may be getting new pal early

[fritz03]

May be getting our new pal today,Mom saw an ad in our paper yesterday for Shih Tzu Puppies,there are 4 ,2 each of males and females, $400 each,brown and white and black and white.Mom phoned Marlene and Larry last night and told them about the puppies and,they said we should go with the one in Oshawa,Larry got off the phone and called the people with the puppies so we are going to check it out after Larry gets off work after 5 today,they live out in the country north of town.I would rather wait,it has only been 8 days since Fritz has been gone,could be too soon,it won't hurt to check it out,hope they are old enough to leave.

[caseysmom]

Too bad you can't find a little guy at a shelter and put the $400 away for any future medical issues....

[wolfsoul]

I agree with caseysmom, be very careful; I groom ALOT of shih tzus, and the breed is riddled with health problems because they are overbred, and not bred with health in mind. $400 will NOT buy you a quality shih tzu; You could end up with backyard bred issues. If I were you I'd look for small dog rescues, where your $400 could be put away for vet bills etc. I have some contacts in Ontario that might be able to help find something. Either way, good luck! Just be careful what you buy. It may look cute and cuddly, but could end up with health problems down the road. Best to find a breeder does all of the nessecary health tests etc.

[lvpets2002]

I will agree with Please go to the Shelter First to see if there is a puppy there you would like.. Save your $400.00 for Vet Bills.. But Hey if you wish for these puppies then Best of Luck & I hope the baby will bring you lots of happiness.. Huggss

[k9krazee]

We got Micki & Mini from an ad in the paper. They don't look like the breed they are supposed to be, Micki is riddled with health problems (allergies, kidney issues, ear infections, chronic back pain, etc) and has a horrible temperament. We lucked out with Mini, because despite being a poor example of a JRT look and temperament wise she is pretty healthy and has a stable temperament.

Be very very careful. They may look cute and cuddly but they likely haven't had generations of dogs in their line health tested and they are the product of two dogs that lived together or were thrown together. No thought about the structure or temperament of the pups.

You would be much better off going to a shelter or rescue and getting a dog that way you know exactly what you are getting. Or spending about $1000 at a reputable breeder where you have a better chance of getting a good example of the breed you are looking for.

Please be careful of spur of the moment decisions. We snatched Micki and Mini up within minutes of meeting them because they were too cute. We didn't ask very many questions and RED FLAG they wouldn't let us see their mom because she wasn't very friendly. We should have researched more and walked away and thought about it. Would have saved us thousands of dollars in vet care and lots and lots of issues.

Good luck!

[Taz_Zoee]

I agree with what everyone else has said above. But in reference to it being too soon.....we got Zoee about 3 weeks after we had to let our Cocker Spaniel go to the bridge. In those few weeks we knew we needed a dog to complete the house. We missed looking out the door and seeing him, or opening the door to the garage and him greeting us. (Yes, he was an outdoor dog. Bruce learned his lesson on that.) But since DJ was his dog, I let it be up to him if and when we got another dog. He was actually ready two weeks after. It just took us a week to find Zoee.

You just have to remember that a new pup will not replace Fritz. But it will help your heart heal.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Barry, like the others have said, please set aside the $400 for future medical bills and CHECK OUT THE SHELTER!! There are tons of Shih Tzu's in the shelter, even go to petfinder.com ! Also, almost all of the dogs/litters of puppies listed in the newspaper, penny saver, etc are listed by puppy mills. Not well bred, numerous health issues, and sometimes sick- so please re-thing getting this puppy!

[fritz03]

I read all that and I showed to Mom and she read it and she phoned my sister,we all agreed to wait and get one form a reputable breeder,the one I had talked about that will be in a week and a half when we will see the parents of the ShihTzus,Mom is going to phone our groomer and check with her ,she has shown dogs herself.we will see what goes on.

[Catty1]

Barry, also tell your mom that there are lots of Shih Tzus in shelters that need good homes.

This is a link to the dog section of the Quinte Humane Society in Belleville. Maybe you and your mom could go through the pictures and see if some doggy catches your eye. There might even be a Shih Tzu there!

http://www.quintehumanesociety.com/dogs.html

They get new dogs daily, so keep checking back. Plus - they have all been spayed or neutered and have all their shots.

[k9krazee]

I read all that and I showed to Mom and she read it and she phoned my sister,we all agreed to wait and get one form a reputable breeder,the one I had talked about that will be in a week and a half when we will see the parents of the ShihTzus,Mom is going to phone our groomer and check with her ,she has shown dogs herself.we will see what goes on.

Such good news!!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Such good news!!

Agreed!