The last of the 50 Shih Tzu dogs rescued from a home in Norridgewock from inhumane conditions this October have been made available for adoption today by the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.
Matt Blanchard, a spokesman for the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, says that though none of the dogs had been intentionally abused, they had developed health issues due to a lack of veterinary care.
The 23 dogs brought to the shelter had to be spayed and neutered and recover from their health problems before being adopted.
Blanchard says that it can be challenging to find placements for so many animals of the same breed, but small dogs are usually adopted quickly.
"I'll tell you, with something like Shih Tzus, people are obsessed with them. They were lining up like you saw at the door at 11 a.m. ready to come in anytime we had one posted," says Blanchard.
Jay Milligan, an employee at the shelter, took home one of the Shih Tzus a few weeks ago to join his cat and three other dogs.
"My main objective in adopting the Shih Tzu, who we named Sally, was because there was such a large need, if it felt like we were sort of in emergency status, and I felt I needed to have another adoption," says Milligan.
The last two Shih Tzus, Carl and Cash, were made available for adoption today.
