Hi, everyone ! My name is Rico Suave (Reek-o Swa (as in swan) vay) and I'm looking for my forever home with an experienced Chihuahua person. First of all, let me explain my name....I was Tico when I came to Foster Mom & Dad (FM & FD), but there were already some Ticos in CRT, so I needed a name change. FM decided on Rico Suave...if you watched VH-1 or MTV back in the early 90's, then you know the cutie pie that my FM was thinking about when she named me ! (wink)  Rico means "rich" and suave means "smooth" , and believe me I am rich in love and attention and very smooth at getting people to fall in love with me.

In fact, I'm so smooth that it's actually the reason I'm in rescue...see, I was kinda running the whole show at my original mom's house. Like most chis, if you give me an inch I'll take a mile and I was the boss man there. Now, an experienced chi person knows that having the chi in charge of the house means nothing but trouble, but my mom didn't know that. So, here I am at 1 1/2 years of age in a foster home. And, let me tell you, I've had to learn a TON of stuff in my first 2 weeks here.

First of all, I was rudely informed that I am NOT the boss of this household ! That was a real shock...it seems that FM and FD are in charge here. I'll let you in on a little secret: that was secretly a huge relief to me because I'm just a little 7 lb. doggie...I have no business trying to run everything. I was actually insecure in my former home because the pressures of being the boss were just too much for me. And, get this, not only are FM & FD the bosses, but there are 5 other Chihuahuas ahead of me in the pack order. I tried to boss them around, but they weren't having any of that ! So now that the burden of total leadership is off of my little shoulders, I am a much happier boy.

I am no longer a snarly crabby little chi boy. FM & FD explained to the other chis (they thought I wasn't listening in, but I was) that I was being aggressive and snarly out of fear more than from being a mean little guy. Now that I am learning about pack behavior, who is alpha, and getting to play and run and go for walks with my chi sibs, I am much more relaxed.

I sleep with the entire pack of 6 chis in FM &FD's big bed at night. I have a chi foster brother who loves to run and play as much as I do, and FM takes me on a long walk every day to work off some of my endless energy. She's losing some weight (and believe me, it can't hurt !) and I am no longer afraid of birds flying overhead, or a plastic sack rustling in the wind. I'm loving this walk thing and I think the best thing about my foster home is that I have a fenced back yard ! I love to go out there to play or just sunbathe.

I need a home where my parent(s) understand how to establish & maintain their alpha status so that I don't regress and become a pain in the you-know-what again. And I just gotta have a fenced yard . And a playful little dog brother or sister.

I don't much like kids, so I don't want to live with them. If you can give me a home like this, please complete an adoption application on our website and then email Laura at MidwestCoordinator@chihuahua-rescue.com  to let her know you want me. You must live in OH/IN/KY/IL/MN/MI/WI (jr)