A third airlift of California Chihuahuas arrived in Broomfield on Thursday to be placed for adoption as part of an ongoing effort to help overcrowded West Coast shelters that have received an influx of the abandoned dogs.
Three charter flights carrying nearly 70 dogs landed at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on Thursday afternoon.
One of this week’s flights, plus lifts that brought 32 dogs on Dec. 26 and 36 on Dec. 31, were paid for by Dr. Les lie Capin, a Parker dermatologist.
Capin’s Chihuahua, Dr. Papidies, recently won a “cutest dog” contest. Capin split the $1 million prize — paid over 30 years — between the Dumb Friends League and the MaxFund.
The cost of two of the Thursday flights was covered by Animal Airlift, a volunteer pilot group.
Chihuahuas became a fad dog in California as the result of several movies and the fact that Paris Hilton had one.
According to The Associated Press, in the past 12 months, shelters in the city of Los Angeles have taken in 4,700 Chihuahuas, 1,000 more than the year before.
Some of the Chihuahuas should be ready for adoption by the weekend at the Dumb Friends League’s Quebec Street shelter in Denver and at the Buddy Center in Castle Rock.
Most of the dogs that arrived in December have been adopted, the Dumb Friends League said.
The league cautioned that Chihuahuas are not for everyone.
They may not be suitable pets for families with small children and can be high-strung. But because of their size, they don’t need as much food or exercise as some larger dogs.
People interested in adopting one can go to the Dumb Friends League website, or call the office at 303-751-5772.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
