Shih Tzu rescue dogs and puppies for adoption and rehoming in the UK

As of 14 November 2026, 19 Shih Tzus are listed for adoption in the UK on LocalPetFinder, from Many Tears Animal Rescue, Friends of Birkenhead Kennels, Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Bryson's Animal Shelter, Cardiff Dogs Home, Freshfields Animal Rescue, K9 Crusaders Dog Welfare, Midlands Dog Rescue, Northumberland Dog Rescue, Paws A While Shelter, Paws and People, Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, Silver Fox Dog Rescue, The Underdogs NI and Windyway Animal Rescue. Each profile links to the rescue, and you apply to adopt with them directly.

As of 14 November 2026, Many Tears Animal Rescue (at Llanelli): 4, Friends of Birkenhead Kennels (at Wirral): 2, Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary (at Ramsbottom): 1, Bryson's Animal Shelter (at Eighton Banks): 1, Cardiff Dogs Home (at Cardiff): 1 and Freshfields Animal Rescue (at Ince Blundell): 1, and 9 more. By age, that is 2 puppies, 10 adult dogs and 7 older dogs. The newest was added on 9 November 2026. Each profile links to the rescue, which handles the adoption.

With the rescue that has the dog. Today the Shih Tzus on this page are with Many Tears Animal Rescue, Friends of Birkenhead Kennels, Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Bryson's Animal Shelter, Cardiff Dogs Home, Freshfields Animal Rescue and 9 other rescues. Open a profile and apply to that rescue: each one runs its own application, home check and adoption fee. We don't rehome animals ourselves.

The Royal Kennel Club lists the Shih Tzu as not shedding, while Dogs Trust describes a long coat with moderate shedding and PDSA calls them "pretty average shedders". Either way, the long coat needs grooming every day. Ask the rescue how this dog's coat is kept and what grooming it is used to.

The Royal Kennel Club lists a flat as a big enough home for the Shih Tzu, with a small or medium garden and up to an hour of exercise a day, and PDSA says they are happy in a flat or a large country home as long as they have space to play. Whether a particular dog will settle in a flat is a question for the rescue, who knows the dog.

They need care in the heat. Dogs Trust says Shih Tzus are at higher risk of heat stroke and describes the breed as brachycephalic (short-nosed or flat-faced). Ask your vet or the rescue how to keep this dog safe on warm days.

Every day, according to The Royal Kennel Club. Dogs Trust says you can also have the coat clipped by a professional groomer every 6 to 8 weeks.

They are separate breeds. The Royal Kennel Club says the first Shih Tzus shown in England in 1933 were shown alongside Lhasa Apsos, and that comparing head type and other features soon established them as two breeds.

The Royal Kennel Club gives the Shih Tzu's lifespan as over 10 years, and Dogs Trust says typically 10 or more. For a rescue Shih Tzu, ask what vet checks it has had and whether anything is known about its eyes or breathing.

We only list dogs with rescues, so there is nothing to buy here: every Shih Tzu on this page is adopted for the rescue's fee. If you decide to buy, The Royal Kennel Club runs a Find a Puppy service, and Dogs Trust suggests talking to your vet, and says some practices offer pre-purchase consultations covering likely health conditions, rough costs, finding a responsible breeder and testing for inheritable diseases. With an adult rescue Shih Tzu, the rescue can tell you about its personality, coat and vet history.

It depends on the dog, not the breed. Today the rescues mark 6 of the 19 Shih Tzus listed in the UK as able to live with children. Where a profile says nothing, ask the rescue what age of children the dog could live with.

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Battersea charges £230 for a dog over six months and £275 for a puppy under six months, Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over and £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

No. We don't list animals for sale. Every Shih Tzu on this page is with a rescue or rehoming centre. Rescues rehome animals rather than selling them, usually for an adoption fee: for example, Battersea charges £230 for a dog over six months and £275 for a puppy under six months, and Dogs Trust £300. The fee usually goes towards vet work already done, such as neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations. If you searched "shih tzu puppies for sale", the Shih Tzus here are the rescue route: you apply to the rescue and pay its adoption fee, not a sale price.

Usually not. UK rescues normally ask for an adoption fee, which pays towards neutering, microchipping and vaccinations. Many rescue fees are under £500: Battersea charges £230 for a dog over six months, Dogs Trust £300, and Blue Cross from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over. An animal offered "free to a good home" is usually a private advert rather than a rescue. All dogs in the UK must be microchipped by 8 weeks old, and in England, Wales and Scotland a dog can't pass to a new keeper until it is chipped, so ask to see the microchip details.

Yes: 2 puppies of the 19 listed in the UK are 12 months or under by the listed age.

Yes: 7 Shih Tzus of the 19 listed in the UK are aged 7 or over by the listed age. Some rescues charge less for older dogs: Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over.

This page lists every Shih Tzu with the rescues we list across the UK, each with its town. For a city, see Shih Tzus in Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brecon, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Wales, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Perth, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Shrewsbury, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Taunton, Truro and Worcester. You can also search by postcode with the pet finder on our home page to see what is closest to you.