Your new dog may have been abandoned, abused or
surrendered by a previous family. The dog had to adjust to life at an Arizona
Chihuahua Rescue foster home and is now going home to a new, unfamiliar place
with strangers. Kind of scary if you think about it! Being gentle, considerate, kind
and patient will help ease your new dog into it's new family. Some may be very
friendly while others may be reserved. No dog is going to be "perfect" and due to
their past history rescued dogs require special consideration. Rescue dogs have a
higher chance of being very submissive due to their past history. Don't feed the pets
in the same room together until they are showing no aggression or jealousy at
mealtime. A dog that has been starved, or forced to give up food to other dogs in
the past, may be very protective of the food you give it.

WHERE AM I?
Your dog might be afraid and unsure of his new
surroundings. If he appears to be scared, keep him in a small, quiet area to start,
and take it slow. Don't allow children to bother the dog if he is afraid; fear can result
in nipping. Instead, give your dog plenty of time to adjust to his new surroundings,
taking it one step at a time. Don't give up! Don't leave your other pets or small
children unsupervised with the new dog until they are used to each other.

OOPS! I'M SORRY
Even a potty trained dog can make mistakes in a new home.
He doesn't know which door to go to or how to ask his new family what he wants.
Keep a very watchful eye on your new friend and confine him when you can't watch
him. The worst thing you can do is to physically reprimand it. This teaches it that
he must go someplace you can't see him to eliminate. A firm "no" when you catch
him in the act and placing him outside or on papers will teach him where it is
appropriate to go. Some experts say not to place the dog exactly where you want
him to go when you take him outside, but nearby and calling it over to that place.
The main thing is to reward good behavior and use firm verbal cues for bad
behavior. It is not advised that you let the new member of your household free reign
of the house when you are away for long periods of time. Chihuahuas have small
bladders. Unlike large dogs, they are not physically able to hold their bladders for
long periods of time. For this reason Chihuahuas need to be taken outside more
often, even if they don't seem to have to go, and need to have papers or pee pads
available when you are away and cannot take them out.

NEW RULES
Your new dog had a whole different set of rules in his
previous home. He may have been allowed to sleep in bed or beg at the table. It's up
to you to teach him your rules. Teaching proper behavior takes time and patience.

ADJUSTMENT PERIOD
Allow several weeks to adapt to his new surroundings and
up to four months to fully adjust (older dogs may take longer than young ones).
Adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment. We assume that you will make a patient
and concerted effort to achieve a successful placement. Sometimes rescued dogs
may exhibit behavioral problems that could include house soiling, destructive
behavior, mild aggression toward other pets or humans, submissive urination,
clinging behavior, licking behavior, and hiding or cowering in bed. All rescued dogs
will exhibit some behavior when entering a new home. Most of the time, bad
behavior is of very short duration as the animal becomes used to its new
surroundings. The foster parent will advise you regarding any behaviors that have
been observed while the animal was in foster care.

These are some of the situations you may possibly run in to with your rescued
Chihuahua. For the majority of adopters, however, after an initial few days of
adjustment they find that they have adopted a truly wonderful little dog that wants
nothing more than the touch of your hand, the sound of your voice, and the love of
your heart. You may find it hard to believe that someone in the past, treated your
new friend with cruelty and malice. It is difficult for us also but because of you that
will never happen again.

RESCUE/SHELTER DOGS MAKE SOME OF THE GREATEST
COMPANIONS
There are many misconceptions about the quality of
animals found in rescue shelters. The persistent stigma which shelter pets have
been labeled is they are "damaged goods". Despite countless educational campaigns
to educate the public, there still remain some individuals who believe shelter pets
do not make wonderful companions, or else their original owners wouldn't have
gotten rid of them.


Animals are brought to shelters for a large variety of reasons,
some of which are...

• Their owners have passed away and no other
family member could care for the pet.

• An irresponsible owner didn't get their pets
spayed or neutered and ended up with unwanted litters.

• The animal's owners were abusive to the animal,
so the authorities have removed the pet from the harmful environment.

• An animal was purchased or adopted by someone
who did not take into consideration all of the responsibilities associated with
caring for a pet.


DOGS RESCUED FROM ABUSIVE HOMES
Most animals coming from abusive homes will typically
make a full emotional recovery - with proper care and attention. In fact, many of
them are so grateful to be rescued from their previous situation, they end up being
more devoted and loyal than animals coming from non-abusive homes.


I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM GETTING WITH A RESCUE/SHELTER
DOG
Although its true that the medical history and temperament
of an animal adopted from a rescue shelter are not always able to be tracked down,
its really no different than an animal you might get from a pet store, unless you are
buying a pedigree.

HEALTH OF DOGS COMING FROM RESCUES/SHELTERS
It certainly is possible that a pet adopted from a
rescue shelter may have medical problems, however the majority of the animals who
are adopted from shelters are perfectly healthy, and just need a good home. If
anything, you're more likely to get an honest answer about an animal's medical
problems from a rescue or shelter volunteer - who is clearly there because they
*care* about the animals - as opposed to a pet store owner or breeder that is only it
in for the money. Animals in rescues or shelters are typically treated better than
animals in pet stores, which typically have spent their short lives in cramped
environments with little socializing and often, unsanitary conditions. Rescue dogs
have had the benefit of living in a foster home for a time, so they may have even
become more obedient and trained as a result of having someone to care for them
in the interim.

You have chosen to give a new home to
one of our Chihuahuas that has been abandoned or abused. You should be proud of
yourself. Without people like you hundreds of abandoned and abused dogs of all
breeds would be euthanized every year only because no one wanted them.