How to Start a Chihuahua Rescue

Starting Chihuahua Rescue?
I am 16 & ant a Chihuahua rescue when I am 18. What do you have to do to get started? I live in Mi

Well first, win the lottery.

This takes an amazing amount of money.

Right now, start voluteering at a shelter near you. You will learn a lot and get some great contacts.

Be a foster home for some Chis. That will also teach you a lot.

Good luck to you.
References :

Chihuahuas are my favorite dog.
Put a rescue site on the web.
References :

Why dont you try seeing if the Chihuahua Club in your area has a rescue and talk to your parents about maybe fostering?
References :

I also want to start a Pit Bull rescue group someday. But that isn't any time in the near future. It takes a lot of money to take care of a lot of dogs, and invest time and money into finding them the perfect home. I think a good start would be to volunteer at your local animal shelter. Or if you have a Chihuahua rescue near you, volunteer to help them out. This will get your foot in the door. You will gain experience and knowledge. Have you thought about what profession you want to go into? I went to college to become a Licensed Veterinary Technician. I also live in Michigan, and there are quite a few Veterinary Technician programs in Michigan. And MSU is a great school for Veterinary Technicians, AND for Veterinarians, if you wanted to do that. So now I am working as a Veterinary Technician, and I am looking for a job at the Michigan Humane Society. I have already volunteered at the Humane Society when I was in High School. So I have background experience. Hopefully I will get a job there, so I can support myself, my animals, and also gain more experience working with rescue animals. From there I am going to start saving money, and working on ideas so I can start my own rescue some day, many years down the road. Good Luck with your goals for the future!!!
References :

I would not suggest fostering now while you are in school. you really don't have time for it.

yes, you need a ton of money. where do you plan on doing this?

check with your local zoning office, check for local & state licensing requirements.

http://www.petrescue.com/library/start-rescue.htm
References :

I did this for about a year a few years ago you will need to find someone willing to help with the bills and it is hard work but it was worth it I placed a ad for unwanted chihuahuas in my local papers then I went in with some local pounds and got the ones on death roll I then had to get all shots updated and get them fixed or made each owner sign to get them fixed with in so many days and return the vet records back over to me showing it had been done you will have to charge a small fee to help cover the bills you will need a kennel license from you county I wish I could still do it but I became disable and just have my own now but they are great pets
References :

I'm 19,
I was raised on an animal rescue and rehabilitation farm owned by my father
someday I plan to open my own animal rescue and rehabilitation farm similar to the one I grew up on
and I can tell you from experience that in order to operate an animal rescue of any type you need a few things:
money-LOTS
(for dog food, dog cages, dog toys, vet bills, property taxes on the shelter property, electricity bills for your shelter, water bills for your shelter, insurance for your volunteers, computers, paper, pens, etc…)
experience volunteering
(to build connections in the animal rescue world; it is not enough to have your number in the phone book as "dog rescue" you must know people who have been doing this for years so that you can turn to them for advice and so that they can refer dogs to you; volunteering for rescues in your area is a great way to learn the ropes of how a shelter works as well as a great way to build connections with those in the animal rescue world)
education
(you want to succeed, then you have to give it your all:
running a shelter is alot like running a business so you'll want to take some college classes in owning a small business to learn how to work on a business budget, how to license your business through the city/state, how to legally hire and fire your employees, etc…
another thing that you'll be expected to know is a wealth of dog health information, so it might be worth it to invest in some vet tech classes so you can at least learn the medical basics and not look like a fool trying to run a dog rescue but knowing nothing about dog health care or veterinary medicine.)
time and a plan:
I've been working on a plan to open up my own animal rescue for about 3 years:
I'm taking online vet tech classes;
I'm taking community college courses in small business;
I volunteer at the local humane society on a weekly basis
(I have volunteered with various humane society's in the midwest since I moved away from my father's animal rescue several years ago);
I foster animals and rehabilitate them for adoption;
I work at a dog grooming salon (teaches you alot about the different breeds of dogs and helps you get comfortable handling them);
I build up my credit with the bank (so that I can get a decent loan from them when the time to open the shelter comes around)
and I do all of these things in the hopes of opening my animal rescue within the next 4 or 5 years.
Attempting to run a dog rescue is a serious thing, you can't just run into it without thought otherwise you'll end up in debt and broken-hearted.
Do your research, form a solid plan, talk to people who've been where you are and can give you great advice…
good luck!
References :