How to adopt a Chihuahua from Chihuahua Rescue Victoria
Things to consider
Please consider these questions before adopting a Chihuahua:
- For whom you are adopting the Chihuahua?
- Does every member of your family want to have a Chihuahua?
- Does anyone in the family have allergies?
- Do you have other pets, will they be happy with the new arrival?
- Do you have young children or a baby?
- Do you have a fenced backyard?
- Where will the Chihuahua sleep?
- How long will the Chihuahua be home alone each day?
- Where will the Chihuahua be staying on vacations?
- Are you ready for house training?
- Are you aware of the average annual Vet expenses a Chihuahua will incur?
- What are you going to feed them with?
Choose a dog you are interested in
All of the little dogs that come through our rescue group are listed on the Available Now section of the Chihuahua Rescue Victoria blog as soon as all veterinary matters are attended to and the dog is classed as healthy. Browse those pages to see if there is a dog you like.
Submit an expression of interest
The first thing to do is complete the expression of interest form and this will send us all the details we need to know when starting this process. It is very important that you should know that all information you provide to us is treated with strict confidence. We do not keep mailing lists and you will never be sent spam or advertising or surveys or any other form of marketing material by us. We communicate to people en masse via our Chihuahua Rescue Victoria Facebook page or this very website.
After we read through your response, we either email or call you to discuss the dog further.
Meet the dog
Everyone interested in adopting from us must come to our home and meet the dog personally. We prefer the dog to "choose" you, and if you have other dogs that you bring them along to see how they interact.
A few tips about meeting a new dog.
- Don't act too excited with loud noises, exclamations etc. Speak quietly and calmly.
- Walk slowly! Don't dash towards a new dog.
- Don't stare into a dog's eyes - it might take that as a threat.
- When patting a dog for the first time, don't reach towards the top of its head - such an action might be taken as a threat.
- Put out your hand first to let the dog sniff you out. If the dog seems comfortable, try giving it a rub under the chin.
Adopt the dog: paper work and payment
Please note that our dogs are not free: the money paid for these dogs goes towards the cost of caring for them and getting them ready to be adopted. We are very careful to make sure that every dog that comes from us is:
- desexed;
- fully immunised;
- microchipped;
- given worm treatments;
- given flea treatments.
Providing everything goes smoothly and you decide to adopt, then we process everything on the spot. You are issued with the following:
- A certificate stating the dog is desexed and microchipped.
- A certificate stating the dog has been fully immunised with the C5 immunisation against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Kennel Cough.
- A microchip transfer form, which we ask you to complete on the day. We then hold the form until the trial period is up and you decide to keep the dog, at which time we lodge the microchip transfer application.
- A copy of the suggested recipe and feeding schedule that we use with a few general hints. We also will give you some of the wet and dry food they are currently being fed to allow you to transition without causing too much trouble to the dog with a sudden change of diet - which is very common in Chihuahuas!
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A summary sheet for the dog, listing:
- when the immunisations, de-sexing, worm tablets, flea drops etc. were done last;
- any known medical issues you should be made aware of;
- a receipt for any monies paid.
Two week trial
When you adopt from Chihuahua Rescue Victoria, we assure you that the dog goes on a full two weeks trial basis to give you time to ensure that the little dog has settled and is happy and that your other animals are adjusting happily. It is so important to make sure that you are happy with the new addition to the family, and that they are happy with you.
If for any reason this is not the case, please advise us of this and return the dog and all paperwork as soon as convenient and a full refund will be given.
After care: boarding
We offer to board your little dogs at any time in the future if you do not have some safe place to leave them if the need arises. They are always welcome to come and stay with us. We charge a very minimal fee on a weekly basis ($30 per week per dog as of the first half of 2015). This rate may vary from time to time.
Update your will to include your pets
Having opened your home to an adopted Chihuahua, there are a few things to keep in mind. We have plenty of notes about how to care for a Chihuahua physically, but that isn't all. Your pets should also be accounted for in your will so that if anything happens, your wishes will be clear about what arrangements need to be made for them. Read more about this on our 2015 Newsletter: Provide for your Chihuahua after you have gone.
Success!
If you've browsed this site you've probably seen Chihuahua Rescue Victoria Success Stories, which is one of our favourite sections. After you have adopted a dog from us, we would love to hear how it went! Send us stories, updates, photos and videos, or put them on the Chihuahua Rescue Victoria Facebook page. When we find ones we really like, we will put them up on our site!
Chihuahua Rescue Victoria is a non-profit organisation. The advertisement below supports us directly but was not created by us and is in no way endorsed by us. It is presented here by Google Ad Services.
