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British Chihuahua Club Rescue Association
Registered Charity registration number 1094417
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Who we are
The Association began in 1988 as a rescue section of the British Chihuahua Club and
became a Registered Charity in 2002. It is administered by a board of trustees
elected annually by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. The purpose
of the charity is to relieve the suffering and distress of Chihuahua dogs in need of
care, attention or rehoming as a result of ill treatment, hardship, neglect or change
of circumstances. You can look us up on the Charity Commission's website if
you need to confirm any of our details.
Relinquishment
When we are contacted by somebody wishing to rehome their Chihuahua(s), details are taken
and we make arrangements for the handover of the dog(s). The owner signs a
Relinquishment Form to hand them over to us, and they will then go on to their new home
or to a temporary foster home for assessment
Adoption
People wishing to adopt send us an Adoption Registration form. Once received, the form
is filed, awaiting a suitable dog. We do not operate on a 'first come,
first served' basis, but rather concentrate on matching rescued dogs to the most suitable
home. When a dog comes into rescue we look through the potential adopters and the most
suitable-seeming home is contacted to discuss whether this dog will suit them. Usually,
a home check is carried out by a member of the Association before adoption takes place,
or we may take a reference from the prospective home's vet. If you're interested in
adopting from us, you can download a form from
this link
to print out, fill in and return, or let us know your postal address and we will post
one to you.
Foster Homes
Whilst it would seem ideal to rehome dogs directly from the relinquishing to the
adopting home, it's generally better that a new rescue is assessed and
vet checked before adoption. The dog may need veterinary procedures such as neutering,
vaccination, dental work and so on. For this reason dogs are usually first placed
with one of our volunteers for a short period. A small allowance is paid for their
keep and of course the veterinary costs are met by the Association.
Transport
Transport is provided by volunteer helpers, who will
collect and deliver dogs, either for rehoming or to foster-homes.
The Association pays volunteers a basic mileage allowance.
Our Costs
Everyone in the association is a volunteer and we have no paid employees.
Veterinary treatment is by far our biggest cost as dogs often come to us
in need of expensive treatment, sometimes exceeding £1,000. Also
many of the dogs we rehome are elderly and require ongoing medication
such as heart tablets etc., and we cannot always expect somebody who is giving
a loving home to an older animal to also take on such expense, so depending
on the new owner's circumstances we may need to help with these costs after
adoption. We also pay a mileage allowance to volunteers who transport the
dogs between locations, sometimes over long distances, and this can soon mount up.
Funding
When we take in a rescue dog we only ask for a £25 administration fee
towards the inital cost of collecting and fostering the dog, although sometimes
the relinquishing owners will make a larger donation. We also hope that when
adopting from us, the new owners will make a donation, and while people's
circumstances do vary, we suggest an amount of £250 which may go some way towards
the other costs such as any necessary veterinary treatment. In fact between them
these donations often nowhere near cover all the costs incurred in rehoming
that dog; fortunately, over the years kind and generous supporters have left
bequests in their wills giving us reserve funds, and this provides a certain
amount of financial security. However we still need to carry out a fundraising
to ensure that we can maintain this reserve and our ability to fully meet the
ongoing daily expenses and rising medical costs of rescue. You are
certainly very welcome to use the 'Donate' button at the top of the page to
send us a gift.
How can I help?
We are always grateful for offers of help. We need volunteers in all
parts of England and Wales to transport dogs, give them short term foster
homes or carry out home visits on pros[ective adopters. If you are
interested in volunteering with us, you can download a form from
this link
to print out, fill in and return, or let us know your postal address and we will post
one to you.
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