After rescuing nearly 200 chihuahua-breed dogs from a single Butts County property in late July, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary has fielded an avalanche of adoption applications and will begin finding new homes for the animals at the end of September.
The process of preparing the dogs for adoption has involved conditioning them to be comfortable around people and spaying and neutering as many of them as possible, Noah’s Ark animal husbandry manager Allison Hedgecoth said. The organization, based in Locust Grove, recently finished neutering all of the male dogs and has begun the process of spaying the females, with “20 or 30″ spayed so far, Hedgecoth said.
Credit: Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary
Credit: Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary
The organization has frozen applications to adopt the dogs after receiving more than 600 in the weeks immediately following their rescue, Hedgecoth said.
“They’re doing so amazing,” she said of the dogs. “It’s just incredible considering what they have come from. They are coming around so fast.”
Hedgecoth said the rescue was “a typical animal hoarding situation,” in which the animals were living in dirty, unsuitable conditions.
“There were just so many dogs — dogs were coming out of the cabinets, they had chewed through the drywall and were living in the walls, they were living in a mattress,” Hedgecoth said. “And the conditions were just absolutely filthy. It’s really tragic for the dogs and for the people that were living there.”
The case did have some peculiarities. The dogs were well-fed, if not properly cared for. “Most of them were normal weight,” Hedgecoth said.
There was also a large range of ages among the dogs. Hedgecoth estimates that the oldest, known as “Grandma” to the Noah’s Ark staff, is about 10. Meanwhile, with many of the dogs pregnant at the time of their rescue, several litters of puppies have been born at the animal sanctuary.
“The nice thing about small dogs is that they have small litters of puppies, usually one to four,” Hedgecoth said.
But Hedgecoth said the continued births underscore the necessity of neutering and spaying the remaining dogs. At least five of the chihuahuas have given birth since they were rescued July 31.
Charges have not been filed and are not expected for the owners of the property where the dogs were rescued. The Butts County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to initial requests from AJC.com.
“I personally don’t believe the property owners had any negative intentions or ill will for these dogs because quite a few of them are extremely friendly, which shows they were loved,” Hedgecoth said. “They weren’t kept in cages like a puppy mill situation.”
At Noah’s Ark, the huge group of dogs has been split into smaller packs that are kept in indoor/outdoor dog runs. Hedgecoth said the group appears to be thriving as a whole.
“Chihuahuas are a pretty gregarious breed of dog and they’re kind of known for being a little feisty,” she said. “I’m not going to lie: there’s some truth to that. But it’s served these guys well and that’s how they were able to bounce back. It’s remarkable how strong and tough they are.”
Caring for the breed has been a new experience for Hedgecoth, too.
“I’ve always had German Shepherds,” she said. But after interacting with so many of the small, indomitable rescue dogs, Hedgecoth said, “I’m definitely on Team Chihuahua.”
Credit: Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary
Credit: Noah's Ark Animal Sanctuary
Despite the success with the group so far, Hedgecoth cautions potential adopters that these dogs are still far from perfect.
“These are not dogs that you’re going to be able to put a leash on and go to the dog park right away,” she said. “These aren’t like dogs that have come from a healthy background, mentally or physically. They need a lot of time, a lot of patience and a lot of love.”
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