Surrendering Your Chihuahua

If you want to surrender your Chihuahua you are likely at the end of your rope. Not a great place to be. If you are here because of troubling issues you are having with your Chihuahua, there is hope! Many can be solved by working with one of our trainers and/or behavior specialists that will allow you to keep your family member in your home. Send us an email and let us know what training troubles you are facing. One of our specialists will get back to you and show you how most of these issues can be resolved with just a little commitment and understanding from your family.

If you are unwilling or unable to keep your Chihuahua and feel surrender is your only option, we are here to help. We are an all-volunteer organization and do not have a brick-and-mortar facility – we have foster homes and volunteers who despite having other responsibilities (jobs, family, etc.) have opened their homes to take in Chihuahuas in need while they wait for the forever families to find them. This means that we cannot always take your Chihuahua immediately and may ask you to maintain responsibility for your Chihuahua for several days/weeks/months until we can arrange housing. Your Chihuahua may have to spend some time on our waiting list. Submitting your Surrender Request is not a guarantee that your pet will be admitted into our Adoption Program.

Shelter dogs are our highest priority. They have no one to care for them and are in immediate danger of being killed. We take our responsibility to those Chihuahuas very seriously and are only able to accept owner surrenders when there are no Chihuahuas in danger of being killed at a shelter.

If you truly cannot keep your Chihuahua while you wait for foster space to become available, consider boarding your pet at your vet office or local boarding facility. Many offer discounts for long-term boarding. Please do not dump your Chihuahua at a shelter in hopes that we or another rescue will be able to save them. Statistics show that Chihuahuas are the second-highest euthanized (killed) breed and there is a very real possibility that your Chihuahua will be killed before space opens in rescue.

Surrender Requirements

Below is a mandatory list of requirements for surrender that must be met to be accepted into our adoption program:

1. Must be 8 pounds or less.
2. Must be Chihuahua or Chihuahua Mix.
3. Chihuahua must be from the State of Texas.
4. Proof of ownership. Veterinary history, ownership papers (from kennel/adoption center/etc.) Only the legal owner may sign the surrender contract.
   • If Chihuahua is found as a stray, finder must provide proof they have followed their City’s requirements for reporting found animals.
   • Appropriate hold timeframe must have passed.
5. Proof of vaccinations within the last 12 months. *
6. Proof of spay/neuter. *
7. Proof of heartworm negative status. *
8. Recommended they come with their personal belongings (bed, crate, leash, collar, favorite toy, etc) to help smooth their transition into foster and provide continuity for your pet.
9. Must come with a full or partial bag of their current food so that we can transition them slowly over to the brands approved by ACR and fed by our foster homes.
10. A donation for the care and placement of your Chihuahua is appreciated and encouraged. Help us to help your pet find a permanent home with another family.

* These proofs may be obtained through Emancipet or ATA if a low/no cost clinic is needed to fulfill these requirements.

**Please remember: We are helping you place your Chihuahua, we are not profiting from you. Anything you can do to help us place your Chihuahua benefits your Chihuahua. Fulfilling these requirements provides us the best platform from which to re-home your pet.

If you are willing to meet these requirements and want to place your Chihuahua on our waiting list, please complete the Surrender Request Form below. One of our representatives will contact you upon receipt to discuss your request. Submitting a Surrender Request does not guarantee placement in our adoption program. We pull dogs into our adoption program from a waiting list. This list is usually quite long and there is a real likelihood that your wait will be anywhere from 1-6 months depending on how quickly other animals are adopted. We rotate between pulling from our waiting list and local kill shelters to be as responsive to our entire community as possible.

Ay Chihuahua Rescue – Animal Return Policy

Dogs adopted from Ay Chihuahua Rescue shall not be abandoned, sold or given to any individual or organization that does not care for animals, in a humane manner. Ay Chihuahua Rescue will assist with the safe return of your pet. If Adopter is having behavioral, medical or other issues with the pet, Adopter must contact Ay Chihuahua Rescue immediately and specify the problem as we are willing to assist you and may be able to provide guidance or additional resources. If Adopter is unable or unwilling to accept assistance with the intent to keep the pet, Adopter may return their Chihuahua by providing reasonable advance notice to Ay Chihuahua Rescue. Any pet adopted through Ay Chihuahua Rescue whose adopter wants to return the dog shall be placed on Ay Chihuahua Rescue’s Priority Waiting List for space permitting the return of the pet to our Foster Program.

As Ay Chihuahua Rescue cannot guarantee immediate access to our Foster Program, it is likely that we will be unable to take the pet back right away. If Adopter is unwilling or unable to keep their Chihuahua until an opening is available in our Foster Program, Adopter agrees to place the Chihuahua in a safe Boarding facility at Adopters sole expense until a Foster Home becomes available.

There are no refunds of adoption fees once paid and accepted by Ay Chihuahua Rescue. Adopter will be notified within 24 hours of Foster availability. Failure to respond within 48 hours of notification will result in Ay Chihuahua Rescue notifying the next pet Owner on the waiting list and Adopter will be bypassed to await the next opening.

ACR Surrender Form