"Second Chance"

A Complimentary

Monthly Newsletter

March 2025 / V15

Why Shop When You Can Adopt!

- A SecondChance for the Innocent

Featured Monthly Articles:

--Canine Community:

What Animal Is Associated WIth Saint Patrick's Day:

The common lizard is the animal associated with this fun day. According to legend St. Patrick is celebrated for miraculously driving all of the snakes out of Ireland leaving one reptile, the lizard, behind. The common lizard is the only species of reptile that is native to Ireland.

There are five breeds of dogs connected to St. Patrick's day: (1) Irish Wolfhound; (2) Irish Setter; (3) Border Collie; (4) Yorkshire Terrior; and (5) Samoyed.

Other fun St. Patrick's Day facts include:

You must wear green clothing rather than dye your hair green, folklore has it that the green color makes one invisible to leprechauns. Not wearing green makes one vulnerable to getting pinched by a leprechaun;
St. Patrick was not Irish - he was born in England and brought to Ireland as a slave;
Tossing a shamrock into a glass of whiskey is a symbol of good fortune;
The secret of a leprechaun is that he is a cobbler by trade and has a secret stash of gold which he must reveal to the person who catches him;
Do not wear the color orange on St. Patrich's day - this color is associated with a different religious group in Ireland and is considered disrespectful to the celebration of Irish heritage.

Eat Corned Beef & Cabage and Enjoy The Day!

--Safety Tip of the Month:

Pet Tags & Registries

Pet collars and ID tags are your first line of defense against losing your dog. They are the universal signal that your pet has a home and a family. The person finding your dog, if lost, may not be familiar with other forms of ID like microchips & tattoos. Space on a tag or collar is limited so choose your information carefully. For example, if your dog has a serious health condition, this information may be more important to list than your dog's name.

High tech tags are now available for your tailwagger. These tags cost more, but can be read without the use of special equipment. Examples include USB tags, tags with a QR code and Tile or AirTags. GPS smart collars are an option. These collars are pricey and require a monthly servie fee to monitor, however worth every penny depending on where you live and your dog's roaming freedom.

Lastly pet registries maintain a database of your information. An online profile needs to be setup for your dog and a specific number will be assigned. Anyone finding your dog will go on the website, enter in the number or profile name and your contact information will show up. It is important to keep your information up to date on the website of the registry that you choose. My dogs are on Petlink.com. Ring Video Camera also has a special tag and registry if you use Ring products.

Be sure and tag your dog to keep them safe and at home!

--Our Featured Saint:

Charlie

Take a look at this adorably delicious 2.5 years young Shih Tzu boy. Just his little gorgeous face seems to say, “ok, I’m ready to go and check out my forever home now.” Aside from his handsome good looks this little fellow is affectionate, cuddly, loves to romp in a yard and walking on the leash. At around 12 lbs, he’s light and easily portable too. Frankly we can’t believe he’s still here. One look at him would do it for me! If you want this to be a special St Patrick’s day then take a look at this little one’s video and you might just get a good dose of the luck of the Irish this month and give Charlie the same. 💚☘️

Article by: Peggy Doepper

Click to see Charlie's Video

NEW!

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

February Adoption News!!

We had several adoptions last month, including two very special adoptions which we are featuring below:

1) "Sasha Mae" our beautiful multi-breed ultimate designer girl who was passed over time and time again for a fluffy smaller dog has found her forever home. Congratulations Sasha!

2) "Maggy Rose" our beautiful 14 year old girl has found a family to love her for the rest of her days! Nothing is better than a senior dog finding their second chance.

We are thrilled and excited! Many thanks to all of you who supported these precious dogs while they were in our care!

Testimonials & Memorials

We have a great testimonial, which was also a February adoption, and two memorials to share with you this month!.

Please send us your testimonials & memorials. We'd love to hear from you! Did you know that you could memorialize your pup with a star? Click on the link below to buy a star for a wonderful lasting memory.

Rainbow Bridge Stars

Testimonial:

Dear SECOND CHANCE,

We are fortunate to have a place like Shih Tzu Rescue here in south

Florida. Harriet, her husband, and their staff, dedicate themselves to

saving the lives of animals, then finding good homes for them.

We, and one of our friends, experienced the love and concern of those

at Shih Tzu Rescue years ago when we first adopted two 6 yr old dogs,

and in February 2025 when they connected us with a 10 yr old Shih Tzu

named Bailey.

They don't allow dogs to leave their care without fully vetting the adopting

family to be sure the animal is compatible with it's new environment.

We can't say enough about how dogs are treated at Shih Tzu Rescue while

waiting for a new home.

Angie & Gene Loving

Fort Lauderdale & Virginia Beach

Memorials:

Hugo

I chose you, not in spite of, but because you were 12 yrs old, deaf, and blind. I knew you needed a peaceful home with a mom solely dedicated to your well-being. You, my sweet boy, allowed me the privilege of loving and caring for you. Our time was unexpectedly brief, but I can only hope in those 9 months you felt all the love and happiness a beautiful little fluffy soul could feel.

It was a great honor that you trusted me, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

I love you always.

Michelle Aaron

Braulio

Braulio was our fur baby for 13 years. He was our first child and we learned to be a family with him. We miss him all the time and we thank him for choosing us to be a part of his life.

Romina Piana

--Why Donate?

We Want To See Your Green!

Donate your "green" cash to help our shelter! Our shelter dogs greatly appreciate your green - your donations will send bundles of love to our pups and help to keep them healthy and fed. Your reward will be unconditional love given back to you!

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?

Green Donations

Chewy.com

Did you know?

- Fun dog trivia facts to ponder:

Dogs are the most popular pet on the planet;
Dogs evolved from a now-extinct species of wolf;
Dogs can be right or left pawed - watch which leg they use when moving from standing still to walking forward;
Dogs use body language to express their feelings;
Ancient Egyptians saw dogs as god-like.

--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

Birthday Shout-Outs:

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

Happy 13th Birthday Edward!

This sweet senior boy was featured in our July 2024 newsletter, and was adopted in August 2024 by a very special family who took him despite his age and special medical needs.

We wish you many more birthdays Edward!!

PAWS CLUB THANK YOU!

A big "Thank You' to the "PAWS CLUB" from Cypress Bay High School. These students came to the rescue facility and brought us yard supplies and helped us rake and clean up our yard. They also enjoyed playing with the dogs!!

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!