"Poppy" (no. 2)

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Arrived in NZCR care: 25 May 2025

Date of Birth:12/08/2017 (according to NZCAR records)

Gender: Female 

Breed: Chihuahua (smooth coat) (suspected x unknown)

De-Sexed: Yes.

Microchipped: Yes. 

Registered with NZCAR: Yes. 

Vaccinated: Yes. 

DogsNZ (NZKC): N/A.

Council Registered: Yes - Christchurch City Council.

Cat Friendly: TBC.

Child Friendly: 8 years and older. Wary of young children (see more below)

Human Sociable: Yes, following slow introductions (see below)

Dog Sociable: Yes, following slow introductions (see below)

* TBC = "To be confirmed" 

Personality:

Poppy has been described as “a beautiful lap dog, loves cuddles, enjoys playing with her soft toys, hiding under blankets and treats or food.”

Poppy has a great temperament overall. She can be wary in unfamiliar environments to begin. Poppy’s former owner says, “she needs a calm environment where her personality can flourish.” 

Poppy would enjoy living with another small dog companion. At her former home, she was living/sleeping with another chihuahua.

Poppy is well-behaved, crate-trained, food trained and toilet-trained. While in care there are a couple of issues we are working with Poppy on. While she is fine with other (small breed) dogs, she needs some further training on introductions. Once she’s out of her comfort zone, on walks, she also tends to bark  if she sees other dogs and people - it’s more of a protective bark. So, she could use some training with walking/lead training. While she gets along with other small dogs, she can be timid at first and prefers a calm, predictable environment.

Poppy is said to be okay being left for a few hours if she has a doggy companion to keep her company. Poppy’s former owner says, “Poppy will need someone who home full-time or most of the time as she needs to be let out frequently (ever since she was a pup). Apart from that she is great, sweet, lovely chi.”

Poppy is said to gravitate towards adults more so than children. Her former owner feels that Poppy would suit a mature couple. But shouldn’t be rehomed with young children as they tend to overwhelm her. Poppy is wary of being approached by children as this can stress her out.

While she can be very loving to those she knows - Poppy has a small circle of trust, and needs routine, patience, love and support. Poppy bonds deeply once she trusts you and is happiest when close to her person. Poppy has lived with children prior - she finds young children too  overwhelming, so she’ll need a home where she can relax and feel safe, and older children if any.

A bit of a traveller, Poppy was originally from the UK and arrived to Christchurch from the North Island.

Health: 

Poppy had her initial vet visit and assessment on 18 June 2025, her vaccines were updated and microchip verified. The vet noted:

- Vaccinations now up today until June 2026 when will be due DHP and KC

- Will require dental in the next 6-12 months

- Patellas luxating but not causing clinical issue currently, so not recommending surgery at this stage

- Heart murmur is mild at the moment and not causing clinical signs, recommend yearly checks and may need to start on Pimobendan at some stage.  grade 2. No clinical signs noted by O at home. 

Note: all dogs from NZCR are only adopted out once they have been medically signed off by our vet, desexed, vaccinated, microchipped (with the chip registered with the NZ Companion Animal Register and the local Council) and flea/wormed.

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

New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue is a registered New Zealand charity run by a small team of passionate volunteers. The funds raised go towards the dogs in our care (and any community dogs we may support). Our modest income is a result of your kind donations, sponsorship, and our fundraising projects. The dogs in care each require medical or behavioural assistance, so we're often short on funds - sadly this limits how many dogs we can help!

If you can, please consider donating to our cause, either as a one-off or on an ongoing basis. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference! As we are a registered charity, please contact us for a receipt to claim back 33.33% of your donation from the IRD.

Donations can be made via: 

The New Zealand Chihuahua Rescue Westpac Trust Account:

03-0823-0074502-000 

Ref: "Poppy2"

By credit or debit card by:
GiveALittle: www.givealittle.co.nz/org/nz-chihuahua-rescue-trust
Paypal: www.nzchihuahuarescue.co.nz/donate-via-paypal
 

For other ideas on how you can support the charity and rescue dogs, please see here: www.nzchihuahuarescue.co.nz/donate

Next Steps:

All of our new dogs spend time settling in to foster care before meeting with our vet first so we will know whether any medical treatments are needed. We will then update their profile with any further details. The dogs will also be groomed and photographed. Our fosters then observe them to determine any behavioural or training needs, and adopter requirements. We update the information noted on the profiles regularly.  If you are interested in any of our dogs, please keep checking back to see when their status is noted as “AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION” and apply if you meet their specific adopter requirements.

Adopter Requirements: 

* Please do not apply yet - we have not listed their adopter requirements, as we need time to get to know their personality and any needs. If you are interested - keep checking back here for this profile to be updated! 

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: $TBC. to be paid to the NZCR trust account no. 03-0823-0074502-000 

Our adoption fees consider the dog's age, health, and any ongoing care costs. These fees cover microchipping (including NZCAR registration), vaccinations, desexing, council registration (current year) and any other treatments required. This includes flea and worm treatments, medications, additional surgeries such as a dental, and food. We do not accept payment plans as adopters must demonstrate financial readiness for a pet. Please read more about our adoption process by clicking below.