Chihuahuas of the Valley has specific requirements that must be met before we can consider taking in your dog as an owner surrender.
Please read the following before proceeding!
**At this time we are unable to accept any
owner surrenders**
We do not accept stray dogs. You must be the legal owner of the animal you are surrendering, and the dog must have been in your custody for at least the past 30 days.
As a first step, we need some information about your dog.
Please send us an email with your answers to all of the questions below.
We cannot consider taking any dog into our care without that step being completed!
- Dog’s name
- Dog’s age and weight
- Dog’s gender
- Is the dog spayed/neutered?
- Is the dog up to date on vaccines? Please provide date of last vaccination
- How is the dog’s behavior with other dogs/cats/kids/strangers? Please be specific
- What medical issues does your dog have? Please be specific
- What behavioral issues does your dog have? Please be specific
- Has your dog ever bitten anyone? Provide complete details of all incidents
- Is your dog house broken and leash trained?
- Is the dog microchipped?
- Where and with whom is the dog currently located?
- Where and when did you get the dog? Rescue, Shelter, Breeder...
- Why are you surrendering the dog?
- send at least 4 (or more) recent, high-quality pictures of your dog
Do not take any further action until we acknowledge receipt of your email with the information requested above.
We cannot consider taking any dog into our care without that step being completed!
We are not an open intake shelter: we are completely foster-based, which means we are limited by the availability of openings with our foster families! Although we would love to help every dog, we have to assess our current foster home situation along with other factors before making any decisions. Please be patient, as the process can take from a couple of days up to a few weeks, depending on foster availability.
Due to the volume of requests we'd like you to know, if you do not hear back from us within 1 week, we are unable to take your dog at this point so please feel free to move on.
Once we have received the required information about your dog, and if we think we are able to take your dog into our program, we will contact you via email to further discuss your situation.
Fostering your own pet during the rehoming process is also an option. Those that choose this route must be flexible for follow-ups and meetings with potential adopters.
We also request that you take your dog to a vet and have them assess your dog’s overall health and disposition prior to surrendering the dog to us.
All medical records and information about the health and care of your pet should be provided at the time we take custody of dog (especially the assessment results from the vet visit). Please provide spay/neuter certification and vaccination records.
We expect that you will bring your dog to us for the surrender appointment, at a mutually agreeable meeting place or designated foster home.
We request a non-refundable donation for all dogs we take into our program. The expected amount of the surrender donation is at least $100, depending upon your dog’s medical condition, overall health, and age. If you cannot afford a donation in the suggested amount, we are willing to work with you to come to an agreeable solution that is best for your dog.
Finally, you must fill out and sign an owner surrender form.
Note: Please be aware that, from the time you surrender your dog to Chihuahuas of the Valley, you are relinquishing full ownership to the rescue organization, such that Chihuahuas of the Valley becomes the owner of record of the animal, with all legal rights, privileges, and responsibilities thereto.