Thank you to everyone who has thought about New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue and the dogs in our care at this very difficult time. We are overwhelmed with loving messages of support and concern for our dogs. At a time like this, we are so grateful to have so many genuinely caring, loyal supporters of our cause and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. NZCR are pleased to confirm our classification as an "essential service" due to our involvement in animal welfare.
ADOPTIONS:
As always, if you wish to adopt from us, the first step is to submit the application form. If interested in any of our dogs, please see the adoptions tab, fill out the application form and attach photos of your property. Please also provide landlord consent if you are renting.
Canterbury Adoptions:
If Canterbury is in Level 4 - The dogs will not be moved from foster care and 'in person' meet and greets will be suspended. Meet and greets will not be conducted "in person" until Level 3 or below.
If Canterbury is in Level 3 or below - Our aim is to be as "contact-less" and safe as possible. For this reason, we may schedule video or phone calls with you and the foster carer to discuss the dog first and answer any queries you may have. If you both feel you would be a match for the dog we will then schedule (socially distanced and masked) meeting with the dog and/or a "contactless" property inspection.
It is still important that you meet the dog prior to accepting a trial and also have the opportunity to ask the foster carer any queries you may have. Sometimes, it is easy to fall in love with a profile or a picture of a dog, but meeting them in person can be quite different! so it is important to meet prior.
Outside of Canterbury Adoptions:
If you are in another region (outside of Canterbury) but wish to adopt from us and cannot travel due to Covid - We may contact you to set up a video or phone call to discuss the dog. This is a preliminary interview or video meeting to ensure you are a match for the dog. This is also your opportunity to discuss the dog with the foster carer and ask any questions you may have. Please be as honest and open as possible and do say if you have any concerns or questions. Its important that you feel you are a match for the dog (as much as we feel you are too!) before things go any further.
We may then invite you to attend a meet and greet in the City that the dog is being fostered in, when possible to do so. Sometimes, it is easy to fall in love with a profile or a picture of a dog, but meeting them in person can be quite different! This is why we like our Adopters to meet the dogs they wish to adopt, prior to them being placed on trial.
Please ensure you advise us by phone or email if you are unwell, or in self-isolation due to contact with an infected person. Any visits can be postponed. We need to ensure our team are as safe as possible, but the bottom line is, yes - we will help you.
For further details - the rest of the information under our "adoption" tab remains applicable.
FOSTERING A DOG:
Please note: we only accept fosters in Christchurch, where our team are located. We are not looking for foster carers in other parts of New Zealand. No exceptions and reasoning is provided in our foster FAQ noted under the foster tab.
With the rise of the Covid-crisis, several people have reached out to confirm availability to foster while working from home in Canterbury. We appreciate the offer, however, we do need to make it clear that fosters need to be able to commit to fostering until their foster dog is adopted. This could be for a couple months, six months, or a year... we can never truly know. So, we need fosters who are able to commit to a dogs care and provide long term stability. We also generally ask for no full time workers as fosters. Our dogs are rescues who may have "quirks" and we need people present in the home on a prolonged daily basis, to assess them and implement training.
Our fosters also need to be available during the week to take the dogs to and from appointments (ie. vets, physio) This is a vital aspect of fostering and needs to be continued for the duration of the foster term, this will be beyond the lock-down and the level 3 period when many return to work.
We are concerned that accepting short term fosters (who will return to full-time work post the covid-crisis) would mean that there will be a flood of dogs urgently needing new fosters at the end of lock-down. We are also concerned about the impact this would have on our rescue dogs . It can be difficult for them adjusting to one family for a month or so and then having to re-adjust to a new foster, or sudden full-time working routine when they go back to work.
We do however, always need reliable, stable, long term fosters in our database and would love to have those of you who can commit to this!
If you view the foster tab and meet the requirements noted, please do forward your fostering application - as we would love to hear from you!
SURRENDERING / RE-HOMING A DOG - ARE WE 'TAKING IN" DOGS?:
You do not need to struggle alone - if you wish to re-home your Chihuahua, Chihuahua-cross or small/toy breed dog (under 5kg), please contact us - we will help you. We provide a free, confidential and non-judgmental service to anyone who requires assistance.
If you require food, flea or worming or medical care assistance, please contact us.
Are you still taking in surrenders during level 3 and level 4?
Yes, our Trustees will be receiving in surrenders and exercising the upmost care in doing so, regardless of the levels.
We ask that you remove any collars from the dog and do not provide any non-essential blankets, bedding, collars, harnesses or other items. We can re-supply all of these. Any vet books or favorite items can be provided - our team will collect these in a sealed plastic bag. Please remember the vet book.
What's the process if I need to surrender my dog or know someone who needs to?
Please contact us via email and provide your phone number. A Trustee will then contact you to organize contact-less collection of the dog(s) or discuss transporting options.
Please also print out the surrender form under "re-homing" in the website tab above, fill this out, scan and email it to us if possible. If you do not have a printer, please let our team member know during the call and we will courier the form to you. This form confirms all of the information we need to know about the dog to assist.
We are located in Christchurch and any/all dogs coming into our care need to be transported to Christchurch, we do not foster dogs in other locations. In terms of travel, the options may not be immediate if you are outside Canterbury or the South Island as the COVID levels system impacts whether Air New Zealand will allow transport of pets. We recommend you contact Star Pet Travel (our preferred pet booking agents) to discuss the options. Call: 0800 PET TRAVEL to discuss.
Please ensure you advise us by phone or email if you are unwell, or in self-isolation due to contact with an infected person. We need to ensure our team are as safe as possible, but the bottom line is, yes - we will help you.
For further details - the rest of the information under our "re-homing tab" remains applicable.
Thankfully, we are pleased to report that all of the dogs in our care at present have loving, stable and reliable foster homes to hunker down in!
All of our dogs will remain with their fosters until the end of any lockdown or level 4. Our volunteers have their own parents, children and pets to keep safe too!
We hate to ask, but if you are in a position to be able to donate and are looking for a way to make an impact and assist us, we would be eternally grateful for your support!
Without being able to run our usual fundraising events, we struggle with our incoming funds meeting the incoming bills!
Our biggest concern is always money - How do we keep operating at a time like this? How do we provide all the essentials for our dogs? How do we fund new ones coming into care? we need to to ensure that we have enough food, flea and worming, medications and anything else our dogs need. Plus enough funds for their essential vet care during this time and after.
We do not qualify for much of the Government assistance as some Rescues will, as all of our team are volunteers - unpaid for the time they put into our Rescue.
HOW CAN I HELP?
DONATIONS:
If you are in a position to be able to donate, any funds would be so gratefully received! If you are looking for a way to make an impact and assist us, please donate.
As a registered NZ charity, we are able issue receipts for all donations over $5.00. This will ensure you recieve 33% of your donation back, from the IRD. Simply email us with your name, account name, amount donated and postal address and we will email it back to you.
Donate by bank deposit to our Westpac New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue Trust Account details:
03-0823-0074502-00
Donate by Credit or Debit Card here:
GiveALittle Page:
https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nz-chihuahua-rescue-trust
Paypal Link:
https://nzchihuahuarescue.co.nz/donate-via-paypal
If you are not in a position to donate, please share our plight on your social media in the hopes it will spread our message further.
DONATIONS OF FOOD, BEDDING ETC:
We are happy to take new items shipped directly from suppliers, or pet stores, however. Bedding, beds, donations of Orijen Original and/or ACANA small breed kibble are what we require most. (Sorry to be so picky! Many of our dogs come in with allergies or weight issues so we often have them on Orijen/ACANA or prescription-only foods)
VOLUNTEERING:
Thank you for thinking of volunteering with NZCR, we appreciate your support. However, as we do not have a centre and all of our dogs are with foster carers, we do not require any volunteers at present.
Again, we thank you all very much for thinking of our dogs and we promise they are happy, loved and well-looked after, unaware that the world is full of chaos at present.
TRADEME STORE INQUIRIES:
Can I still purchase items from the NZCR TradeMe store?
Yes, always! If Canterbury are in levels 1 - 2, all operations should be as normal. If we are in levels 3-4, you may still purchase and pay for these items, which will be packaged for shipping and entered into the system. However, if couriers are impacted, your parcel may be delayed. Some couriers decline to send any items that are not "essential". There is also the risk of transmitting the virus from people handling parcels to consider. But we will have the items shipped out to you as soon as we possibly can.
Featuring rescue dogs against scenic local landscapes and high quality, vibrant, professionally-shot images you'll love. Visit our online store to order yours!
Remember: EVERY purchase from our online store helps fund Peaches' treatments and also enables us to continue to help rescue dogs nationwide! Thanks for the support.