The California migrants arriving by plane have ranged from 3-pound puppies to 20-pound Chihuahua mixes. One trip was an all-senior flight with older dogs that had lost their homes in California. Despite having heart murmurs or dental problems, they all found new homes in Minnesota. When the dogs show up in shelters here, they quickly get homes. The latest batch of 36 dogs arrived early Wednesday afternoon at Minneapolis-St.
The initial shipment of 20 Chihuahuas went out in November 2012. Karsten said her sister, who lives in Minneapolis, adopted the first dog to arrive from California. Some credit Paris Hilton for the Chihuahua’s popularity in that state. Her “handbag dog,” a Chihuahua named Tinkerbell, became a celebrity herself before dying last year at the age of 14, rating an obituary in People Magazine.
The California-to-Minnesota Chihuahua airlift will send up to 40 dogs at a time on a Delta flight from Sacramento or San Francisco to the Twin Cities. A plane full of rescued small-breed dogs landed in Connecticut. After a day or so to decompress from their journey, the dogs will be available for adoption at the Animal Humane Society’s five metro-area locations, including St. Paul and Woodbury. With a grant from the ASPCA, Compassion Without Borders began to send more dogs to Minnesota, up to 40 dogs at a time as frequently as every two weeks. Although the dogs are friendly, healthy and adoptable, “it’s another brown Chihuahua.
Karsten said putting up with a few months of winter is worth it for the dogs if they have a chance to be in a home. St. Paul couple Nic and Analise Ludwig have adopted two of the California transplants, Pico and Vella. Nic Ludwig said he made fleece coats for his dogs, which he now sells to other dog owners. It’s a long journey, about 12 hours including all of the time to drive and load the animals. The trip costs about $75 to $100 per dog, Camblor said.
But indiscriminate breeding has led to a glut of the breed, meaning hundreds of Chihuahuas or Chihuahua mixes are languishing in shelters in California or ending up euthanized. Sally, a Chihuahua from California, was dressed for her trip to a new home in Minnesota. She was designated the 1,000th Chihuahua to arrive here in a program that airlifted the tiny dogs from California’s Central Valley to the Animal Humane Society in the Twin Cities. The latest cargo load of shelter Chihuahuas from California to Minnesota arrived on a non-stop Airbus 320 flight from Sacramento.
I, Mitchel Omeara, am a retired American zookeeper and a former director emeritus of the Zoo and Aquarium. I have dedicated my life to the care and well-being of animals. I am 56 years old, and I have worked in zoos for over 35 years. I have been married for 32 years, and I have two children.