17 Chihuahuas surrendered to MSPCA after owners forced to move

BOSTON — If you're looking for a pint-sized furry friend, 17 chihuahuas are currently up for adoption the MSPCA.

The tiny dogs, who used to live in a triple-decker home in Jamaica Plain, lost their homes when their owners were forced to move out.

The three-unit home was occupied by relatives, where each unit owned some of the dogs. However, once they had to move out, finding a spot in the city that would allow for that many dogs to live together was impossible.

"In any one residence in Boston, you’re not permitted to have more than three dogs," said Ann Rafferty-Arnold, the Associate Director at the MSPCA in Boston. "It was a three-unit home, all relatives that each had some of them and unfortunately they all lost their homes at the same time and just needed some help with their dogs."

Since they came from a good, loving home, all chihuahuas are in good health and ready to be adopted.

"They came from a really loving home that just had too many of them," said Rafferty-Arnold.

The inability to find pet-friendly homes in Boston is the number one reason why people surrender their pets to the MSPCA.

"We don’t discourage renters from adopting, we'll just always be upfront with adopters that it can be hard to move with your pet - I think many of us have been through that, I have three pets myself and moving is really difficult," said Rafferty-Arnold.

Out of the 17 pups, 11 were taken to the MSPCA in Jamaica Plain and six were taken to the MSPCA Cape Cod in Centerville.

One of the lucky dogs was adopted within hours of being surrendered.

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