"Paul"

---

Overview:

Arrived in Care:  27.06.2026

Date of Birth: 01.09.2019

Gender: Male

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: See below details.

Child Friendly: 8 years and older. 

Human Sociable: See below details.

Dog Sociable: See below details.

* TBC = "To be confirmed" 

Personality:

• Paul is a bright, active little Chihuahua who enjoys his daily walks and settles well into a routine. He is crate trained, house-trained, and is comfortable spending periods of time at home while his people are at work. 

• He has previously lived with another Chihuahua and cats.

• Paul's behaviour has changed considerably over recent years, and he is now considered a behavioural case. He has become unpredictable within the home environment. Interestingly, he is generally more relaxed outside the home and is fine on lead, able to walk past other dogs appropriately, provided they do not rush up to him.

• Before any decisions are made regarding Paul's long-term future, he will undergo a comprehensive veterinary assessment to investigate whether pain or another underlying medical condition may be contributing to his behaviour. Following this, we will continue assessing him in foster care to better understand his triggers, temperament, and training needs. 

• At this stage, Paul is not available for adoption. Following assessment, he will require a highly experienced, dog-savvy adopter who is comfortable managing behavioural challenges and committed to ongoing training and behaviour modification.

Please note: further details will be added as we get to know the new arrival better as they have just entered NZCR care.

Health: 

• Paul's heart is normal with no murmurs or arrhythmias and his general health is great. Paul has been prescribed a dose of Gapapentin to assist his anxiety in the initial stages of training and foster home transition.

• Paul has been placed on a diet as he needs to lose a bit of weight. We have changed his diet to ACANA small breed kibble. He has had colitis in the past when stressed, but so far, the new diet seems to be working well.

• Paul has two luxating patellas, with the left leg being a higher grade than the right. This is a common breed issue that requires monitoring and management. At present, it doesn't bother him, there appears to be no pain associated and it does not affect his movement at all so the vet does not recommend surgery. However, it is all the more important that Paul's weight is managed carefully in order to reduce the strain on his joints. He would benefit from regular animal physio to strengthen the knee and maintain overall strength and health.

• 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
  
   

Next Steps:

• Each incoming dog will spend time settling into foster care. They will visit our vet for their consult and to book in any desexing, dentals or any other necessary treatment. 

• While in our care, we continue to update their profiles with details on their health, behaviour needs, and quirks. Foster parents observe the dogs as they become comfortable in their new environment to assess any behaviour or training needs, which helps determine their adopter requirements. 

• The profiles are updated regularly, so if you're interested in a dog, please check back for "available for adoption" status and apply IF you meet their requirements.

Adopter Requirements: 

* Please refrain from applying just yet, as we haven’t listed the adopter requirements. 

• We need time to understand the dog’s personality and needs. If you're interested, please check back for updates and apply when the dog is ready for adoption.

• 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 so please review the criteria carefully. Thank you! 

Adoption Fee: $TBC to be paid in full to the New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue charity trust account no. 03-0823-0074502-000
 

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.