN did

not have unlimited funds to pour into professional training. Buddy’s foster parents were disheartened

and basically had given up because there just didn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel.

What was the rescue to do? STRMN is a “no kill” rescue, but clearly Buddy was not ever going to be an

adoptable dog, and no other foster home was willing to take such an aggressive dog. What was

Buddy’s fate?

Ron and Phyllis had remained active in Buddy’s rehabilitation efforts, and when they learned of STRMN’s predicament, they came to Buddy’s rescue for a second time. They said they would adopt him! In July of 2011 Buddy went to live with the Ettinger’s.

Ron and Phyllis are well known within the rescue for their love and compassion for animals of all kinds. But what they did for Buddy was extraordinary.

They already had other Shih Tzus in their home, and were a bit worried about Buddy’s interaction

with them. So when they initially got Buddy, they kept him in a large, carpeted surround in their

temperature controlled garage. They would sit with him for hours at a time in a very non-

threatening way, calmly and soothingly talking to him, getting him used to their presence and voice.

Ron slept in the garage at night with Buddy so that he wouldn’t be alone. Gradually Buddy allowed

them to pet him without attempting to bite. During this time, they also hired the same dog trainer

who had previously worked with Buddy, to continue with his training and rehabilitation.

Within a reasonably short period period of time, Buddy was allowed in the house to interact with

Ron and Phyllis and their dogs. But he remained very unpredictable, often snarling or growling at

the slightest provocation. But Ron and Phyllis were adamantly committed to helping Buddy. They

continued with the training advice given to them, and if they had to be gone for any length of time,

Buddy always stayed at the trainer’s home so that his training wouldn’t lapse. They showered

Buddy with love, kindness, and understanding, and most of all, patience.

Over a period of a couple years, Buddy made incremental improvements. He was becoming a

trusting, loving, calm boy. He became Ron’s shadow, and the most devoted companion one could

hope for. He could even be trusted with the Ettinger’s two young granddaughters. He would never

be an enthusiastic, outgoing, slobber you with kisses type of dog, but he had found a home where

his family gave him a new life; one of tenderness and love. And he gave Ron and Phyllis so much

love in return. We don’t know if dogs are capable of expressing gratitude, but certainly Buddy never

forgot his former life and was grateful every day for the life that the Ettinger’s had given him.

Several years after Buddy’s rescue, Phyllis kindly called Buddy’s former owner to let her know that

Buddy was doing well. The woman broke down crying, having not known what Buddy’s fate was,

and always fearing the worst. An emotional burden was lifted from her, and thankfully, she was no

longer with her abusive boyfriend.

Buddy had many happy years with Ron and Phyllis, but sadly they had to make the painful decision

to say goodbye to him on July 25, 2022. He was 18 years old and his quality of life was very poor.

Their grief for this very special dog is profound. But Buddy had 11 wonderful years with Ron and

Phyllis, and they treasure every moment of them. Buddy’s story is an inspiration and testament to

the devotion and kindness of humans, and the forgiveness, resilience and fortitude of dogs. Buddy

will remain in the hearts of everyone who knew him.

Ron and Phyllis continue in their commitment to the mission of our rescue, and they are an amazing

example of what can be accomplished. They hope Buddy’s story will spur others to do their part to

help the many dogs - and the other Buddy’s - who need to be rescued.