Chihuahuas for adoption in North Carolina

202 Chihuahuas listed at North Carolina shelters when we last checked, October 17, 2026. Every pet links to its own shelter, which handles the adoption.

What the list shows today

The 202 Chihuahuas on the list today are spread across 40 counties; the most are listed in Wake County (57), Mecklenburg County (14) and Durham County (13). About 80% are listed by rescues and 20% by public and nonprofit shelters, and about 84% live in foster homes rather than at a shelter, so a visit may need an appointment. Of the 121 with an age listed, the typical (median) age is about 3 years. One is already marked adoption pending.

From the shelter and rescue listings NC Pet Project read on October 17, 2026. Each shelter sets its own labels, ages and foster status.

About Chihuahuas

Chihuahuas are devoted lap dogs and lively playmates that do very well with reward-based training involving food. Children need to be supervised around them because they could easily hurt such a small dog.

Breed labels come from each shelter. They are a staff member's best guess from a pet's looks, not a DNA test, so a pet listed here may be a different mix, and a pet of this breed may be listed under another label.

Before you adopt, read our guides to adopting versus buying a dog in NC and when to spay or neuter a dog by size.

Source: VCA Animal Hospitals: Chihuahua.

NC rescues for Chihuahuas

Chihuahua Rescue & Transport (Southeast Region)Durham based Southeast region, places Chihuahuas in NC and nearby states

We checked each rescue's own page on or before October 17, 2026. Contact a rescue directly about the pets it has and how it adopts. Logos belong to their organizations and are shown to identify them; ask us and we'll remove one.

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