How to List a Chihuahua for Adoption in Germany | PetzLover

Should you rehome privately, ask the breeder or use a shelter?

• The breeder. Look for a take-back clause in your purchase contract. If your dog has a VDH pedigree from the Verband Deutscher Kleinhundezüchter (VK), the breeder is the first person to call.
• A shelter or animal welfare society. The Deutscher Tierschutzbund's shelter finder lists those near you. Call first: shelters are often full, partly because they take in puppies seized from illegal traders.
• Your own listing. You choose the new family yourself, but you need time for questions, meetings and a visit.

How do you set adoption criteria for a Chihuahua?

• Children: PetMD advises supervising children with Chihuahuas, as a small dog is easily hurt; decide the youngest age you will accept.
• Other pets: a dog of 1 to 3 kg can be injured by a boisterous large dog.
• Home: stairs, balconies and fences or railings with gaps.
• Time alone and noise: how long your dog copes alone and whether it barks.
• Care: dental care, small frequent meals if needed, a harness rather than a collar, and a coat in cold weather.
• Health: for a dog with slipping kneecaps, a heart murmur or a cough, an adopter who can manage medication and vet visits.

Under § 11c of the Animal Welfare Act, you may not hand a dog to anyone under 16 without their parents' consent.

What should your Chihuahua adoption listing say?

• Age, sex, weight in kilograms, coat, and whether the dog is neutered.
• Whether there is a pedigree and from which club; without one, say honestly that it is a Chihuahua type or mix.
• Health: vaccinations, chip, any patella, heart or dental findings, medication.
• Character with children, dogs, cats and visitors; barking; house training; time alone.
• Your reason for rehoming, the adoption fee, and your town without your exact address.
• Recent photos and a short video.

Look at other Chihuahuas listed for adoption to see how they are described. Keep your phone number out of the text and let people write first. You can list your Chihuahua for adoption for free on PetzLover.

What adoption fee and contract are usual?

Under § 90a of the Civil Code (BGB), the rules for things apply to animals, so record known health findings honestly. If the dog has a pedigree, hand it over and tell the club about the change of owner.

How do you screen people who want to adopt your Chihuahua?

1. Ask for a short written introduction: household, children's ages, home, working hours, other pets and earlier dogs.
2. Talk on the phone or by video about dental care, harness walks, warmth and time alone.
3. Ask which vet they use or plan to use.
4. Arrange a meeting with everyone in the household, and let your Chihuahua approach in its own time.
5. Visit their home and look at stairs, balconies and fences.

How do you hand over a Chihuahua safely?

1. Sign the contract at the handover and take the fee in cash or as a transfer already credited to your account.
2. Hand over the Impfpass, vet records, any pedigree, some of the usual food and a sheet on habits.
3. Change the microchip registration, for example with FINDEFIX, the Deutscher Tierschutzbund's free pet register, or with TASSO.
4. Deregister the dog with your municipality; in Berlin, deregistering from the dog register has also counted for dog tax since 2024.
5. Check in after a week and a month, and take the dog back as agreed if it does not work out.

Watch for the transport-cost scam: a supposed adopter sends a courier and asks you to pay up front. German police advise never paying transport costs that were not agreed beforehand. If people who really want a puppy contact you, point them to how to buy a Chihuahua puppy; if your Chihuahua has had an unplanned litter, read how to sell Chihuahua puppies.