Everything About Us
Is About Dogs
Well, dogs and lipstick. But mostly dogs.
A Girl, a Backyard, and a Pair of Scissors
I opened my first grooming salon when I was eight years old. It was in my parents’ backyard, my clients were the neighborhood dogs, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But I knew one thing: I wanted to spend every minute of my life with dogs.
That little girl grew up and turned that backyard obsession into a career. I became a Certified Master Groomer and Canine Behaviorist. I opened one of the first luxury pet resorts in the country in 1993. I built grooming schools, designed facilities, and spent the last three decades learning everything I could about what dogs need and what they deserve.
But even while I was building all of that, I always knew where I was headed. The goal was never just grooming or luxury boarding. It was always rescue. Specifically, the ones nobody else wanted. The old ones. The sick ones. The ones with missing teeth and cloudy eyes and crooked little legs. The ones the shelters called “unadoptable.” I started bringing them home, and I never stopped.
I always knew I’d end up here. Every dog I ever loved was leading me to this.
We’ve been rescuing senior and special needs Chihuahuas for over 15 years. Not as a program. Not as a side project. As a way of life. Every single one of them comes into our home and lives the best chapter of their life. Most of them stay forever. Some find their perfect family and get adopted into loving homes. Either way, we make sure every gem gets the life they deserve.
Now, we’re making it official. Gigi’s Gems Chihuahua Rescue exists to give elderly and special needs Chihuahuas the life they always deserved.
Meet Dennis
Dennis is a Navy veteran and retired pharmacist who never imagined he’d spend his retirement with a lap full of Chihuahuas. But here we are.
There’s something about him that scared dogs just feel. The ones who hide under the bed, the ones who shake when a man walks into the room, the ones who have every reason in the world to never trust again. They find their way to Dennis. He doesn’t reach for them. He doesn’t rush them. He just sits on the floor and waits. And eventually, they come.
Every single time.
We Didn’t Start a Rescue and Work Toward a Facility. We Already Had One.
Most rescues start with a big heart and a spare bedroom. We came at this from the opposite direction. Our professional pet care facility has operated on this property since 1998. Lush clover yards with big shady trees. Spacious outdoor play areas. Decorated cottages for transitionary care.
When we decided to make our rescue official, we didn’t need to build anything. The sanctuary was already here. It had been here for over 25 years, waiting for this moment.
Now every inch of this property is being reimagined for our gems. This is their home, and we’re building it around them.
What Makes This Home Different
Heated Floors
Every room. Every hallway. Because tiny, old bones deserve to be warm.
Indoor Bathroom
Custom-built for little legs that don’t do Montana winters.
A Place to Stay
Most of our gems live out their lives right here with us. Some find their perfect match and get adopted into loving homes.
Shannon Heggem is a Certified Master Groomer and Canine Behaviorist with over 35 years in the pet industry. She opened one of the first luxury pet resorts in the United States in 1993. Over the decades, she has designed luxury pet facilities worldwide, trained hundreds of professionals through her grooming schools, spoken at conferences across the globe, and has had her kennel design featured on Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell on FOX. She has been recognized as the global authority in luxury pet care.
But the thing she is proudest of has nothing to do with any of that. It’s the little blind dog sleeping on her lap right now.
Read Shannon’s full story at LuxuryPetExpert.com →
Every morning, we walk. Every morning, the sun comes up over this little piece of Montana. And every morning, I think the same thing: we were made for this.
Now You Know Us.
Come Support Our Gems.
Every dollar you give goes straight to the tiny dogs who call this place home. Vet bills, medications, heated floors, and more love than one house should legally be allowed to hold.