Bertie – This little Shih Tzu is looking so happy here because she is on her way from the shelter to a Final Refuge home with several other small dogs. She and her brother had been adopted from one shelter and then left in a box on the doorstep of another shelter a year later. When she arrived home there were huge mats of hair on all four feet, nails grown into the mats, and it told a while for her to be able to walk normally with all her pads touching the ground. We had a soft-tissue tumor removed from her leg, did a pretty extensive dental procedure and repaired an inguinal hernia. Now feeling MUCH better, Princess Bertie loves to snuggle but only on HER terms, of course. She shies away if reached for, but if there’s an empty lap available she’ll be happy to jump up into it.

Update:  Little Bertie spent more than 5-1/2 years with her ODH family, a very long time by our standards. She is remembered with a lot of love.