Chichi is a 7 year old female Shih Tzu cross Chihuahua. She was surrendered to Underdog during the pandemic when her adopter went into a care home and her family were unable to adopt Chichi themselves.
Before her being surrendered, Chichi lived a quiet life with an older lady and was very happy. Unfortunately, she has had a troubled few months and is now looking for another home.
Chichi is small, cute and lovely, but she needs an understanding, experienced adopter who can give her the time to adapt and space to enjoy herself on her terms.
This will be Chichi’s fifth adoptive home, and therefore it is paramount that it is the right environment for her. When she feels safe and has bonded with her handler, Chichi is loving, affectionate and likes to engage.
Chichi enjoys a fuss, she jumps up for attention, and she likes to nap beside you. Chichi is a very, very laidback dog and she’s not interested in long walks or adventures.
Chichi’s happiest indoors, pottering about in the garden, or napping, and she would prefer a home with few comings and goings so as not to overstimulate her. Chichi isn’t always comfortable around strangers and would prefer her circle to be relatively small.
Chichi has been behaviourally assessed (assessment is available to read on request) and the observations the behaviourist came away with were that: Chichi can be difficult to read.
We think this has been exacerbated by her moving home so many times recently and has caused her to feel unsettled and frustrated.
Chichi solicits attention but would appear tense when stroked. She would then however paw and bark the behaviourist for more.
We believe that she seeks human attention, but is conflicted about it at the same time, so should be with an experienced adopter who can be attentive to signs when she has had enough. Chichi is typically good with women but can have difficulties with men.
It seems that she is worse with tall men, or those wearing dark clothing. Chichi has demonstrated that she can cope with males when introduced slowly but she prefers the company of women.
This is possibly due to limited exposure or interactions with men throughout her life (we do know she was formerly owned by two single women in homes one and two). Chichi prefers to be left alone to snooze than taken out and about and has almost no desire to go out for a walk other than to the toilet.
Chichi is not suitable for someone looking for a sociable dog to take to coffee shops and restaurants. Chichi is overweight, likely due to her disinterest in walks. She’s also not a massive foodie and refuses dog food, so eats human-grade meat, rice and veggies.
Chichi is very smart though and the behaviourist feels she would be highly trainable for someone interested in doing informal trick training and play at home with her. This would help with her bond with her new adopters, occupy her mind, and help her lose some weight.
Chichi’s ideal home would be where she was the only pet. She has been able to mix with other dogs after being introduced gradually and has become good friends with a 10-month-old cockapoo, but doesn’t seek out canine companionship.
Once integrated she will happily share her space and play with them, but does not need to live alongside another resident dog. Chichi’s sensitivity and conflicted feelings towards human touch mean that we’re looking for a home without any children.
Chichi has not lived with cats before and we’re choosing not to introduce them into her life as she’s had enough to contend with at this point. Chichi is looking for a calm, laid-back household with relaxed, understanding adopters who live a quiet life.
Chichi would benefit from access to a secure, direct garden, and as mentioned, some informal training might be fun for Chichi to put her mind to. With a confident, experienced handler, Chichi will be a great companion.
Her next home needs to be her final home, so please, if you think you can offer this sweet little soul the stability she is desperately seeking, get in touch. Chichi is currently based in Devon and has a clean bill of health. She is ready to find her forever home as soon as possible.
