"Second Chance"

A Complimentary

Monthly Newsletter

April 2025 / V16

Why Shop When You Can Adopt!

- A SecondChance for the Innocent

Featured Monthly Articles:

--Canine Community:

The Origin of the Easter Bunny:

History has it that the symbol of the rabbit stems from the ancient German pre-christian pagan traditions honoring "Eostre" the goddess of fertility. Each year a "Festival of Eostre", was held to honor the goddess and welcome spring and new beginnings. The goddess's animal symbol was the rabbit which has long stood for fertility due to the rabbit's high reproduction rate. The "Easter Bunny" was first brought to America by German immigrants in the 1700's. German tradition had an egg laying rabbit named Osterhase, which would lay colorful eggs as gifts to children who were good. The custom spread across America until it became a widespread Easter tradition.

Fun ideas to celebrate Easter with your pup:

Create a doggy Easter basket filled with your dog's favorite treats and toys;
Dogs love to sniff around so create an egg hunt using plastic eggs filled with your pup's favorite treats;
Dress your pup in bunny ears, a festive collar and/or bandana and take photos to post on social media;
Make home made dog treats;

Have a Hippity, Hoppity Fun Time!

--Safety Tip of the Month:

Easter Candy and Flowers - Toxic to Dogs!

Make sure and keep your Easter Baskets out of reach from your dog this Easter season! Many foods and plants typical of the season are highly toxic to our tail waggers! Listed below are some of the things to avoid:

Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which is highly toxic to dogs. Dogs who ingest chocolate can have severe reactions such as vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, heart problems and even death. The darker the chocolate the more theobromine it contains. White chocolate can also be dangerous, it is fatty and can cause tummy and digestion problems. Call your vet immediately if you suspect your dog has eaten any chocolate.

Grapes, raisins and currents can cause kidney failure in dogs. These fruits, even if given dried on a bun or muffin cause serious problems.

Some spring bulbs and/or plants are poisonous to dogs and can be fatal if eaten. Plants such as daffodils, bluebells, azaleas, hyacinths, spring crocus, tulips and rhododendrons are a few of the plants to avoid.

--Our Featured Easter Bunny:

Marnie

Our featured Shih Tzu this month is a very special and sweet girl. Personality plus and only 3 yrs old/11 pounds. She’s affectionate and friendly, enjoys the company of humans and other nice dogs. She loves playtime in the yard with her dog pals and also likes her leash walks. She is wonderfully playful, likes toys and silly hand games. Perfect, right? So, why is Marnie still with us after several months?

Marnie was born with a small jaw bone, and her tongue protrudes to one side. In a cute way this makes her even more adorable, and she has all the qualities that anyone could want in a young Shih Tzu girl. We’re hoping that someone reading this today has the will and the way to create the ultimate forever home for this sweetie. Take a look at her video and you will see our adorable Marnie. She might just move you to complete an application to adopt her!

Article by: Peggy Doepper

Click to see Marnie's Video

NEW!

Click on the YouTube tab below to see videos for all of our available shelter dogs in one place!

--Shelter News:

--Featured Adoption:

Our special adoption feature this month is another bonded pair! We are always so excited when a kind soul will adopt two of our bonded pups to live out their lives together. Many thanks to all of you who supported these precious dogs while they were in our care!

--Testimonials:

Please send us your testimonials - we would love to hear from you!

--Memorials:

Did you know that you can memorialize your pup on our website by buying a star? Click on the link below to learn more and create a wonderful lasting memory.

Rainbow Bridge Stars

--Birthday Shout-Outs:

Does your fur baby have a birthday in the month of April? If so let us know and we will give a birthday shout-out in our next monthly newsletter.

--Shelter Needs

Help Fill Our Easter Basket!

Our baskets are in need of your eggsuberant generosity! Our shelter dogs greatly appreciate your donations to help keep them well, fed and comfortable while they wait for their forever homes. Your reward will be unconditional love given back to you!

The shelter is greatly in need of a used truck or SUV that could be donated to us to use to transport our dogs. The donor could receive a charitable tax deduction for the fair market appraised value of the vehicle.

When you donate to a local south Florida shelter, as opposed to a national shelter, you know where your money goes. Every dollar that we receive goes to support the shelter and our dogs - no fundraising costs! It is so rewarding to see the change in each dog once fed, treated and loved! Won't you help us be a part of their success.... Please do not let us disappear.

Did you know you can also support us on Chewy.com by purchasing supplies from our wish list?

Easter Basket Donations

Chewy.com

Did you know?

- Fun dog trivia facts to ponder:

-All dogs dream - but puppies & senior dogs dream more than adult dogs;
-The name Collie means black - Collies once tended black faced sheep;
-When dogs kick backwards after going to the bathroom it's not to cover up but to mark their territory, using the scent glands in their feet;
-The Bloodhound's sense of smell is so accurate that the results of it's tracking can be used as evidence in a court of law.

--Do you have fun trivia facts to share? E-mail us and we will feature them in our newsletter next month.

E-mail all trivia facts & birthdays to: loyalk9@icloud.com

--April Fun Facts

Here are some dog-related observances in April 2025:

Shih Tzu Rescue - About Us

Shih Tzu Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity devoted to rescuing and finding quality lifetime homes for Shih Tzu's and other small, medium and large companion dogs in South Florida. We are a "no kill" shelter and sanctuary housing dogs with special needs and who have not yet been adopted. The shelter and sanctuary was established in 1995 by Eric and Harriet Rickenback, a couple passionate about giving a second chance for the innocent!

Won't you become a part of our family by adopting a senior and/or special needs dog. If you cannot adopt please consider sponsoring a dog by sending in a recurring donation. You will be rewarded with licks & wags!

Please note - there is no donation too small!

Please pass us along - the more the merrier.

"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated"! ..Mahatma Gandhi

Learn More

Sign-up for our Newsletter!