Adopting Shih Tzus & Small Dogs
Animal Saints Rescue Society is an upstate New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue specializing in adopting small dogs like Shih Tzu and other non-shedding hair-not-fur dogs. Our adopters are mostly from the New York Tri-State area, including New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut.
Veterinary Care
We give each rescued Animal Saint thorough veterinary care so we can know their health situation and find them the right human who can meet their needs. We go beyond state-required spay/neuter and vaccinations by adding bloodwork, dentals, flea/tick prevention, heartworm prevention, and professional grooming. We care personally for each dog so we can learn their personalities and begin basic training, which you will continue. Our in-house diet is home-cooked and veterinarian approved.
Your Commitment is Key
When you adopt an Animal Saint, you know who you are getting. But recovery from the traumas of rehoming can take a long time, and you will be the biggest part of that recovery. Your commitment is essential as your new family member learns to trust and relax in the glow of your love and care.
Adoption Day
To help us protect the Animal Saints from the stress of casual meet and greets, we approve your application before you meet your dog. Adoptions take place at our Fort Montgomery welcome room where you will spend a couple of hours of getting to know your Animal Saint. Finally, we will make it official when you sign the Adoption Agreement and make a nominal donation which is less than the cost of veterinary care thanks to our generous supporters. Of course, we are grateful for any additional gifts of gratitude and funding that will help continue our mission. The greatest gift is your lifelong decision to love your Animal Saint.
Steps for Adopting Dogs
3. Upload Finished Application & Documents
1. Animal Saints Rescue Society Adoption Listings
You can also view our adoptable Animal Saints on Petfinder.com.
Signup to get new Adoption Listings via email.
2. Apply to Adopt
Our adoption application is thorough but enjoyable to complete. This effort is for a potential new member of your family, and it is a hopeful and celebratory act. Savor the process, and please be thoughtful with your answers.
How to apply: Please download the form below and print it out. Then, fill in the form the old-fashioned way with pen to paper. We find that questions are more carefully answered when they are handwritten. This better guides us to finding the ideal match for the Animal Saints in our care. When you are finished filling out the adoption application, scan it or take clear and crisp photographs of each page and upload them along with the photographs requested in the application. Use the Upload Portal on this page.
A friendly reminder about the application process: We spend significant time and carefully go over every detail of the application, so please only apply if you are truly serious about adopting. Animal Saints is 100% volunteer run by dedicated animal advocates. Time spent on applicants who aren’t truly all in takes time away from the Animal Saints who need our help. But if you feel it to your core that this is what you are supposed to do, and your beliefs about animals reflect those of Animal Saints Rescue Society, then we welcome you to apply and look forward to hearing from you!
Application timeframe: We oftentimes receive multiple applications for the same animal, and it might take several days to contact all of the references in our screening process. We appreciate your patience while this happens. A filled application does not mean automatic approval. We take the process so very seriously and view each Animal Saint as a part of our rescue group family. With this in mind, we strive to not just find a home but an ideal home for these dear dogs and cats. They have all been through so much before coming into our care. We want to make certain this second chance that has been given to them by our rescue efforts is one with a family who is devoted and committed for life to their care.
Adoption process: If we believe you are an ideal family and match for one of the Animal Saints in our care, we will contact you with an approval. The next step is setting up a time to meet and officially adopt them. We prefer local adoptions, but we welcome out-of-state adopters if it means an ideal match. You will need to travel to New York to adopt in person. We do not allow animal transports to be part of the adoption process. You need to be the one to meet and adopt in person.
To make the adoption official, we request $750-900 for an adoption donation, depending upon the Animal Saint. You are welcome to donate more as our donation requests do not cover the extensive medical care and training we give the Saints we help. All of our Animal Saints have been given a complete veterinary evaluation before they are adopted. This usually includes complete bloodwork, all core vaccines, fecal exam, spay/neuter surgery, and dental if needed. If there are any health challenges they see in their screening, their complete evaluation will be given to you beforehand. Each adoption listing has a list of procedures/tests so you have a complete understanding of the extensive care we give each Saint we save. We treat each Saint as if they are family, and we give them all they need before sending them off to their lifetime families.
After the Adoption : Though we provide an initial health assessment prior to adoption, we still require that you take your new member of your family to your own veterinarian for a wellness exam within 3 weeks of adoption day to begin the best health plan moving forward. We also require that you take basic training classes with a local professional dog trainer to ensure you are setting up the Animal Saint for the best possible transition into your family. This minimal time commitment will give you essential skills needed to be the best parent you can be.
Gilbert and Harry encourage you to have the time and patience to adopt a formerly neglected and abused Animal Saint. It will be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever decided to do in your life.
3. Upload Portal
Use this form to upload your completed application and any photos or documents. Accepted file formats are PDF (Preferred), JPG, GIF, and PNG. Max upload size is 30Mb. Please downsize your photos. A good target size is to make the long edge 1500 pixels. It is extra helpful if you combine your application and photos into a single PDF document.