Feral Chihuahua

This 5 pound Chihuahua puppy lived in an industrial park by the railroad tracks for approximately six months. The employees at a warehouse spotted her in the parking lot one winter day, skinny and limping. They called her and tried to lure her indoors, but she wouldn't come close to them. They put out food and water for her, and saw her nearly every day. They spotted her squeezing through a small gap into their truck bay for shelter now and then, but mostly she lived outdoors, vulnerable to coyotes, larger stray dogs, owls, cars, and the elements.

Eventually some of the men enticed her close to them with tasty treats; she seemed to enjoy their company, and would take food from their hands, but they couldn't pet her or catch her. One man, Andy, won her heart by feeding her canned food and turkey slices; he tamed her enough that she would shyly lick his fingers and let him scratch her chin before skittering off. One day, he spotted a tick clinging to her skin, and managed to catch her when she came close for a treat. He put her on his lap and removed the tick. She stayed in his lap for five minutes, letting him pet her, before he put her down and she scampered off again.

Andy's wife finally convinced him that an industrial park is no place for a tiny Chihuahua, and to contact rescue groups about finding a home for her. When I heard her story, I had to help. I asked Andy if he thought he could catch her again; he said he thought he could. We set a time to meet, and he brought her to me in a pet carrier. When I transferred her from his carrier to mine, she panicked and struggled and threatened to nip me, but she didn't. I named her Andie.

I have a small yard with a covered patio off my kitchen, and this became her temporary new home. At first, Andie was terrified of my three dogs, but she quickly realized they meant her no harm, and within a couple of days she was nose-kissing and wagging her tail at them shyly but playfully. She was fascinated with my cats, and would flirt with them through the sliding glass door. When my partner or I would step outside, she would run away, then quickly trot back to sniff our legs and lick our fingertips, wagging her tail happily. We decided she was only semi-feral.

By the third day, Andie spent most of her time laying by the sliding glass door, gazing in at us longingly. We began to try to coax her inside; for two days, she would put her head in the door, then her front feet, but run away at the slightest movement or sound. On the fourth day, it started to rain, and we were determined to get her inside. The rain probably convinced her it was worth the risk. She explored the house, sniffed the cats, and soon learned that she could go outside again whenever she wanted. Luring her inside got easier each time. That night, we caught her and carried her into the bedroom, where we put her in a crate with our dog Darby. She slept quietly all night.

We've had her for about 2 weeks now, and she hasn't gone potty in the house once. She trots right into the crate whenever we ask. Since she is both house trained and crate trained, we figure she's only 1/4 feral. Today she let my partner reach out and pet her body without skittering away for the first time. She still doesn't enjoy sitting on my lap very much, but I keep trying!