Tzu Zoo Rescue

Such beautiful work and so very important. You brought Max into our lives and we are forever grateful.
Mark & Jimmy

We’ve successful adopted 5 Shih Tzus over the past almost 15+ years from Tzu Zoo and my sister in law has adopted 2 for her family over the last several years. I’m a big fan of the rescue.

We tend to adopt those that may be more senior or that have challenges impacting their adoptability/marketability. They’ve all been tremendous additions to our family and we’ve loved the cared for them until they cross the rainbow bridge.

The rescue has strict guidelines and policies for their adopters. The policies are in place to support their mission- to save and protect the vulnerable. Most of the dogs have likely gone through a traumatic situation. The dogs under their care have been acquired through less that ideal and sometimes incredible cruel and neglectful prior owners. The rescue is laser focused on ensuring the dogs are successfully adopted into loving and safe homes that can meet all the needs of the animal including time and financial commitments. That’s a fair and reasonable requirement.

We continue to remain in touch with the fosters and the founder. We are also annual donors for the past 10+ years because we believe in the mission and support those running and volunteering for the non profit. It’s hard and emotionally taxing work and we are incredibly grateful for what they do for the dogs and our community.

My wife and I have rescued 6 animals over 15 years who have all lived amazing lives. We’ve donated our time and money to rescues through the years. I completed their very long application process including references completing forms and they would not let us proceed because I informed them with two young children it was too much of an invasion of privacy to grant them an hour long video tour of the inside of our home. An animal missed out on a great forever home because of this. This type of experience is going to drive many people to just buy a pet rather than rescuing an animal indeed. It’s sad and pathetic.

Iwent through the whole adoption process with them and selected a dog I was interested in. I spoke with the foster about him and all seemed well. I had 2 requirements that would make sure the dog was within my being able to daopt and move forward. I needed a dog that could be walked on a leash and not a barker. I was told he was good on a leash but needed work. I could do that. She told me she had never herad him bark except when someone came to the door. Thats normal. We met at a dog park and immediatly she dropped the leash and that should have been a red flag. He was not leash trained. I got him home and first time I went to put the leash and harness on him it took me 15 minutes he was so resistant. He also barked ALOT. I checked in with the foster and she was "shocked" that this was the way he was acting. I ended up returning him since I was not able to handle his leash reactivity and my husband cant stand barkers. I have never gotten a call or a email to discuss what happened. I was texed that no refund policy and I didnt give him a chance. I beleive we all have levels of care wwe can give and I was very specific about what I needed and it was dismissed and my 450.00 kept. I feel I was lied to intentionally and then they tried to make me feel guilty when I wasnt able to keep him. I no longer want another dog.

There are so many wonderful rescues in the Dallas Area. I would recommend doing you research before deciding to adopt from this rescue.

We had a negative experience that involved a lot of misinformation and lack of communication.

We were approved for an adoption, but everything went sideways after we met with the foster. We spent a good amount of time meeting with the dog and answered all of the questions they had. We nodded along even though we heard some concerning things from the foster: they religiously watch Cesar Milan, they believe that dogs exist to serve humans, they force their dog to swim with them even though the dog doesn’t indicate that it enjoys it in any way (it “tolerates it and swims to the steps”), and when they first got the rescue they put the dog on a leash and kept pulling it closer when it was scared and trying to get away.

We were told that everyone interested in adopting a dog would get information about a meet and greet. After inquiring about the meet and greet to the foster and the agency we got an email that said that the “Committee” was rescinding their approval for us to adopt without ANY EXPLANATION. We were informed that the “Committee” doesn’t tell volunteers why they make their decisions, but never in 15 years had the volunteer seen that happen.

If this organization turns away two professionals that are animal lovers that are experienced dog owners and could provide a safe and healthy living environment, I can’t imagine what their criteria are.

Pictures posted on Facebook of past adopters either show families or older couples. They rarely adopt to minorities. It definitely appears as if they take a cookie cutter approach to those they choose to adopt to. And, someone with tattoos is apparently incapable of being a suitable dog owner.

We received a rescue from Tzu Zoo and she is perfect. I appreciate the fact that they do a home visit and check references.

Unbelievable! Approved by multiple rescues for adoption, but this rescue had the dog we were looking for - matched all our criteria. So, we filled out the application as they direct immediately and patiently waited for a response/next steps. Within minutes, they turned us down for the adoption for ANY AND ALL of their dogs because WE HAVE CHILDREN!!! What on earth??? #1) Almost everyone on the planet has children! And the ad for the dog said she was good with children. Even if she wasn't, none of your dogs are? Now or ever?
#2) We have a dog already! Our "young children" are fabulous with her - when they are even home - which they aren't much. So, thank you for stereotyping all children as menacing monsters to little dogs. #3) You didn't even take time to talk to us, ask questions, or meet us, how do you know none of yours dogs now or ever would work for us? So, you basically don't let people with children adopt from your rescue is the bottom line? Well, if that's the case, shame on you!! Shame on you all for stereotyping all children, all families, and all dogs into one category! I hope people see this and decide not too donate to/adopt from a rescue that would treat a loving family wanting to adopt in such a way!

I've voluneered for this rescue for over 4 years now. They truly take the dogs others leave behind. They don't pick and choose who they save. I was personally involved with the situation where someone claims the dog was in dire medical condition 2 days after they adopted it. The dog simply had an ear infection which is common in the long hair dog breeds. All the dog needed was ear drops. All Tzu Zoo Rescue dogs are fully vetted and checked out by our vets. We advise all families when we know of any medical issues. I also did the home visit for this family and they had me fooled into thinking they were good adopters. No one returns a dog for a simple ear infection. Obviously, they had cold feet and are trying to blame the rescue. And, what vet would remove ears for an ear infection - the post is ridiculous.

Beware of this organization! We adopted a dog that was in dire need of medical attention, and no one seemed to know. We had the dog for 2 days, took her to our vet and her ears were so damaged that the vet said she may need surgery to remove them. After being notified of the thousands of dollars for surgery, we couldn't afford her. We contacted the owner who had the dog in her possession for 2 months was very unprofessional, accused us of not being compassionate. She fail to notify us the condition of the dog, and became upset when we returned her.
Beware of people who claim to care about pets. Action speak louder than words.