ADOPTED
Meet Girlie, a sweet 7yr old Shih Tzu who has overcome the hardships of spending 7 long years in a puppy mill. Despite her difficult past, Girlie is a resilient pup who is ready to find her forever home filled with love and patience. She is a sweet, goofy, quiet, lovable small Shih Tzu who has come a long way in her foster home and is now ready to find her forever home.
Girlie’s time in the puppy mill has left her in need of tender care and understanding. She craves affection and requires a gentle approach to help her overcome her wariness of humans. However, once she begins to trust, her playful and goofy personality shines through. While she may take some time to warm up to toys and play, her snores during sleep and quiet demeanor make her a charming companion. She gets quite animated when playing with toys now and is a very entertaining dog. She loves a good Nylabone chew bone and gets right down to a good chew!
This precious girl doesn’t demand much space and isn’t interested in stairs, making her suitable for a cozy home environment. She doesn’t need a large backyard, as regular walks suffice for her bathroom needs. Girlie is comfortable on a leash and doesn’t require overly long walks, making her an easy companion for leisurely strolls. Special handling is necessary for Girlie, as she still uses a short leash attached at all times while in the home and out in the yard. As she came from a past of cruelty and neglect she is nervous of quick movements or people reaching suddenly for her. Calm and gentle approaches are essential to help her feel safe and secure. We use the short leash as a way to hold the leash first, and then slowly pet her and pick her up. This way she isn’t startled and she accepts the handling. Her crate serves as a sanctuary, where she sleeps peacefully without any fuss. She is a very quiet dog and doesn’t fuss at all or bark when she is in her crate or when she is out in the house.
While Girlie may not enjoy car rides, she copes well in her crate in the car and is happy to return home afterward. She has shown tolerance toward
other dogs but would prefer the company of small or quiet/mature canines if there were other dogs in the home. She lives well with other dogs but just doesn’t want to wrestle or rough house. Girlie is a mellow and dignified dog who prefers companionship over playmate. She would do equally well in a home as the lone dog. Girlie has been exposed to cats and completely ignores them so a dog savvy cat in the home would be fine.
Girlie is likely best suited for a quieter household, where she can feel comfortable and secure. While she may not be entirely at ease with young children, quiet natured teens may provide a suitable match for her temperament. She wouldn’t want a home where children visit regularly, but the occasional short visit of a child could be a time where Girlie could relax in her crate. She is fearful of anyone grabbing at her so care should be taken out on walks to ensure that people met while out walking just leave her be. She is quite fine to stop and hang out while you chat, just asks for her personal space to be respected. She will continue to get better and better with this, and Girlie a year from now will be a much more confident dog, her forever family or person just needs to fully understand that mill dogs need time to adjust to the world around them, and learn that people can be kind and not everyone is out to hurt them.
Although she hasn’t undergone formal obedience training yet, Girlie is eager to please and would benefit from continued guidance that class will bring to boost her confidence. She enjoys treats and praise so positive training methods will work well with her.
Unfortunately, Girlie came to us full of milk, obviously having just had a litter. Girlie needed time for her body to regulate before she could be safely spayed so that surgery was delayed. Girlie can’t be spayed until the end of April but we didn’t want to hold her back from starting her life with her forever family. She will be adopted out on a contract which will require her family to return her to our vet in Cambridge to be spayed. This appointment will be made in consultation with her family but has to be done at our vet. Anyone interested in Girlie must live within 45min or so of Cambridge to make this return for a spay feasible. Girlie is ready to embark on a new chapter of her life filled with love and care. If you’re ready to open your heart to this gentle soul, Girlie will undoubtedly reward you with unwavering loyalty and affection. Come meet Girlie and experience the joy of giving her the loving home she deserves.