Page heading text, The British Chihuahua Club Page heading image, British Chihuahua Club logo: Union Jack with heads of long- and smoothcoat chihuahuas
spacer spacer spacer spacer spacer

British Chihuahua Club Rescue Association
Registered Charity registration number 1094417

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.

 
All Artwork and Content is Copyright © 2003-2024 by The British Chihuahua Club and may not be linked to or used elsewhere without written permission.