At CNWH our rescues are the first priority. We are here as a service to you for adoption, but above and beyond that we are here for the DOGS. We strive to place each rescued Chihuahua  in a happy home, and we also want to make sure you find the right dog for you and your family.  To ensure potential adoptions would be a good match, we  follow certain procedures in setting up an adoption. These are standards each application goes through so that the process is as objective as possible. Below you will find general steps taken that you can expect to go through as you adopt from CNWH. The entire process from start to finish takes anywhere from 3-6 weeks to complete, please be patient with us.

The first step in adoption is filling out an adoption application. You can find our application to adopt here on our website.  These applications are designed to give our adoption coordinators an idea of what life is like at your home. You may not understand why we ask some of the questions on the application, but trust us, we've been doing this and knowing this information assists us in determining which dogs would be good matches with your home. Some Chihuahuas want to do nothing more than curl up on the sofa or on you. Others are more active and ideally need to play with you or with other dogs each day.  Some dogs would go crazy living a quiet home life, while others would detest the chaos and energy level of a big family.  Some dogs love to go for walks while others prefer to be allowed to run in a fenced yard.

If you have seen a dog on our website and are interested in that specific dog, you can specify that interest on your application. Would you be willing to work with a dog who is not housebroken, or one that is papertrained?  Do you own cats and would need a Chihuahua that would be able to live peacefully with them?  Are you experienced enough to take on a dog in need of behavioral attention or a dog that will need special handling when strangers are around?


PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE TOTALLY VOLUNTEER RUN. Our volunteers have full-time jobs, and do rescue work on their own time. Due to the number of applications we receive, processing your application will take AT LEAST 3 weeks. Please remember this when applying.... you will not be getting a dog in a matter of days, nor will you be contacted within a week. EACH APPLICATION IS IMPORTANT TO US, BUT IT TAKES TIME TO PROCESS THEM.


Step Two:
Once a rescue representative has received and reviewed your application, they will talk with the references you provided. If you rent or lease your residence we will also contact your landlord to insure you are within your rental or lease agreement rights in obtaining a dog. We will contact you by email and set up a date and time for a phone or Net2Phone interview if possible so that we can discuss your application  with you, as well as what dog(s) would be matches for your home. If we cannot reach you after a combination of 5 attempts via phone & email we will assume that you are no longer interested in adoption and we will proceed no further with your application. The application will be marked accordingly and will be filed for future use should you be interested in adopting in the future. If you have be contacted by a representative and do not know how to reach him/her please visit the "contact us" section of our menu bar at the bottom of any page.
If we have any questions about your application we will ask you about them. This will extend the time we will need to approve or deny your application.


Step Three:
You will be told if your application to adopt is approved or denied . If we have any dogs that interest you then the process will proceed to step four. If we currently have no dogs that would be a match for you, we will contact you about being placed into our  WANT BOOK .


Step Four:
The next step is the initial visit.  Once you've discussed with a coordinator the potential matches we may have for you, we will set up a date, place and time for your to meet whichever match you are interested in. Should there be more than one dog you are interested in, we will make every attempt go get each dog to the same location for one meeting instead of several different meetings. Please understand that some of these dogs are fostered in other cities and states, so finding a central location for a meeting may require a bit of time (usually no more than a week). This meeting may also require a bit of travel on your part,  and we ask that you keep this in mind when considering adopting a dog from CNWH. Also keep in mind that you will merely be visiting with the dogs, you will NOT be leaving with the dog(s) you are interested in adopting.

On this visit you will get to see if you & your family like the personality of the dog(s) you are interested in. We will get a feel as to whether the dog likes you or not, which is an important part of adoption. If you own other dogs, we require that you bring them with you on this visit so that we may see the interaction between your current pet(s) and the potential adoptee. Most times there are exhibits of dominance and testing which is normal. Most times within one visit you will know whether or not your current pet(s) and the dog you are interested in will eventually get along. We expect a few growls and some posturing, but you know it won't work when major fireworks go off.

You will be asked to take a week to make a final decision as to which dog(s) you would seriously like to adopt. At the end of that week you will need to contact this rescue to let us know which dog(s) will be the new member of your family. This will also allow you time to make any purchases or last minute adjustments to your home (if needed) before your new dog arrives.



Step Five:
Depending on your location, one of two things will happen:

1. A member of CNWH  will come to your home at your convenience and meet with you and all your family members. The representative will bring with him/her the dog(s)  you will be adopting.  This visit gives you a chance to ask any questions you might have and talk with the rep about what you can expect when you first get your rescue Chihuahua, as well as in the years to come.  If you are dealing with a representative who is fostering the dog you are interested in, you will be able to  talk to him/her, after all, the foster has been living with the dog and can let you know what to expect in terms of behavior.  Feel free to ask any questions. If this step goes well,  and the dog you are adopting was spayed/neutered PRIOR to this visit,  the rescue representative will have the adoption paperwork with them. If you are still interested in adopting, you will need to sign an adoption contract, which states that you will provide any & all necessary care for the dog and will never give the dog to anyone in the event that you cannot keep the dog for some reason.  The contract also specifies that the dog has been seen by a vet,  had a thorough physical exam, is up to date on inoculations (excluding rabies), is heartworm negative & is on heartworm preventive medication, and is spayed or neutered.  Any known medical problems would be described in the contract.  We also give you all vet records we have for the dog, so that your vet will know dogs medical background. You will then give the adoption fee to the rescue representative, and you will be the proud new parent of a rescued Chihuahua from CNWH.


2. A member of another rescue will come to your home at your convenience and meet with you and all your family members. The representative may or may not bring a dog with them for the visit. This visit gives you a chance to ask any questions you might have and talk with the rep about what you can expect when you first get your rescue Chihuahua, as well as in the years to come.  The representative will provide you with the name and phone number of the person who is fostering the dog you are interested in so that you will be able to  talk to him/her. The foster has - after all -  been living with the dog and can let you know what to expect in terms of behavior.  Feel free to ask any questions. If this step goes well , a day and time will be established for  the adoption of your new Chihuahua. We may ask you to pick him/her up at the foster home, or we may bring to dog to you. This will be decided between you and the rescue rep from CNWH you have been dealing with throughout your adoption process. Upon receiving your rescue Chihuahua you will need to sign an adoption contract, which states that you will provide any & all necessary care for the dog and will never give the dog to anyone in the event that you cannot keep the dog for some reason.  The contract also specifies that the dog has been seen by a vet,  had a thorough physical exam, is up to date on inoculations (excluding rabies), is heartworm negative & is on heartworm preventive medication, and is spayed or neutered.  Any known medical problems would be described in the contract.  We also give you all vet records we have for the dog, so that your vet will know dogs medical background. You will then give the adoption fee to the rescue representative, and you will be the proud new parent of a rescued Chihuahua from CNWH.

CONTENT OF THIS PAGE IS © 1998-2004 K. Serbeck.

USE IN FULL OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS ILLEGAL!!
Contact the webmaster about questions, comments, or trouble with this site.