OSHAWA -- To say the home of Oshawa's Eggen family is dog friendly is a bit of an understatement. In addition to the four Chihuahuas which live there permanently, the family has provided foster care for more than a dozen others over the past two years, offering shelter, warmth and security to members of this tiny breed, through Canadian Chihuahua Rescue and Transport (CCRT).
"We've seen a lot of bad things considering where some of these dogs have been rescued from, but to see them come around and actually be dogs again is amazing," says Kathleen Eggen, whose eldest daughter Krysta connected the family with CCRT in 2005. "It's hard to let them go when they're adopted, but you're also so happy they found a home. The whole thing is bittersweet."
Today, the Eggen home is a safe haven for Connie and Mocha, a pair of foster Chihuahuas which came to them in July, after being rescued from a puppy mill in Alberta.
"They were living in a barn with 120 other dogs," Ms. Eggen says sadly. "They had no human contact at all, so it's been a challenge to socialize them... but they're doing great."� The CCRT is a nationwide non-profit group that rescues and finds foster care for homeless, abandoned, neglected or abused Chihuahuas and eventually matches them with permanent adoptive homes that have been carefully screened by volunteers.
The group also provides veterinary care for the dogs and makes sure potential adoptees are vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered.
"They're a special breed," says CCRT co-founder Nathalie Houle, adding most dog breeds have their own rescue groups. "These little guys are so loyal and smart ...and they're just adorable."
Since being established in 1999, the group has rescued and found homes for more than 400 dogs.
Everything, from transportation and foster care to fundraising and public awareness, is done by a network of about 60 volunteers across the country.
"It's volunteers like the Eggens who make this possible. If we need them they're in the car at the drop of a hat going to pick up a dog," Ms. Houle says. "They give up hours and hours of their time and all it takes is a phone call."� Ms. Eggen says the family gets a lot out of the experience too. Two of their four permanent pets started as foster dogs -- the CCRT jokingly calls that "failing fostering 101."
"This is something we do together as a family," she says. "It means a lot to all of us."
For more information about adoption, volunteer opportunities or supporting the CCRT, visit www.ccrt.net.