How a good life begins.

01Two good routes

There are two responsible ways to bring a Chihuahua home: adopt from a reputable rescue, or buy from a breeder who health-tests, raises puppies in their home and cares where their dogs end up. Both can lead to a wonderful dog. Both have trade-offs.

What isn’t a good route: a pet shop or third-party dealer (illegal for young puppies in England, Wales and Scotland), a seller who brings the puppy to you, a social media advert with no verifiable breeder behind it, or any “teacup” specialist.

02Adopting from a rescue

Chihuahuas arrive in rescue for all sorts of reasons: an owner’s illness or death, a change in housing, a relationship ending, a dog bought on impulse, or ex-breeding dogs from seized puppy farms. Many are adults or seniors, and many are lovely, steady dogs who simply need a new sofa.

Where to look

• Large national charities such as Dogs Trust, the RSPCA, Battersea and Blue Cross, which rehome dogs of all breeds and often have Chihuahuas.
• Breed-specific rescues, usually run by volunteers with foster homes. They know the breed well. Check that a rescue is a registered charity on the Charity Commission register (or the Scottish equivalent, OSCR) and read its rehoming terms.
• Local independent rescues. Good ones are transparent about where dogs come from and what they know about them.

What the process usually involves

1. An application about your home, routine, household and experience. Be honest: the aim is a good match, not a test to pass.
2. A home check, in person or by video, looking at safety, gardens and space.
3. Meeting the dog, often more than once, sometimes with your other dog.
4. Adoption, with a contract, a fee and the dog’s records. Many rescues offer a settling-in period and lifelong advice.

Rescue dogs from abroad

Some organisations bring dogs into the UK from other countries. If you go this route, use an established charity that follows import rules and quarantine guidance, provides full vet records and offers support after adoption. Imported dogs can carry diseases that are rare in the UK, such as Brucella canis and leishmaniasis, so ask about pre-import testing and talk to your vet.

03Responsible breeders

What the law requires

• Licensing. In England, anyone breeding three or more litters in a 12-month period, or breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling them, needs a licence from their local council. The licence number must appear in their adverts.1 Wales and Scotland have similar licensing systems.
• Lucy’s Law. Since 6 April 2020, puppies and kittens under six months in England can only be sold by the person who bred them, or rehomed by a rescue. Third-party sellers, including pet shops and dealers, can’t sell them.2
• Seeing the mother. Licensed breeders must show puppies with their mother, and must not sell a puppy under eight weeks old.
• Microchipping. Every puppy must be microchipped and registered by the breeder by eight weeks old, before it goes to its new home. See microchipping law.

A small hobby breeder with one litter a year may not need a licence, but should meet the same standards of care.

The Royal Kennel Club and its Assured Breeders scheme

For many years, the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeders scheme was the main mark buyers looked for. In 2024 the club announced that the scheme would close and be replaced by a new approach to registration. In January 2025 it launched a Health Standard, which groups breed-relevant health tests into “good practice” and “best practice”. Its Find a Puppy service now ranks litters by how well the parents meet that standard.3

Royal Kennel Club registration on its own tells you that the puppy’s parents were registered. It doesn’t guarantee health, temperament or good rearing. Use the Health Standard information and the results-finder on the club’s website to check the tests a breeder says they’ve done.

04Health testing: what to ask for

No test can promise a healthy puppy, but screening the parents lowers the risk of inherited problems. The conditions breeders most commonly screen Chihuahuas for are below. Check the Royal Kennel Club’s Health Standard for the current good-practice and best-practice tests for each coat type, as these are reviewed over time.

Patellar luxation (slipping kneecaps)

The kneecap slips out of its groove, causing a skipping gait, pain and, over time, arthritis. It’s one of the conditions recorded more often in Chihuahuas than in other breeds.4 Both parents should have had their knees examined and graded by a vet, with the grade written down. Ask to see the results: grade 0 (normal) is what you want to see.

Heart disease

Heart disease was the most common recorded cause of death in UK Chihuahuas in the VetCompass study.4 The usual culprit in small breeds is myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD), a degenerative valve problem that often starts as a murmur in middle age. Some breeders have parents’ hearts listened to by a veterinary cardiologist under a recognised scheme. Ask whether the parents have been heart-tested, when, and by whom. Puppies should also be checked for congenital murmurs, such as patent ductus arteriosus, at their first vet visit.

Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia (CM/SM)

In this condition, the skull is too small for the brain, which can obstruct the flow of fluid around the spinal cord and cause fluid-filled cavities (syrinxes). Signs include scratching at the neck or ears without touching the skin, sensitivity when the head or neck is touched, yelping and reluctance to be handled. Chihuahuas are among the breeds affected. The BVA/Kennel Club CM/SM scheme uses MRI scans to grade breeding dogs. It is expensive and not every breeder uses it, but those who do are investing seriously in their puppies’ futures.5

Eyes, teeth and other checks

Ask whether the parents have any history of eye problems, retained baby teeth, hydrocephalus or low blood sugar as puppies. Meet the mother and, if possible, look at her mouth: overcrowded, diseased teeth in a young adult are a warning. A breeder who has bred for size alone often has small, fragile dogs with poor teeth.

05Questions to ask (and to expect)

A good breeder or rescue will answer your questions readily and will have plenty of their own. If you’re asked almost nothing about your home, be wary.

The free Puppy Contract, developed by the RSPCA and the Animal Welfare Foundation, gives you a structured record of the puppy’s background, health and care, signed by both sides. Ask a breeder to complete it with you.6

06Warning signs

Puppy farms produce large numbers of puppies with little regard for health or welfare, often selling through convincing adverts and “front” homes. Walk away if you see any of these:

• You can’t see the mother, or she’s “out for a walk”, “at the vet” or doesn’t interact with the puppies.
• The seller offers to meet you somewhere else, such as a car park or service station, or to deliver the puppy.
• Several breeds are advertised, or the same phone number appears on many adverts.
• The puppy is advertised as “teacup”, “micro”, “rare colour” or merle.
• The puppy is under eight weeks old, or the seller is vague about its age.
• There are no vet records, no microchip registration, or a foreign pet passport for a “home-bred” puppy.
• The puppy seems quiet, thin, has runny eyes, a pot belly, diarrhoea or a dirty coat.
• You’re pressured to decide quickly, pay a deposit to “hold” a puppy you haven’t seen, or pay cash only.
• The seller asks you nothing about yourself or your home.
• The price is far below, or oddly far above, what responsible breeders charge.

07Online scams

Popular small breeds are a favourite of online fraudsters, who advertise puppies that don’t exist and ask for deposits, “delivery fees”, “insurance” or “vaccination charges”. Protect yourself:

• Never pay anything until you’ve met the puppy and its mother in person.
• Be wary of sellers who only want to communicate by message, or who can’t video call from the home.
• Reverse-search the photos. Scammers reuse pictures from other sites.
• Pay by a traceable method, never by bank transfer to a personal account under pressure.
• Report fraud to Action Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland on 101.

08Paperwork to take home

Whether you adopt or buy, you should leave with:

• Proof of microchip registration, and instructions for transferring the keeper details to you.
• Vaccination record and the date the next dose is due.
• Details of worming and flea treatments given, with dates and products.
• Health-test certificates for both parents (breeders) or the dog’s known medical history (rescues).
• A written contract or completed Puppy Contract, including what happens if you can’t keep the dog.
• A diet sheet and a few days’ supply of the current food.
• Royal Kennel Club registration documents, if applicable.