You're bound to be living near an animal rescue facility, so searching for Shih Tzu puppies for adoption would not be too difficult - if it's a long drive, then pack up and prepare for it.
You will not be talking to a breeder, who will know the bloodline of the puppies, but instead to the shelter's staff who may not be always provided with that info, since they rarely discriminate between breeds.
Sometimes, owners who take their Shih Tzu puppies to the shelter for adoption also leave behind the puppies' documentation pertaining to breeding and other health matters - but that's rare.
Most of the Shih Tzu you'd find in Shih Tzu rescues are adult dogs, but now and again a litter is brought to the rescue staff's attention - a good soul brings them to the shelter, or someone tips the staff about an abandoned puppies in a box, shivering cold and hungry.
This means some Shih Tzu puppies for adoption may not be all that healthy, or are recovering from malnutrition.
One factor that contributes to abandoned dogs is the existence of puppy mills, which breed dogs with only profit in mind, never mind deviating from healthy breeding standards set by kennel associations.
It's high recommended that you adopt an adult dog from a rescue group, for a variety of reasons.
Animal shelters are not funded by corporations, most of them anyway, and so that means they have limited facilities, manpower, and resources.
They use foster homes to take in some dogs as a way to augment their facilities and better take care of the orphaned dogs.
You essentially allow more dogs to be helped by the shelter when you adopt from them, since you provide a good home for one of theirs and they can take in more abandoned dogs.
That's why adopting from them is good for you (you get a new companion), the dog (which gets a new home), and the shelter (which can help more dogs).
You might get lucky enough to bring home a healthy liter of Shih Tzu, should that happen be sure to talk to the staff that nursed the pups back into health.
When it comes to taking good care of the puppies, no doubt the staff can walk you through what you need to do and what you need to avoid.
If it's been so long since you took care of puppies, then the staff can certainly be of help.
You could be in for an enjoyable time raising Shih Tzu puppies; remember that adopting from a shelter is a recommended option (not to mention very affordable) if you're not going to enter your dogs into dog shows.
This breed makes for great companions, especially if you have the time, heart, and finances to support several of these toy dogs.