Rio Chihuahua Plano, TX

This dog is being fostered in Dallas TX and must be adopted within the Dallas, North Central Texas or the southern Oklahoma area.

NAME: Rio
GENDER: Male (Neutered)
AGE: About 3 years
WEIGHT: About 5 pounds
DOGS/CATS: Gets along with other small dogs, Unknown with cats
CHILDREN: Should be fine with older, mature children (13 and older)

Say hello to Rio, a handsome, an approximately 5 pound boy with the softest reddish-tan coat. He is about 3 years old and so sweet and loving!

In late October, we received a call asking if we would be willing to help with a hoarding situation where there were over 30 Chihuahuas. We drove 1-1/2 hours south of Dallas and took several of those dogs into our program. Rio is one of those dogs.

Rio fit right in with the other dogs in his foster home, gets along well with all of them and will join them to lie in the sun, sniff around the patio and nap. He loves small, plush squeaky toys that fit in his mouth, and will carry them around and play fetch with them.

If you are looking for an affectionate dog, Rio is your boy! He adores his foster mom and loves to give her kisses! He loves to snuggle in her lap, the crook of her arm or to get up on the back of the sofa and rest his head on her shoulder while she watches TV. He also likes to sleep in bed next to her or under the covers. He is a good bed buddy! And even though he has a short, smooth coat, he loves to be gently brushed!

Rio is potty trained and will do his business outside (if it’s not really cold or raining) or use a pee pad. He has had a few accidents in the house, but this has gotten better as time has gone by. Rio’s new family will need to positively reinforce his good potty habits.

When Rio came to CRT, he had a mouth full of rotten teeth. He lost many of them when he had his dental, so he will need to be fed a small breed kibble that won’t be difficult for him to chew. His foster mom moistens his kibble some and he eats it all up (and then goes to see if his foster siblings might want to share some of theirs). He has gained about a half pound, which is good as he was a little underweight when we rescued him.

Rio is generally a calm, quiet and well-behaved boy. He listens very well to verbal corrections. If he is unsure of a situation, he can become a little anxious but is easily reassured. Because he has the potential to be a “door darter,” Rio is kenneled when his foster mom leaves the house for short periods. And while he is fine being in a kennel if his foster mom is at home, he will howl when his mom leaves and when she returns. For this reason he is not apartment appropriate. As he has become accustomed to being kenneled when his foster mom leaves, the howling has lessened some. Rio will climb out of an expen, even a tall one, so should not be left in one unsupervised.

Because of his small size, Rio must never be left unattended in the backyard and the yard must have a secure, wooden fence. His ideal home would be calm and moderately active, with a family who spends a lot of time at home. A work at home family would be perfect! Aside from the noise he makes when his foster mom leaves or comes home, Rio does not bark much, but will if he hears a noise or his foster siblings bark. While Rio prefers to be in your lap as opposed to playing with his foster siblings (his foster mom has not seen him play with them), he does enjoy the company of other dogs, so we believe he would do best in a home where there is another small dog.

Rio is being fostered in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area. Our CRT adoption form can be found at: http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/adoption-application/

Rio is neutered, microchipped, up to date on shots, heartworm negative and on heartworm prevention.

This dog is a CRT rescue. Reference checks, adoption contract and $324.75 adoption donation required ($300 adoption donation and $24.75 Texas Sales Tax). Note: as of 1-1-20, the Texas State Comptroller office is requiring all rescue groups to collect sales tax on adoptions, even though we are all 501c3. We are all fighting this, but for now, have been told it is non-negotiable.

As part of our mission to reduce the number of unwanted and sick dogs, we require that all current pets are spayed or neutered, current on vaccinations and taking heart worm prevention. Applications will not be considered if one or more of these requirements are not met.

After filling out an adoption application (found at http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/adoption-application/), please email DFWCoordinator@chihuahua-rescue.com if you are interested in this dog. Please be sure to read about our adoption process and then fill out an adoption application before emailing the contact person.