Gigi’s Gems Chihuahua Rescue

Too Old. Too Sick.
Too Small.
Perfect.

We rescue the senior and special needs Chihuahuas nobody else wants. Then we give them the life they always deserved.

Help Us Save More

The moment a dog gets a little gray on their face, the world starts to forget them. Dropped at shelters. Left in parking lots. Surrendered simply because they got old, or sick, or needed a little more care. It happens to every breed, but Chihuahuas are the most disposable of all.

They’re misunderstood. They’re tiny. And they are magnificent.

10,000 Chihuahuas are euthanized in U.S. shelters every single month.
Let that sink in.

We See the Value in
Every Little Precious Life.

He bites? We don’t care. She barks? We don’t care. Accidents? We don’t care. Three legs? We don’t care. Blind? We don’t care.

These dogs have lived and loved and done nothing wrong. We can’t save them all. But for every little soul who comes to us, we can change their entire existence. They will thrive here.

Meet Some of Our Gems

The Ones Nobody Wanted

Every dog in our care was discarded, abandoned, or surrendered. Every one of them lives with us now. Our whole world revolves around these little seniors. Our schedules, our social lives, our travel. Everything. They are our whole world.

Yvette
Yvette 💎
Senior Gem

Dropped at a shelter at two years old, so terrified she tried to bite anyone who came near. Turns out she’d been beaten so badly they had broken her spine. Starved and in extreme pain. The shelter staff couldn’t get her out of her cage. They called Shannon. She sat with her, talked her out, picked her up, and they never looked back. Eight years later, her pain is managed and she is pure joy.

Lucy
Lucy 💎
Senior Gem

Her mom was her whole world. When her mom passed away, Lucy grieved in the way only a dog who has loved that deeply can. For months, she carried that loss. Then one day, she started to play again. Lucy is nearly 13, has a heart condition and bad back knees that make walking hard, but don’t tell her that. She is a spunky monkey with a whole lot of life left to live, and she is finally starting to believe it.

Mia
Mia 💎
Senior Gem

Used for breeding over and over until her tiny body was exhausted. Blind, arthritic, and covered in fleas and ticks, she was found wandering the streets alone. Rescued from South Texas, where she was discarded after spending her life in a puppy mill. It took the kindness of so many volunteers, fosters, pilots, helpers, and friends to get her here. Now she rests in a warm bed every single day, and is learning that humans aren’t always bad.

Noelle
Noelle 💎
Forever Gem

She walked on her wrist bone because someone broke her foot and never fixed it. They dumped her in a remote area so she would freeze to death on purpose. Because she was old, and disabled. She came to us at Christmas, and she stayed for 168 days. She brought more joy than one little 6 lb angel should be able to hold. She was treasured and pampered and fully loved every single minute of that time. She changed our lives in ways we are still finding words for. That is not a small life. That is an enormous one.

Penny
Penny 💎
Forever Gem

Her person passed away after 14 years together, so the family just surrendered her. A friend flew her home to us from Houston. She arrived with deformed front feet, severe arthritis, dental disease, blind in one eye, and already in kidney failure. They said she might not last a week. She got two birthdays with us, custom gowns, daily massages, rickshaw rides, and a party in the park with gold streamers. She knew love every single day.

Audrey
Audrey 💎
Forever Gem

Seized by animal control from a place where she had lived in squalor, likely her whole life. Starved. Litter after litter taken from her. She was suffering with mange, abscessed teeth, a hernia, and Cushing’s disease. Through all of it, she remained the most gentle and sweet little soul. Not a mean bone in her tiny, broken body. She came to us at 10 years old, and we have never seen a dog appreciate being rescued more than her. She would look up at you with those eyes like she couldn’t believe someone was finally being kind. Our little mama dog. Our whole heart.

What Makes Us Different

They Can’t Take Walks Anymore.
So We Take Them for Rides.

Most of our gems are too old or too fragile to go on walks outside. But they still need stimulation, fresh air, and the pure joy of sniffing the Montana breeze. So we bought a rickshaw e-bike and customized a little trailer, and weather permitting, every single one of them gets a ride. Every day.

You should see their faces. They do the sniffs. They take in the smells. They’re safe. They’re warm. And they have the time of their lives.

Penny and Yvette on their rickshaw ride

In loving memory of Penny Pie, who lived for every single ride.

See For Yourself

This Is What Love Looks Like

This is what it looks like when a dog who was thrown away finally gets the life they deserve.

Watch more on our YouTube channel

Where Your Money Goes

Every Dollar Has a Name

$75
Heated Floors for One Month

Senior dogs get cold fast. Heated floors keep tiny, arthritic bodies warm through Montana winters.

$100
One Month of Medication

Every medication has to be compounded for dogs this small. A $50 prescription costs us closer to $100.

$400
One Intake Vet Visit

Bloodwork alone is over $300. The average first vet visit for a new rescue runs $400 and up.

$1,500
One Dental Procedure

Dental care is the most overlooked need in senior dogs. A single dental runs $1,500 or more depending on how bad their teeth are.

“This was always the plan. For over 30 years, we’ve been building our facility with one eye on the future, designing every detail so it could serve the dogs who need us most. Now it’s time.”

Shannon Heggem, Founder

They Were Thrown Away.
Help Us Bring Them Home.

Every dollar you give goes straight to the tiny dogs who call this place home. Vet bills, medications, heated floors, compounded prescriptions, and more love than should ever fit under one roof.