2 rescue Shih Tzus are available for adoption in Melbourne right now, listed by Australian Animal Protection Society. Every listing links straight to the rescue.
The Shih Tzu is a small-sized dog with low energy needs. Those two things — the space it needs and the exercise or grooming it expects — matter more day to day than the breed label itself, especially with rescue dogs, where many are crosses.
Shelter breed labels in Australia are usually a visual guess rather than a DNA result, so a dog listed as a Shih Tzu may well be a cross. That is worth knowing before you rule a listing in or out: temperament and the individual dog's history tell you far more than the name on the card.
Right now Shih Tzus in Melbourne are listed by Australian Animal Protection Society. Applications, home checks and adoption decisions are handled by the rescue directly — LocalPetFinder brings the listings together so you do not have to check each rescue separately, and does not take a fee.
As of September 2026, Shih Tzus are uncommon in Melbourne rescue — only 2 are listed right now across 1 rescue on LocalPetFinder. They are usually adopted quickly, so it is worth applying early or setting an alert. Currently listed by Australian Animal Protection Society.
LocalPetFinder lists Shih Tzus available for adoption from rescues across Melbourne and Victoria. Right now the rescue listing Shih Tzus near Melbourne is Australian Animal Protection Society. Every listing links straight to the rescue that has the dog, and the application is handled by them, not by us.
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Shih Tzu here comes from a Melbourne-area rescue rather than a breeder or a classified seller, and the adoption fee already covers desexing, vaccination and microchipping. That fee is typically a few hundred dollars, against often several thousand from a breeder with none of the vet work done. If you searched "shih tzu for sale melbourne", adopting gets you a vetted dog for a fraction of the price.
