Honey

STATUS: Adopter Selected.

Overview:
Arrived in NZCR care: 20 June 2025
Date of Birth: Approx. 2023.
Gender: Female
Breed: Chihuahua (Long Coat)
De-Sexed: Yes.
Micro-chipped: Yes.
Registered with NZCAR: Yes.
Vaccinated: Yes.
DogsNZ (NZKC): No.
Council Registered: Yes - Christchurch City Council.
Cat Friendly: Has lived with a cat prior and suitable for dog-confident cats only.
Child Friendly: Suitable for 6 years and older who are doggy knowledgeable.
Human Sociable: Yes.
Dog Sociable: Yes.
* TBC = "To be confirmed"
Personality:
Honey's prior owner says that she enjoys her home comforts and has lived with children, large dogs, and a cat previously. Honey's foster mum says, "she definitely loves cuddles. Probably wouldn't describe her as easy-going."
Honey is described as loving pats, cuddles, and playing tag. Honey is a fast runner when she gets zoomies,"air bites" when playing, loves noises like tongue clicks and squeaks.
Honey is a sweet, loyal little dog who forms strong bonds with her people and feels very responsible for them. Out and about, including at playgroup, she copes well and can relax. In the home and car, however, Honey becomes quite protective. As she settles and grows more confident, she begins to guard her space and may rush toward or vocalise at visitors, including people she has previously met, so her new family will need to take this behaviour seriously, manage introductions and interactions carefully and be comfortable following a plan for this behaviour. Initially her behaviour is great but once she becomes "comfortable" in her environment, she can relax into previous negative habits.
Honey requires an experienced and confident owner who is committed to ongoing training and consistent boundaries. Building her confidence through group training classes, with in-home support later if needed, would be ideal.
She is clever and responsive, but also opportunistic, such as climbing onto furniture to reach items or fixating on containers instead of appropriate chews, so supervision and redirection are important until this habit has been rectified.
With a patient, dog-savvy home that understands her need to feel safe and supported, Honey has real potential to settle well and be a devoted little companion, but her owner must be capable and willing to address the above behaviours.
Visitors must be introduced with care due to Honey’s tendency to guard the home and car once settled. So an Adopter must expect to supervise and redirect opportunistic behaviours (ie. climbing on furniture or seeking items.) Her adopter needs to be committed to long-term structure to help Honey feel safe and supported.
Honey must have another playful small breed dog in the home and is not suitable to be a solo dog in the home. Honey thrives when paired with positive doggy-role models, and this highlights the importance of selecting the right home for her.
Honey will be best paired with a companion dog who is confident, well-adjusted and playful. Honey isnt suitable as a "friend" to an older, less energetic dog, as she’s likely to overwhelm them. She is very impressionable and tends to copy the habits of the surrounding dogs. For example, if she lives with a reactive or overly barky dog, she is likely to adopt those behaviours unless they are managed by the owner.
In her foster home, Honey is living with cats, other small dogs, and chickens. Her foster mum says that she is "cat friendly, tries to make friends with the neighbour cats. Might not be great with small animals as she seems to see them as animated toys."
Honey's foster mum advises that she is "probably not a "take to work" dog at the moment. This might change over time, but if the adopter is wanting to do that, then no."
Honey's foster mum says, "Honey is such a sweet little dog…. She seems to have had little experience of the outside world, which means that she could easily adopt good [or] bad behaviour [from her chosen adopter/household]. During Honey's time with us, she has improved in many ways [and] has more room to improve with ongoing training and a good role model." One of her quirks is air snapping when she wants attention. She does not make contact or attempt to bite, but it can be surprising if you are not expecting it. Her foster mum is actively working on redirecting and reducing this behaviour.
Honey is initially cautious of strangers entering the home. However, if ignored initially, then offered treats, she will quickly begin to warm up, happily accepting chin scratches and head pats! Her foster mum says, "once she builds up courage to approach you, she's all over you like a rash. Honey will follow you everywhere and can get under your feet." She's ok at home alone for a couple of hours, just finds a spot to chew a toy and waits quietly.
Her foster mum says that she feels Honeys needs are "a lot of it is confidence, as in she has very little." They have been attending a small dog playgroup weekly with her so that she is given the opportunity to socialise, they are working on her getting used to sounds such as opening doors, cupboards or any loud noises. Her foster mum advises, "she's OK with kids at Playgroup, but that's not 1-on-1, and they're very dog experienced kids (junior dog handlers etc)."
Honey is very clever and food motivated, making her easy to teach. Honey already knows commands such as "sit, up, no and come here, but still working on "wait". Honey will need an Adopter able to commit to ongoing training and confidence building, as she still defaults to assuming she's in trouble every time you call her."
Health:
Honey was fully assessed by our vet on 22 June 2025. She currently weighs 3kg and ideally needs to gain a little more (around 3.5kg). Honey had her vaccinations updated at the same time. The vet noted mild tartar, which does not require a dental at this stage, and a luxating patella on her left side. These are both common in toy breeds, so we encourage adopters to familiarise themselves with these conditions if not already aware.
Honey was desexed, vaccinated and microchipped on 29th September 2025 and recovered well. Initially she was booked in June 2025 but unfortunately came into heat so we have waited a period to ensure it is safe to rebook her.
Note: All dogs from NZCR are adopted only after being medically cleared by our vet, desexed, vaccinated, microchipped (registered with the NZ Companion Animal Register and local Council), and treated for fleas and worms.
Adopter Requirements:
Location - Christchurch or South Island: Honey is to be adopted preferably within Christchurch (where NZCR are based), or the South Island. Sorry, due to her specific needs, we aren't considering North Island applicants. Given her specific behaviours and needs and the likelihood of needing support to adjust, we're prioritising South Island applicants. In our experience, dogs with these needs often require follow-up or even may need to return to care, which is not practical or easy on them, especially across island boundaries.
Other dogs - not suitable as a solo dog: Honey requires at least one other (playful) medium or small breed dog in the home.
Fencing: Honey MUST have a secure, fully-contained home in future — she's a bit of an adventurer and can’t be trusted off-lead or around open gates at present and without further training. Her foster mum advises that she is "a climber as far as getting out goes." So she will require a well-fenced home to ensure her safety and training in this area. Honey should be inside, crated, if her owners are out to prevent escaping, fence climbing etc.
Children: Any kids in the home must be over 7+ years old and be doggy knowledgeable. Children must be educated about dog behaviours and signals and able to give the adopted dog ample space.
Daytime Companionship: Honey requires an owner with plenty of weekday availability, so someone who either works part-time, retired but very active, or who works permanently on a set schedule from home. No full-time (out-of-home) workers will be considered. But someone who is based at home for work permanently would be suitable, of course. Chihuahuas are a companion breed, able to be left alone for short periods, but not for several hours, multiple days per week.
Quiet, predictable household preferred, with adopters comfortable setting firm, consistent boundaries.
Work Environment: Honey's foster carer says that she is NOT a "take to work" dog outside of home) due to her ongoing nervousness. It might change if her confidence builds up more and in time, but this shouldn't be relied upon or expected for at least the first 6–8 months while she builds trust. There will need to be a "Plan B" in case she never feels comfortable in a work environment.
Cats: Honey has lived with cats prior and would be fine with confident cats who are used to living with dogs. Please consider prior whether your cat is likely to be accepting of a dog in their space, or lived with dogs before. Fearful cats may require some training alongside the dog, which is a commitment the Adopter needs to be prepared for.
Doggy knowledge: Honey’s foster mum advises that she will definitely need someone with prior dog experience. The applicant should have solid knowledge of dog behaviour, patience and confidence in handling the transition of a rescue dog into their home. Honey will require an experienced and confident dog owner who can manage any protective behaviours and ideally commit to some form of ongoing training for any remaining behavioural issues.
Note: Before applying to adopt, please ensure you meet the adopter requirements listed above. These guidelines are set with the dogs' needs in mind, based on input from foster carers. If you do not meet these requirements, your application will be declined, as there are no exceptions. Please review the criteria carefully. Thank you!
Adoption Fee: $650.00 to be paid to the NZCR trust account no. 03-0823-0074502-000
Note: Our adoption fees reflect the dog’s age, health, and care needs. They cover microchipping (NZCAR registration), vaccinations, de-sexing, current-year council registration, and any necessary treatments, including flea/worm treatments, medications, surgeries (e.g., dental), and food. Payment plans are not available, as adopters must show financial readiness for the expense that comes with pet ownership. Click below for more details on our adoption process.

How do the dogs receive the care needed to ready them for adoption?

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"Honey"

STATUS: Adopter Selected.

How do the dogs receive the care needed to ready them for adoption?