Tino came to us from Animal Control.  This little guy stole our hearts when he gave us a high five!  Tino knows the commands for sit, down, shake, high five, speaking and rolling over.  Tino does not like his bum touched, and is not crazy about being picked up. . . but then again. . . neither am I!

Foster Update: Tino is a real gentleman, he is very low energy and sleeps alot.  He does love to cuddle at night when he feels like it.  He has gotten alot better about being picked up.  Since he is so low energy I have only been feeding him 1/2 cup of dry Purina One once a day, he liked it better than the wet food I started him out on.  He has adapted very quickly to being at home with 3 other dogs but he quickly let them know he is the boss. He and the other dogs are home alone about 8 hours a day and no accidents.  He stands at the door and barks if he has to go out.  I pick him up and take him to the backyard and he does his business and then comes in on his own.  He has no bad habits and is friendly with every person he has met.  I don't have kids so I can't be sure how he would act around them, but don't think it would be a problem.  He doesn't really interact with my other dogs but tolerates them.  He does have cataracts but the drops are helping alot.  I think he would make a great dog for a older single man or woman that would like some company.

Foster Update:  Tino is still doing well.  His eyes have stopped improving but aren't getting any worse.  With the change in weather he is going outside more on his own without any coaxing from me.  He is now eating a cup of Purina One dry food and looking for more, so I do believe he has put on a little weight.

Foster Update:  Tino is doing so much better now that he's on all his medications - his ear infections seem to have cleared considerably; however there's still some brown crusty stuff each day after I flush his eyes and put in his ear drops but it's getting better.  He still has alopecia by his hind legs and doesn't like to have his rear end looked at or washed.  The biggest problem has been wiping his eyes each day with a soaked cotton ball.  Amanda says he'll have to have this done on a daily basis for the rest of his life along with his eye drops for his dry eye condition.  Although he's tolerating it he does try to get out of it.  I'm sure in time he'll get used to it.  On the plus side, when I first bought him home I couldn't even see his eyes - he had all this yellow yucky stuff on them - he no longer has the yellow stuff and I can see his beautiful eyes.  He also has a skin condition and needs weekly baths with a medicated shampoo.  He loves this.  It's definitely a bonding and cuddle time and he smells so much better after each bath.

Tino qualifies for our Senior for Seniors program!  If adopted by a senior (55+) his adoption fee is $75.

*** Are you unfamiliar with the Shih Tzu breed? Pronounced SHEET-sue, they are known as alert, spunky, happy and hardy. They are bred with an underbite which gives them a constant "smile." Traditionally, their coat is kept long, with ears blending into the body, distinct mustache, and a top knot secured with a bow. However, in our Florida climate, many are clipped short to relieve them of the heat. An alert watch dog, Shih Tzus like to bark but are usually quiet in the house. Originally from China, they were a favorite of the Imperial Chinese court and so revered that for many years after the Chinese began trading with the West, they refused to sell, or even give away, any of the little dogs. It was not until 1930 that the first pair was imported to England. The life expectancy of Shih Tzus in 16 years.