NZCR OUT OF CHRISTCHURCH ADOPTIONS PROCESS:

We are very proud to say that we have a very low 'failed trial' rate for our dogs. We think that this is because we put a lot of time and care into picking the 'right' home first off and making sure to integrate dogs into a new home property.

New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue is based in Canterbury, where our Trustees, vets, physio therapists and our experienced foster carers reside. However, we take in dogs from all over New Zealand and have adopted dogs to various parts New Zealand also. We have many ex-trust dogs placed in the lower South Island and as far away as Auckland. We do not adopt outside of New Zealand. 

Please see the below process for adopting from us, if you are not located in Canterbury. We do not adopt out to those we haven't met in person. No exceptions.

Why are some dogs only available in Christchurch or Canterbury?
Some dogs may only be available for adoption in Christchurch - please review the adopter requirements on each dog's profile to determine whether they can be adopted outside of Canterbury.  As we get to know the dogs in our care we set their “adopter  requirements”. Sometimes this will stipulate dogs need to be re-homed  local to our team in Canterbury. Why?

1. One of the most obvious reasons may be that some of our dogs are not medically fit to be flown, or able to be transported, without suffering anxiety or a physical reaction. Our first priority is the health and welfare of the dog and if that means a local home is needed, we stipulate this. 

2. Secondly, some of the dogs we get into rescue have very traumatic pasts and will require “hands on” integration into their new home. They may need more support and assistance from our team, including their foster carer. So, for that reason, it will have to be a local adoption. 

You must understand that our dogs come to know and trust their foster carers. So it follows on and makes sense that at times, their fosters may need to assist more with integrating their foster dog into their forever home. Our aim is to make the process more comfortable for the dog. 

As our experienced foster carers reside in Canterbury, a dog needing more integration will need to be adopted in Canterbury too. 

We will do all we can to provide support and ensure an  adoption is as stress free for the dog and successful. We have even had some fosters go “over and above” and allow a  personal dog to stay at the home of an Adopter to assist in settling in a rescue dog.  This would not be possible for an out-of-town adoption.

3. It is simply a fact that we are based in Canterbury and cannot be  everywhere at once. Unfortunately, we just cannot please all people, all of the time. 

We put a lot of love, care and money into rebuilding these dogs and want to ensure they are properly integrated and successful in their new home. 

We are very proud to say that we have a very low 'failed trial' rate for our dogs. We think that this is because we put a lot of time and care into picking the 'right' home first off and making sure to integrate dogs into a new home propertly.

We do expect you will respect our analysis of what our dogs need and understand that if a local home is needed, then that's what we require. All of our decisions come down to  what is best for the dog and if it is simply that they need to be homed  locally, we will do so. We aren't ever in any hurry to re-home a dog - our philosophy is the right person will come along eventually and so far, four years into this Rescue, that has always been the case!
 

Where are the dogs you have available?

The dogs we have available can be found at the above link under "dogs in our care". Not all of them will be, we also have some dogs that are not advertised on the website or social media at the request of the former owner. This is why we encourage people to submit an application noting the type of dog they are after. We may have them in care already, or they may come into care shortly.

If I have already applied to adopt prior, do I need to submit another application?

No, unless any material details have changed (ie. new pets, people in the home, working hours, address etc). You will need to find and check your old application and consider if it is still up to date. If the information is still all correct, email us and tell us that you have previously applied and note the dog you wish to be considered for now. Please make sure you review the dogs' profile and meet their adopter requirements first. 

GETTING STARTED
 

1. Step One - Submit an Adoption Application and Supporting Information: 

After you have checked that your chosen dog can be adopted outside of Canterbury and you meet all the adopter requirements, simply complete the adoption form (downloadable from the below files) and  submit this via email to the Trust. 

As part of the application, we  require clear photos of your property (ie. backyard, fencing,  boundaries, entries and exits). 

If you are renting, we will also require  written consent from your landlord or Housing New Zealand (see below  files for a template approval form to provide to your landlord).

Notes about submitting an application and pointers:

• Remember: answer all the questions thoroughly and put as much  effort as possible into this application! It is what makes us decide  whether or not we want to consider you. We do not call applicants we are  not looking to progress to the next stage, so there won't be a second  chance!

• Failure to supply the required information (ie. not answering the  questions) or incomplete forms will result in a rejected application.  Please date the application.

• Please read the Adoption Agreement portion of the application form  for your obligations and ensure that you are able to agree to these. We  have a strict adoption process that may not be for everyone, and that's  OK!

• Email applications are preferred. If you cannot email the  application, it will need to be printed and sent to our PO box address  (found under the "contact us" tab) with the photos of your property and  written landlord or Housing NZ consent (if applicable).

• Please DO NOT send multiple emails with separate photos in each  email. If your application does not contain the required attachments it  will be rejected.

• We do not accept applications via Facebook messenger or phone. 

• If you are sending your application by email, kindly check before  clicking "send" that you have saved your answers to the PDF file  correctly and ensure that photos are included in your application.

• Please check you meet EACH of the adopter requirements noted on  the profile for your chosen dog, we do not deviate from these and your  application will be rejected if you do not meet those requirements. We  are very clear about the type of home we need for each dog.

• Please make sure that you include clear photos of the backyard, boundaries, fencing, entries/exits to your property. We don't need the layout of your house but do need clear photos of the above to determine your home is safe for one of our dogs.

If I have already applied to adopt prior, do I need to submit another application?

No,  unless any material details have changed (ie. new pets, people in the  home, working hours, address etc). You will need to find and check your  old application and consider if it is still up to date. If the  information is still all correct, email us and tell us that you have  previously applied and note the dog you wish to be considered for now.  Please make sure you review the dogs' profile and meet their adopter  requirements first. 

Why do you not accept applications by phone or requests to call the Rescue?
We do not have a rescue phone number. As you can appreciate, we receive a  large volume of queries and would the forms streamline the process for  our organization. All of the information we require is noted on the  form. We are volunteers who work full time outside of the Rescue, so it  is a much more efficient way for us to confirm whether you and your  family are a match for any particular dog. We also do not contact prospective applicants via phone to discuss individual dogs without the adoption forms and supporting information. 

What happens once I submit the application?
If we feel that you are a match for a dog in care, we will be in touch  to progress this. If we do not have a match for you currently, we will  email you back and confirm if you have been placed on the database. We  reserve the right not to enter into arguments or reasoning in terms of  why we have not selected a particular adopter. As noted above, we are  looking for the most suitable match.

Any questions?

If  you have any queries, please see our adoption FAQ first (this is  located via the link at the bottom of the page). Then email us via the  contact form on our website if your question is not answered by our FAQ.

2. Step Two - Meet and Greets:

If covid-19 restrictions are in place, we may contact you to set up a "Zoom or Facebook Messenger visit" via the internet. This is a preliminary interview and meeting to ensure you are a match for the dog and seem like a great fit together! 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 will also invite you to attend a meet and greet in the City that the dog is being fostered in, when possible. 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 keep in mind that being invited to attend a Zoom meeting or meet/greet does not mean you will be automatically accepted as the adopter of a particular dog. Sometimes we have several amazing homes and only one dog to match! There may be other Applicants also meeting the dog. Do not expect to take the dog home with you on that visit. We will need time to meet as a team and consider any other applicants. Please do not place pressure on us and ensure you manage any expectations (particularly with children in the family! they must be aware it is not a first in, first served arrangement).

Please note: Adopters will need to be willing to arrange and pay for their own travel costs to meet the dog, if it is not located close by. This is to a make sure the dog and Adopter are a match prior to the dog flying to their location. We do not send dogs to prospective Adopters that they have not met. The onus is on the Adopter to travel to meet the dog and pay all costs associated with this travel and the travel of the dog to their location. We appreciate this may prevent some Adopters, however, we need to be realistic and ensure our funds are conserved to be spend on our dogs' care, not flying dogs to and from various locations in New Zealand for the benefit of others.

What happens after a meet and greet?
Once the meet and greet has been completed our team will meet to discuss  which home is the best match. If other applicants are being considered  for the same dog, this may take a week or so.  We are all Volunteers who  fit rescue commitments around normal full time working schedules. 

If  you are waiting to hear as to whether or not you have been successful,  please email the trust email and either the foster carer that you met or  a Trustee will respond to you.

If you are selected as a match for a particular dog - following the meet/greet phase, we will have another Rescue conduct a home-check on your property (this may need to be "contact-less" depending upon the covid level of your area). We will have them make contact with you to organize this.

Will I know why I've been declined?
We are looking for the home that best matches the dog at hand. If we do  decline you, please do not take this personally. This does not mean you  are not a great dog owner or cannot provide a great home for the dog. It  simply means that we do not feel the dog is a perfect match for your  circumstances.

We do not enter into arguments backwards and forwards or provide in  depth explanations as to why your circumstances are not the best match  in comparison to others. We are simply trying to choose a home  based on  the limited knowledge we have of each applicant and our dogs. Please do  remember this and treat Rescue team members with respect and courtesy,  even if their news is disappointing to you. 

3. Trial:

If successful at the meet and greet, we will offer you a "one month trial".  The trial is for a period of one month to ensure that the dog is a fit for your family and/or your family is a fit for the dog. We ask you to keep in touch and update us during this time. We will also check in with you to make sure everything is going well!

If you are offered a trial, at this stage, the adoption fee must be paid into the account and our trial agreement signed and returned. 

If you are in the South Island, you may wish to travel to collect the dog, please advise us if you wish to do so and we can arrange a mutually convenient time with the foster carer, for you to collect the dog.

Otherwise, you may wish to consult the Pet Bus or Popular pets to transport the dog by land, at the Adopters cost. They also provide the crates. If this is the case, we ask you to contact them and organize the collection date with the foster carer direct.

If you wish to fly the dog - flights for the dog and an airplane-approved crate would need to be arranged, this is also at the Adopters expense. A pet exporter will need to be used as AirNZ no longer allow private clients to book airfares. We can recommend "Star Pet Travel" who organize flights and can provide crate hire. You may wish to purchase or send your own crate - Please let us know.

Regardless of how the dog travels, the full adoption fee must be paid into the trust account prior to collection/changeover of the dog, and cleared in our trust account. Without this, they will not be released for a flight or into the care of the prospective adopter. Sorry, no exceptions. If, for any reason the trial is not successful - this adoption fee will be used for flights to return the dog back to the Trust (read more about this below) and as such, there will be no refund of the adoption fee unless there is a surplus amount. You will be invoiced in respect of a deficit. 

All fees are to be paid to our Westpac Account - New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue Trust

03-0823-0074502-000  (we do not accept cash on pick up!) please use your full name and the name of the dog as references, so we can easily track your payment. This will prevent delays.

The dog will come with: bed/bedding, any favorite toys and possessions from its prior home, vet books and a supply of medications. You will need to ensure that you have the correct food (the same food the dog has been on to prevent stomach upset - liaise with the foster carer in this regard) and an appropriate collar/harness/lead. The Julius harnesses, leads and crates the dogs have while in foster care are retained by the trust for use on future dogs.

See the below FAQ for transport options and pet exporters to contact.

How do we confirm the adoption?
We ask that you email us periodically during the month to let us know how things are going with your new family member. We may also check in with you if we haven't heard from you to make sure all is well. You're welcome to send updates and photos as/when you like (even past this one month - we love seeing happy adoptions!!).

Before the end of the trial, we will contact you to see whether you are happy to confirm the adoption. If so, you will be advised in writing (we send out a formal confirmation of adoption letter) that the trial period has concluded and the trust is happy to deem the dog successfully adopted! 

At this time, we will change the registration with the Council and add you to the microchip of the dog and they are officially a member of your family, congrats! 

What if it doesn't work out?
In the event that the Adopter, or the Trust, terminate during the trial  period, the dog is to be returned into the care of their foster carer. All items supplied with the dog must be returned.

If in the North Island, or outside of Christchurch, you will be responsible for the costs of returning the dog into our care. We reserve the right to use the adoption fee paid by you to do so and invoice any surplus fees. If there is any remainder left, it will be returned to the Adopter. As you can understand, we are a small charity that survives solely from fundraising and donations. Sometimes we even struggle to meet essential costs. So we cannot pay the costs of transport for dogs up and down the Country for adopters who are not local. This includes the cost of bringing dogs back into the care of the Trust in Canterbury if their trial does not work out.

If you are in the South Island and/or able to return the dog back to us yourself, provided that the trust incurs no costs in relation to the return of the dogs, we will reimburse the adoption fee, or any surplus amount, as is the normal procedure for Christchurch adoptions. 

Please Note: We do NOT provide harnesses, leashes, bowls, crates and the like when dogs go on  trial. You will need to ensure you have all of these at the time of  trial. These items are retained by our foster carers for other dogs in  the care of the Trust. It is the Adopter's responsibility to purchase  these items prior to the dog arriving for it's trial. 

PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR OUR ADOPTION FAQ - THIS CONTAINS MORE INFORMATION ON THE  ADOPTION PROCESS, FEES,  OTHER COMMON QUERIES, REGISTRATION AND  MICRO-CHIPPING, AMONG OTHER THINGS. 

Any questions?

If you have any queries, please see our adoption FAQ first - this is located via the link at the bottom of the page. Then email us via the contact form on our website if your question is not answered by our FAQ.