British Chihuahua Club Rescue Association
Registered Charity registration number 1094417

Interested in Adoption?

Adoption
There are times when Chihuahuas need to be re-homed, and if you would like to offer a new home to such a dog then in the first instance you should write to Pam Bungard, the Secretary of the British Chihuahua Club Rescue Association (BCCRA), at the address below, enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope and requesting a 'Rescue Adoption Registration Form'. To save time you may wish to download a copy of the form to print out and complete. Please note that we can only consider rehoming dogs within mainland Britain.

People wishing to adopt may also find names and telephone numbers of the British Chihuahua Club Committee printed in the Kennel Club 'Dog Rescue Directory', which is distributed to every veterinary practice in the UK. Names, telephone numbers and email addresses are also available on the internet, on the Club website and on other various dog-related sites. The Club secretary also receives enquiries from people who have contacted the Kennel Club direct, re acquiring a rescue Chihuahua. In all cases, the enquiry is forwarded to the BCCRA Secretary and people are then asked as above to send an s.a.e. to the address below for a 'Rescue Adoption Registration Form'.

British Chihuahua Club Rescue Association Secretary (Mrs P Bungard) 143 Hangleton Valley Drive Hove, East Sussex BN3 8FE

To download a copy of the Adoption Registration Form (1MB PDF) please
click here. The completed form should be returned to the address above.

Once filled in and returned, the adoption form is filed, awaiting a suitable dog. The list is not operated on a 'first come, first served' basis, but rather concentrates on matching the dog to a home most suitable for its requirements, for instance some dogs love the hustle and bustle of a family, whilst others prefer a home on a one to one basis. Once a dog becomes available, the most suitable sounding home is contacted and a home-check is carried out by a member of the Club, living in the vicinity and, if all is satisfactory, the dog is received and an adoption form to be completed in duplicate, one copy for the new adoptive owner and one for the Rescue File. In some cases, where there is nobody available to do a home check immediately, we may take a reference from the prospective home's vet and perform a follow-up visit later (This only happens occasionally).

We do not sell dogs for a specific amount of money, but a voluntary donation can be given. Elderly dogs are checked by a vet first and if there is ongoing medication at the time of adoption, we may offer to help with this, depending upon the circumstances of the new adoptive home.

Relinquishment
When we are contacted by somebody wishing to rehome their dog, details are taken and the list of prospective homes is checked. The relinquishing owner signs a Relinquishment Form, giving up all rights to the animal and we then proceed with the adoption, as above.

Foster Homes
Whilst we try to rehome dogs as quickly as possible, i.e. directly from the relinquishing to the adopting home, it is sometimes necessary for dogs to be fostered for a short period of time. This occurs in emergency situations, such as the death of an elderly owner, or when a dog is difficult in some way and has to be assessed before rehoming. Our foster-homes are experienced volunteer Club members who offer their services free or, if money is tight, a token amount is offered to cover feeding costs. Naturally any veterinary bills arising during the time of fostering are covered by the Club Rescue. We now have foster-homes available in most parts of the country, as people are very keen to help on this basis. If an emergency situation were to arise where a large number of dogs become available from one source at a particular time, we have the support of Battersea Dogs Home for temporary housing prior to rehoming. We do in fact liaise closely with Battersea on a day-to-day basis, as they use us for rehoming any Chihuahuas they get. Chihuahuas are small and delicate and need specialist care and attention. We would try always to avoid the use of commercial kennels for temporary housing.

Veterinary Costs
This is by far our most expensive item. As mentioned above, many of our dogs are elderly and require medication such as heart-tablets etc. and one cannot expect somebody who is taking on an old animal to pay these bills as well, as many of these people are elderly and on very limited incomes. Similarly, if a neglected dog comes in and needs dental treatment, this can amount to around £100 (depending upon area) and must be done before a dog is rehomed.

'Umbrella' Help
Including ourselves, there are nine Chihuahua breed clubs in the UK. Some of them have limited funds in their rescue accounts (but none large enough to apply for charitable status) and some could not afford to run a rescue service. It is an aim of the British Chihuahua Club Rescue to involve these clubs (all of whom have been more than willing to participate) in forming a UK Chihuahua rescue and offering support where needed. If, for example, we hear of a dog needing rehoming in an area covered by one of the other clubs, we would organise and fund collection, delivery and veterinary bills for the dog, but allow the adoption and possible donation to be carried out on the paperwork of that club. All participating clubs use the same paperwork formats as we do, but in their own club name. Many members of the other Chihuahua breed clubs are also members of The British Chihuahua Club.

By involving the other clubs, our aim also is to provide a Chihuahua rescue network covering the whole of the UK and results are already most encouraging.

Funding
Whilst invested money gives us the income needed to apply for charitable status and the interest from such invested money gives us a certain amount of freedom to help without the specific need to raise funds, members are very keen to participate in such fund-raising events such as breed garden parties, rescue stalls and exemption dog shows. A licence for an exemption dog show must be obtained from The Kennel Club, who only issue a licence if the proceeds are for a registered charity. Such fund-raising events also have very definite social benefits. Elderly people who have always had large breed dogs find, in later life, that they are only able to cope with a toy breed, therefore it is with such people that the majority of our rescues find homes. The interest in the breed causes people in a particular area to socialise and get together and one of the favourite pastimes is organising items for a rescue stall, such as knitted blankets, toys and Chihuahua coats and in some cases it gives people a feeling of 'belonging' and being useful and as such provides important therapy in an ageing community.