# have you rescued a chi ???



## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

you hear so many bad stories about dogs getting abused and i would just like to hear the stories of the chis that have been saved by the brilliant and amazing people on this site. The happy endings i think the people who do this for chihuahuas should be recognised and i would love to hear all the stories that people have. 
xxxx


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## pjknust (Oct 26, 2011)

I have a 12 yr old male that was abandoned in a mobile home this past summer. I have a chiweenie female that was dumped out pregnant, and I have her baby, LuLu , that has a knee on the back of her leg. I also have a chi that I used to board that was given to me on Thanksgiving day. 
My little Melody started my love for chi's. I got her as a retired breeder at 5 yrs old. She lived til 14 1/2, passed away last fall. When I decided to get another they have come out of the woodwork!!
pam in TX


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## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

pjknust said:


> I have a 12 yr old male that was abandoned in a mobile home this past summer. I have a chiweenie female that was dumped out pregnant, and I have her baby, LuLu , that has a knee on the back of her leg. I also have a chi that I used to board that was given to me on Thanksgiving day.
> My little Melody started my love for chi's. I got her as a retired breeder at 5 yrs old. She lived til 14 1/2, passed away last fall. When I decided to get another they have come out of the woodwork!!
> pam in TX


ahhh well done to you!!!!!! xxxxxxxx


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## jazzman (Apr 8, 2009)

I rescued my first dog, Carlos, who was a terrier-chi mix.
He was rescued the day he would have been PTS at the humane society.
He was 1.5 years old - abandoned by an owner who said ' he chewed things'
He lived to 19 + years old and was the most magnificent dog I've ever known.

He could not have been sweeter, smarter, or less trouble if I built him from a kit. He climbed mountains and descended into canyons with me, chased coyotes in the desert and rabbits in the snow. He left a hole in my heart that can never be filled.

I rescued Joie when he was 3 years old. He came from a place of neglect and abuse. He was not spayed, had his dew claws, never had his nails cut (so learned to chew them down himself), and was abused in ways I won't repeat.

He's been with me 7 years, and while the adjustment to the 'normal world' wasn't easy for him or me, it has been rewarding. Seeing him happy and content, sharing his world with other dogs, letting strangers pet him - all of these things bring tears to my eyes several times a week. Just thinking of the scared and angry dog that first set foot in my house 7 years ago chokes me up.

Stella was another rescue. She was 5, and for the life of me I can't imagine how anyone could abandon her. I assume she had to have been lost. Sadly, dogs who's age is measured in more than months are typically passed over at shelters. She was very overweight, and not spayed when I got her.

She is an angel on earth. There have been hundreds of souls touched by her grace and beauty. People cannot resist coming to her.

To see Stella and Joie running free at the park, interacting with Lola and Metao, and with new people and dogs, both of them the picture of health.....it's impossible to explain how rewarding it is !


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## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

jazzman said:


> I rescued my first dog, Carlos, who was a terrier-chi mix.
> He was rescued the day he would have been PTS at the humane society.
> He was 1.5 years old - abandoned by an owner who said ' he chewed things'
> He lived to 19 + years old and was the most magnificent dog I've ever known.
> ...


wow so you gave them the life these little guys needed so hats off to you.
you are brilliant and i hope you and your :angel13:s have a fab life together


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

I have rescued/rehabbed/rehomed many dogs in my life; but probably the most significant was Gatsby the Chihuahua. If you go back from my threads from August 2010 you'll find my posts about it; but basically he was a Craigslist "Free to Good Home" ad. We met the previous owners in the WalMart parking lot. He was emaciated, intact, and unvaccinated.... the previous owners did apologize and I didn't hold it against them as they clearly knew he needed a better life than what they could offer. I at first figured he must have had worms or something that were causing him to be so thin; but no, and he had a great appetite. I don't really know why he wasn't getting fed. But, we got him neutered (which ended up a more complicated procedure due to him being cryptorchid (undescended testicle)), vaccinated, fecal done, bloodwork/heartworm tested, and he lived with us for quite a while. Now he lives with one of my best friends Kim and I just saw him last week actually. He is actually CHUBBY and I was so ecstatic to see him that way... never have I seen a dog so happy and so thankful. He has Chinese Cresteds and some chi mixes as well for siblings. I must say it's so rewarding to have known how he was before and to see the complete transformation.... 

The day we got him in August 2010









"After"


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## Finn (Sep 14, 2010)

Finn's rescue organization has saved more than 800 small dogs, primarily Chihuahuas.


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## Blue Chi (Oct 12, 2011)

My brother in law and his wife have a habit of getting dogs when they are puppies, then the pup grows up, and they don't want them anymore. We have taken 3 out many of the dogs they got. One was a chi and they had just RUINED him. He was the meanest dog I've ever seen. Thank God he was tiny cuz if he was bigger, he would've hurt someone. I was just engaged to my husband at that time and very young. Only 19. I done my best with that dog but my inexperience and living situation (the dog stayed at fiance's house and I lived with my parents) kept me from being able to help. We wound up selling him. The dog was so bad that the new owner tried to give the chi back for free. Didn't even want his money back! I think I could do a better job now that I'm older. But I just couldn't do anything then. 
Another dog I got from them was a poodle. Sweet dog but not a good match for our family. So I basically fostered him until I found a nice home for him with an old lady. Last I heard, he had been rehomed when the lady died.
The other dog I got from them was just pitiful. He was a chi and he had to have been horribly inbred. He was so ugly. Almost hairless. Weird body shape. Disgusting teeth; major overbite and overlapping. Def had some mental probs. I really think he was retarded. I hope his breeder is out of business! We got him when he was a pup. Probably not even a year old. Despite his problems, he made a sweet pet. Very sweet. And man could he RUN! He was swift!! Sadly, we had to put him to sleep when he got sick with a mysterious illness (probably due to his breeding) that left him emaciated. I done everything I could for him. The vet couldn't figure it out neither. I think he was only 2-3 years old when I had to put him to sleep to end his suffering. I cried for days. He had a short but good life up til he got sick.
Long story short. We've moved to a different town so we no longer get dogs from my brother in law. But they haven't learned anything and still go through pets like they go through underwear.

My most precious "rescue" was Coco. She was a chocolate colored chi. She was my first chi (except for the mean chi, she lived with the other two dogs). She belonged to my hubby's parents. They were moving around alot and it was wearing on Coco. She they gave her to us (I think they moved into an apartment that didn't allow pets). She seemed.....depressed. It took her a while but she eventually livened up and I just fell in love with her. She's the chi that started my love for them. I had to put her to sleep 2 years ago when she was 12 years old due to kidney failure and seizures that came on unexpectedly. 

Hercules and Gunner are actually the first dogs I've ever hand picked for myself.


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## jazzman (Apr 8, 2009)

Finn said:


> Finn's rescue organization has saved more than 800 small dogs, primarily Chihuahuas.


Wow, that's awesome !


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## kimr (Nov 14, 2010)

2 of mine are rescues.

Pedro is a Chi/Cairn terrier mix. He was severely abused by children - an elderly lady had him and she ran a day care, and let the children do whatever they wanted to him. I walked into the shelter 2 days before he was scheduled to be put down. They told me he was unadoptable because of his fear aggression. Once they saw him with me, they changed their minds. There was an instant connection. We still cannot trust him around children, but most of the time it's just my husband and myself, so it's not a problem. He also doesn't trust men, because he never was around one, so it took my husband a good 6 months to make friends with him. He's 4 years old now, was 3 when we got him.

Gracie is full Chi, and we rescued her at 5 months. I don't think she was abused, just misunderstood. Her previous owners surrendered her to a small animal rescue group because they 'couldn't do anything with her'. I don't know why...She's very smart and we had her housetrained within 2 weeks, and she can learn any trick you want to teach her in 15 minutes, if a training treat is involved!


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

All mine except Billy are rescues.


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

Frisco was a rescue. When my husband got him 16 yrs ago, he saw a guy punt Frisco (as a puppy) across a yard. My husband walked up to that guy and told him, "Give me the dog or I'm calling the police" Frisco had a broken rib, and an enlarged heart (birth defect). He lived with my husband for 16 yrs, and me for 3. He was a great and wonderful dog. My little buddy. Cricket is also a rescue. As most of you know she was underfed, flea infested with some healed broken ribs. I love rescue animals. They love so much.


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## freshpaws (Nov 28, 2011)

Yes, I rescued the cutest chihuahua / small Italian greyhound mix for a shelter in Arizona over the summer while visiting my aunt. Her name is Sage Honey and she is the greatest dog. I am a first time dog owner and I am so glad I attracted her into my life. I travel a lot and this dog will travel back and forth with me from California to Arizona every other weekend in the car! She breezes through the 5 hour ride without a tranquilizer or benedryl AND she will sleep anywhere. I am truly blessed to have her in my life!!!


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## jazzman (Apr 8, 2009)

carrieandcricket said:


> . I love rescue animals. They love so much.


So true ! There is nothing like the way rescue dog looks at you


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

My dogs' stories:

Reggie I found in my gutter out front. He was hurt bad, from what, I'm not sure. The xray didn't show any broken bones, but his back left leg didn't track back and forth, it crossed under his belly and over his right back leg. It's hard to explain. It took 4 months before he could get around pretty good, over a year before the limp got almost unnoticable. 

Gonzo was at the county pound, almost to his pts date because he was caged up front by himself in a cat cage and no one saw him and he had horrible scabs all over the inside of his ears. 

Lexxi was from the SPCA, she was a breeding dog that had been dropped off at the SPCA when her breeding years were up, at 5 years old.

Billy was from a retiring breeder.

Smoke was from a tiny pound up north of me, all the dogs there are sheltered outside in runs and he was only 8 weeks old and it was July in Bakersfield, heat around 100 degrees for days.

Tico was thrown from a car and ended up in our bushes. Signs of being in a cage all his life, neglected and abused. Hes about 15 years old and now blind.

Twiggy was from the same pound as Smoke, she's tiny and was run over by her former owners and never taken to a vet.

A man was trying to sell puppies under a tree in 100 degree heat and Pepper was under a pound at 6 weeks old and lethargic and I couldn't walk away.

Delilah was given to me after she broke her pelvis when she got under a fence and got attacked by two pit bulls.

Marmalade was given to me by a homeless man, she was so pregnant she gave birth less than 48 hours after I took her home.

Isis was a stray I found in an El Pollo Loco parking lot. 

Chumley I got from a man and his grandson trying to get rid of him in front of a grocery store. He's very shy, scared and very, very vocal. Not barking per se, but 'talks' and howls and cries a LOT.

Walking Chumley the first time, I found Sherman running around out front. He's a 4 month-old chiweenie.

And my baby, Babushka, given to me because her owner's baby was using her as a throw toy.


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

svdreamer said:


> And my baby, Babushka, given to me because her owner's baby was using her as a throw toy.


Doesn't that make you mad? And then they get onto the dog because it bit the kid. If you teach your child properly it won't do that. Its just grrrrr.


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

carrieandcricket said:


> Doesn't that make you mad? And then they get onto the dog because it bit the kid. If you teach your child properly it won't do that. Its just grrrrr.


Baby was only a year old. I totally just blame the mom letting her kid get anywhere near such a tiny little thing.


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## Blue Chi (Oct 12, 2011)

carrieandcricket said:


> Doesn't that make you mad? And then they get onto the dog because it bit the kid. If you teach your child properly it won't do that. Its just grrrrr.



I know most breeders won't even sale a small breed dog to people with little kids for reasons like this. And, yes, it drives me mad when an adult/parent gets mad at the dog for biting or growling when their kids swings the dog around by the tail or ear, throws it, pokes/kicks/constantly harrasses. I have pets and children coexist just fine but it does take extra work to teach the kids that pets are not toys.


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

svdreamer said:


> Baby was only a year old. I totally just blame the mom letting her kid get anywhere near such a tiny little thing.


I completely agree. Its the parents responsibility to make sure a child knows how to handle an animal before they let them handle an animal.


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## Pookypeds (Jun 20, 2006)

My sweet, lovable Pedro was a rescue from a relative who didn't want to take care of him after a few weeks of having him. The relative and her boyfriend were breaking up and the boyfriend left Pedro along with her cat at an airport locked in her car for a whole day!!!! I also found out later that the boyfriend was beating him with a belt!!!!:angryfire: I was soooo mad when I found that out!!!! Also, they weren't feeding him correctly and were just giving him treats to eat instead of regular food. She wanted me to puppysit over a weekend and then she was going to find him a home with someone else. Well, when she brought him over he almost died because he hadn't been fed and was falling over and not in very good shape at all. The next day I took him to a vet and got him some medical help. If I hadn't of done that, he would have died at a few months of age. He had a lot of health issues and medical problems but we took care of all that and loved him to pieces. We kept him and had bonded completely over that week-end and he and I were extremely close. I loved him so intensely over the 6 years we had him. Shortly before his 6th birthday, he died as a result of an operation that a vet did on him. We found out from another vet that this vet who did the operation didn't do it right and it was basically malpractice. He bled to death internally from an operation performed because of liver problems. He died in my arms here at home on September 3, 2011. It was a horrible trauma that I will never forget. I still hurt badly from his death. I still love him so much!


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

Pookypeds said:


> My sweet, lovable Pedro was a rescue from a relative who didn't want to take care of him after a few weeks of having him. The relative and her boyfriend were breaking up and the boyfriend left Pedro along with her cat at an airport locked in her car for a whole day!!!! I also found out later that the boyfriend was beating him with a belt!!!!:angryfire: I was soooo mad when I found that out!!!! Also, they weren't feeding him correctly and were just giving him treats to eat instead of regular food. She wanted me to puppysit over a weekend and then she was going to find him a home with someone else. Well, when she brought him over he almost died because he hadn't been fed and was falling over and not in very good shape at all. The next day I took him to a vet and got him some medical help. If I hadn't of done that, he would have died at a few months of age. He had a lot of health issues and medical problems but we took care of all that and loved him to pieces. We kept him and had bonded completely over that week-end and he and I were extremely close. I loved him so intensely over the 6 years we had him. Shortly before his 6th birthday, he died as a result of an operation that a vet did on him. We found out from another vet that this vet who did the operation didn't do it right and it was basically malpractice. He bled to death internally from an operation performed because of liver problems. He died in my arms here at home on September 3, 2011. It was a horrible trauma that I will never forget. I still hurt badly from his death. I still love him so much!


I'm so sorry for your loss. At least he is happy and running and playing and eating all he wants and one day you will get to see him again.


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## LadyJ (Aug 20, 2010)

My beautiful Lavender came from Small Breed Rescue. She was born in California and her family came to Tennessee for the husband's job. The job fell through and he went back to California to look for work. The wife was in a wheelchair and she had to move in with relatives. Lavender and her brother went into rescue. I had just lost my Bichon girl and my Bichon boy, Cosmo, and I were very sad. I saw Lavender's picture and fell in love with her. She is very sweet and loving and she fit in to my family exactly right. It took Cosmo a while to get used to her and to get over grieving, but he did. Lavender helped us heal and we love her a lot. People who work in rescue are my heroes!


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## applewood (May 8, 2011)

I thought about this.. I would like to.


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## LowClassCC (Oct 23, 2011)

alex our chinese crested came from a rescue who had got hm from a hoarder. he had a lot of skin issues when we first got him. his skin is now cleared up and he is not the same fearful dog that he was when we got him. 

pinkie was a pom that just wondered up this past year. her nails had grown all the way around and back into her paws. she had large mats in her fur and looked like she had never seen a bath much less a brush. by the condition of the teeth she had left i would estimate that she was in her teens. we cleaned her up and got her eating. she was a very sweet girl.we had her 3 weeks and adopted her out to a very nice home. the new owner has had the rest of her problems taken care of including dental and she is doing great at her new home. 

lilah our chihuahua was a "free dog" on craigslist find. the owners had claimed the neighbors dog was not maintained and because of that lilah had fleas and they had tried everything but couldn't get rid of the fleas. i met up with the woman and when i saw the condition of this poor dog i about cried. she the woman had claimed she could not give the dog bath because it would wash off the frontline. she also told me she had put on all 3 doses of the frontline the vet had gave her but it just was not helping. she looked and felt like she had been dipped in dirty motor oil. she even left an oily spot on my shirt where i had held her. she had open wounds and a lot of missing hair. lilah was also skinny to the point she truly looked dead. her ears were very dry and crusty also. 4 baths the night we brought her home (an i am being very serious). then a bath every day for the next 2 weeks. then we went to a bath every other week. grain free kibble and a daily vitamin was her new diet. her sores healed. hair grew back, her coat had even softened from the pine needle feel it once had. her weight increased to a nice level once we took care of the tapeworm that was in her belly. now we got lilah with one intention and that was adopting her out. which we ave done but we are still fostering her for her new mommy until she gets moved up this way. 

friday (aka black friday special) is a 7 month old border collie. he was purchased from a breeder at 3 months old. he spent 1 month with his new family on their farm in which time he killed over 2 dozen chickens. they put him in a boarding kennel where he spent the next 3 months waiting to be adopted by someone. i was asked by my vet every week i dropped by to pay on my bill if i would adopt him. each time i told them i had enough dogs. well the last time they asked they informed me twas the last time they would be asking because he was being taken over to the local shelter in a couple days. i knew he would have been put down as soon as he arrived because of the chickens. they would have said he was aggressive. well i stood next to my answer of no (knowing my wife would give me "the look") right up until they told me they would fix him for free. i asked to see him and hi was so scared and timid.. they brought him in and he slowly crawled in curled up in a ball and peed on himself. i headed home and went and picked hm up later that day which was black friday. he has done wonderful and has picked up so much in such a short amount of time. i have not decided if we will be keeping him or adopting him out later on. for now he is loving life.


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## foggy (Oct 12, 2009)

It's wonderful to see all the happy endings. Both Pip and Roo are rescues. Best decision I ever made. Rescue dogs truly are special.


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## qtchi (Jun 19, 2010)

When I began dating my husband he had never heard of a rescue or an animal shelter, and he surprised me with a Husky puppy from a breeder. I have no idea how he couldn't have heard of a rescue or a shelter. He lived in another state at the time so I didn't have a clue. We had Sapporo 13 years before she died of brain tumors.

Venus is a rescue and all of our other dogs except the husky was a rescue. Venus was found as a 3 lb stray by animal control. We adopted her when she became available. The first hold(like a reservation) on her changed their minds so we got her because we were the second hold. She was skin and bones, had bumps all over her skin, had extra teeth, and she had blue dye on one leg. Here are the before pictures. 



















We are kind of rescuing another Chihuahua very soon. He's not exactly a rescue. He was dumped by a breeder at 5 weeks old because he had a hernia and needed expensive surgery. He was dumped at a foster where his current owner fosters. However, the foster didn't have the cash to pay for the surgeries so she paid, and that's one reason why she kept him. However, many months later she found out she had to relocate to a relatives house closer to where her daughter is getting heart surgery and for the aftercare.

We rescued our Cairn Terrier Cinderella, and she was a huge and abused mess. She recently passed away. She was the most playful dog and just beyond amazing. We rescued our Chow/Lab mix, Cassidy, and she was 17 when she passed away. I got her as a puppy from a rescue when I was barely old enough to adopt a dog without my mom's permission. She was so awesome that she even potty trained herself when I adopted he at only 4 months old. She was returned by another family because she was too calm with their kids! I guess they wanted a dog to bounce off the walls.

I love all of our dogs so much, and it was so rewarding to get them as rescues.


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## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

wow i love hearing all the happy endings hats off to ALL of you !!!
these stories are amazing i love hearing them all. 
Please keep them coming !!!!


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## sammyp (Jun 14, 2011)

svdreamer said:


> My dogs' stories:
> 
> Reggie I found in my gutter out front. He was hurt bad, from what, I'm not sure. The xray didn't show any broken bones, but his back left leg didn't track back and forth, it crossed under his belly and over his right back leg. It's hard to explain. It took 4 months before he could get around pretty good, over a year before the limp got almost unnoticable.
> 
> ...




wow thats amazing but they have you now and you can tell they mean the world to you


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

We have two rescues around here too. One mutt who is the most amazing dog ever. He was in the pound for over 30 days and I just can't imagine how my little man survived it, he is such an sensitive people loving dog.

Our chi puppy also came from the pound at 12 weeks. Sadly the rest of her litter and mom was also dumped there weeks later. She was sold on craigslist to some not so nice people. Based on her behavior when we got her we believe they hit her when she peed in the house and then turned her in after 3 weeks because "she could not be house-trained."

Well I am happy to report that we have now had her for almost 3 months and she has not had a accident in 2. She spent the first 2 weeks with us cowering in fear every time she had to pee, but them mysteriously every time she hid around the house to pee a hand appeared with some amazing treats and soon she learned to pee around people without fear. Traditional housetraining methods (a schedule, frequent trips outside and "no" when she squatted inside) worked great and I now have an amazing dog who is totally housetrained.

I could not have picked out two more perfect dogs even if I went to a breeder.


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## RandomMusing (Aug 27, 2011)

I got both Lily and Olive off Craigslist.

With Lily the woman had rescued her from going to the shelter but with no intention of keeping her, hoping she'd find her a good home. She was advertised as $60 to good home.

Olive also was about to go to the shelter and was advertised as free to good home.


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## Sissy2010 (Nov 28, 2010)

Rescued as in what? Taking one in from the streets or from another person? 

My sissy, I rescued from a small private owned shelter here in NJ. She came into the shelter with another chihuahua named Tiny. Sissy's original name was Sister Buckeye but the shelter renamed her to Sissy. . She and her half brother (short haired) chihuahua, were brought into the shelter by a couple, who was moving to florida. The husband of the couple was very abusive towards Sissy and Tiny. When they first went into the shelter Tiny was very protective of Sissy... After a while they got bonded to the people @ the shelter. Tiny was over weight so he was being fostered with one of the worker be's. 

We went to see sissy last year the day or so after thanksgiving and she was very timid around us. We had to go to the shelter 3x to get her used to us and they stated that she was more active w/ us then any other stranger... At first I was iffy about bringing her home because our other dog wasn't timid and scared and I didn't know how to socialize her or what to do with her. But i'm glad we adopted her. She came out of her shell the first day she was with us, surprisingly. I guess she didn't like the shelter.


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