NASHUA, N.H. – More than two dozen Chihuahuas, terriers and lapdogs — pets severely overpopulated in Los Angeles — arrived Wednesday night at a Nashua shelter thanks to the generosity of a TV actress, WMUR-TV in Manchester reported.
The 25 Chihuahuas come to the state from shelters in the Los Angeles area.
“They have an overabundance of Chihuahuas and Chihuahua-type dogs in their state, and I was contacted by a rescue group that’s trying to save them from euthanasia,” said Tammy DeVito, the animal care director at the Humane Society of Greater Nashua.
Actress Katherine Heigl of “Grey’s Anatomy” paid the thousands of dollars needed to transport the dogs from the Golden State to the Granite State.”That’s great that we have a partner out there because this is the first time we’ve done a transport from L.A.,” said Karen Bill, executive director of the Humane Society of Greater Nashua.Veterinarians said the dogs are actually victims of their own popularity.
The shelter said people have bought the dogs as status symbols, rather than pets.”It’s based on people idolizing stars that have little Chihuahuas and movies where they spotlight Chihuahuas,” DeVito said.”Movies like ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ … people think of pets, sometimes, as a fashion accessory,” Bill said.
When the dogs go out of fashion, humane societies end up taking responsibility for thousands of the pint-sized pooches, but here, people will line up to get them.”They’re hard to come by in the state of New Hampshire.
So, we thought it would be a great match,” DeVito said.”It would just be a matter of a few days before they’re all settling in New Hampshire homes,” Bill said.The shipment is a collaborative project with the Salem Animal Rescue League, which will take five of the Chihuahuas. The Nashua Humane Society will take the rest.
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