Oh my God, NO! Shih tzus should NOT be kept outdoors!

Take photos of what the dog looks like, the dog house, take photos of the cat's "area."

Take those to the local humane society or animal control, and ask them if this is proper? At this point, you aren't naming the owner or location. But, I am SURE they will say they need to take action.

As Karen said, mats pull on the skin and HURT! Shih tzus need to be at the groomer every 5 weeks or so, it is quite an expense. In between, they need regular brushing to prevent the mats.

Please, help these 2, you are in a position to do this and they can't help themselves, they need a human to step in.

WHY on earth does this person even HAVE pets, if she keeps them outdoors and ignores them like this???

Yes, I can well imagine the poor shih tzu is depressed. Are either animal fixed? Getting shots? Seeing a vet regularly? IF you know who the vet is, you can take the photos to the vet as well. They often can step in and take action, too.

You can also send the photos of the dog to a shih tzu rescue, see if they can provide some guidance.

We recently had a church group contact us about 2 bichons in need of rescue. My Team Leader phoned the person (I hesitate to call her an "owner" considering the state her dogs were in), and the church group had also been talking with her. The dogs are now in a safe, wonderful place. It took about 3 weeks to pull it all together. So it CAN be done!
Grrrr . . . .