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ChinCare: Educating ChinparentsMM promotes positive activism, not AR extremism, see: Correcting Misconceptions and Defining Terms
MATILDE'S MISSION: ICRN
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ON THIS PAGE: *ICRN Team and Purpose *ICRN Program Grants *Applause Award, Recipients *Rescue/ Rehoming Tools and Resources (adoption materials, resource links) *Rescue/ Rehoming Tips (submissions by chinchilla rescue workers) 
ICRN TEAM AND PURPOSEICRN was officially launched in January, 2007 but actually began its work in July, 2006 when MM initiated projects to include benefitting pet chinchillas in need of rescue, as indicated by our Achievement Reports. ICRN is a continuation and expansion of the work of IPCR (International Placement Coordinators for Chinchilla Rescue and Re-Homing), which had networked extensively within the international chinchilla rescue community between 2003-2006, assisting in scores of cases (in Europe and nearly all 50 U.S. states) that involved everything from routine rehomings to emergency rescue assistance. The ICRN Team Is... 
Project Leader, Sally of ChinCare-
email: the fuzz @ chin care .com (Michigan, USA)
Carise of ForCHINate
Chins Rescue- email: for chin ate chins @Yahoo .com (Ohio,
USA) Jennifer
of Wisconsin
Chinchilla Rescue- email: wi chin rescue @aim .com (Wisconsin,
USA) Renee
of Monty's
Place Chinchilla Rescue and Refuge- email: montys place rescue
@ yahoo .com (New York, USA) Rowan
and Jane of R&J
Chinchilla Rescue- email: chinchilla-rescue @ hotmail .co .uk
(United Kingdom) Lycia
of Chinchilla
Club NZ and Tanzy's
Chinchilla Rescue- email: tanzy chins @gmail .com (New Zealand)The ICRN team conducts extensive hands-on rescue work of their own in addition to contributing to ICRN projects, which include the following: providing chinparents with rehoming information, advice and referrals; managing surrender and adoption inquiries; coordinating and conducting transportation of rescue chinchillas to assist chinparents or to prevent overcrowding at rescues; networking within the international chinchilla rescue community to facilitate communication and expedite cooperation so that rescues, chinparents and their chins get the support they need; providing assistance within the rescue community through ICRN's rescue-benefitting projects: ICRN Program Grants, Tools and Resources, Tips, and the annual ICRN Applause Award.
ICRN PROGRAM GRANTSGrants are made to rescue services internationally as needs arise and funds permit, contact one of the ICRN team or its Project Leader to apply for assistance. Be advised that MM does not make monetary grants, assistance will take the form of a donation or service for which a receipt can be obtained for tax exempt purposes, for example: rescue supplies, equipment or veterinarian services. MM reserves the right to decline any request for any reason, without expressed cause. Proof of legitimate need or a situation specific request for accountability may be imposed as requirement for receiving an MM grant. Acceptance of an ICRN Grant requires recipent to post our thumbnail logo (located under "Home Page") on their site with a link to Matilde's Mission for the period of one year, because raising awareness of our cause can help replenish donations that will be used for more good work. The Achievement Reports documents Grant assistance and our contributions in the areas of helping both ranch and pet chinchillas in crisis, the list will be added to and kept in the manner of discretion that it currently exhibits.
APPLAUSE AWARD, RECIPIENTS(2006-7, 2007-8, 2008-9) 
MM's International Chinchilla
Rescue Network honors one rescue service annually, applauding outstanding
performance in the field of chinchilla rescue work by awarding $100
USD, sometimes more, to the deserving rescue. The Applause Awards
are determined by MM leadership each January.2008-9 APPLAUSE AWARD: Tennessee Chinchilla Rescue by MM Tennessee Chinchilla Rescue had an exemplary year in 2008, accepting over forty rescues and ranchies from MM's rescue and ranch chinchilla outreach programs. TCR worked nationwide in 2008, bringing in rescues from as far away as the East Coast and travelling extensively to surrounding states to take in unwanted chinchillas or to place them in pre-screened forever homes. MM increased the award amount for 2008-9 to accomodate TCR's large rescue operation, they're an asset to chinchilla rescue! 2007-8 APPLAUSE AWARD: R&J Chinchilla Rescue Note: The monetary award for 2007-8 has been increased to 250 GBP for the purpose of giving additional relief to one of the UK's hardest working rescues! by R&J R & J Chinchilla Rescue and Re-homing Centre provides a dedicated service for any chinchilla in the UK requiring rescue, rehabilitation, re-homing, and/or on-going permanent care where necessary and appropriate. We never put down a chinchilla who's got a chance at a quality life, instead we prefer to 'go the extra mile' to get the chinchilla back to full or optimum health. During 2007 we took in 137 chinchillas along with 14 degus and 8 hamsters. We successfully rehomed 87 chinchillas, 9 degus and 3 hamsters. Of the chinchillas that have come in, some were from a large rescue of 28 that had to be surrendered immediately due to the owner's illness. We had to use our living room to cater to these chins, so we put out an appeal for a new shed. Amazingly, the money was raised in just 2 weeks and volunteers arrived to erect the shed and prepare it for the rescues. During 2007 we dealt with a number of health problems, including malocclusion and teeth related cases, Glaucoma which resulted in the affected eye being removed, cancer, stroke, seizures and bladder stones which resulted in one chin having an Urethrostomy, C-sections, hand-rearing both chinchilla kits and degu, pneumonia, ear problems, leg amputations and a chin with no hip joints due to arthritis who is now receiving acupuncture. We have a strict re-homing policy and endeavour to find homes with people that do care about the chinchillas and their well-being. We also offer help and advice whenever needed. 2006-7 APPLAUSE AWARD: Wisconsin Chinchilla Rescue by MM During an exceptionally tough year for MI and OH rescue services, WCR generously offered to help accomodate MI and OH rescue overflow plus most of the ranchies from the 2006 PHFR Project, for a total of 33 chins in all! From the start we were impressed with the level of care and dedication that this rescue provides. Their very thorough adoption screening process includes a meet-and-greet style that is both educational and interactive: adoption candidates meet with WCR and the chins at their rescue and they gain a better understanding of what it is to be a chinparent. Often the chins choose who takes them home rather than the other way around! At WCR the whole family is involved and the chins get regular individual attention and out-of-cage exercise time that makes them confident and well-socialized for their future pet home. WCR also goes out of their way to find chins languishing in shelters and those that have been neglected or mistreated by previous owners; they never hesitate to provide veterinary care when needed. A big round of applause for Wisconsin Chinchilla Rescue!
RESCUE/ REHOMING TOOLS AND RESOURCES(adoption policy and procedures, applications; adoption contracts; care sheets; surrender forms; resource links) As those of us who do rescue work know, screening and surrender materials are necessary to ensure that we handle those lives that come our way with the utmost gravity and compassion. The bare essentials of rescue/ rehoming are the administration of a thorough adoption contract and a minimum adoption fee: at least 50 USD per chin and charging more is strongly adviseable, both pet stores and breeders charge more and rescue/ rehomed chins aren't "less valuable". Adoption fees aren't for profit of course, it gives the adoption candidate an opportunity to provide proof of financial competence and ability to cover veterinary and routine care expenses for their future pet. Would-be adopters who try to "guilt" a rescue into giving a chin away for free should be regarded as unscrupulous and untrustworthy; rescue isn't about profiteering and most operate at a loss after vet and routine care costs are factored in. The following examples of adoption materials are not necessarily chin-specific, they're intended for the edification of chinchilla rescue workers who wish to educate themselves for the betterment of their own rescue operations. Per our site disclaimer, MM claims no association with, endorsement or guarantee of the information, opinions or products of the sites we link to (or they to us). We strongly caution against plagiarism and advise our site users to comply with internet copyright law at all times. This section is primarily intended for the benefit of the international chinchilla rescue community. To submit a contribution to this section, contact us. ADOPTION POLICY AND PROCEDURES, APPLICATIONS C&C Chinchilla Rescue and Rehabilitation: Adoption Application (.doc) CA Chin's Rescue Policy and Process/ Second Chance Chin's Chinchilla Rescue Adoption Procedure Forever Feisty Chinchilla Rescue: Adoptions & Surrenders/ RRR Chinchillas: Preliminary Questions Monty's Place Chinchilla Rescue & Refuge: Adoption Procedures/ The Animal Spirit's Home Check Evaluation Form North Bay Canine Rescue and Placement: Guidelines/ Rude Ranch Animal Rescue: Adopting, Legal Disclaimers The Rabbit Habit: Adoption Application/ CLAWS: Policy, Vet Form/ Southern CA Rabbit & Pocket Pet Adoption: Policies ADOPTION CONTRACTS (Always make a copy of the contract, one for the applicant, one for your records!) All Breed Rescue and Referral, Inc/ AlterPet, Inc/ Animal Rescue Foundation/ C&C Rescue and Rehabilitation (.doc) ChinCare's Adoption Contract or Qualification Assessment (.doc)/ Chinchildren's/ Cocker Spaniel Rescue of East Texas Colville Pet Rescue/ Feral Cat Friends, Inc/ Leesburg Chinchillas/ Second Chance Chin's Chinchilla Rescue Siberian Husky Rescue Site/ Wisconsin Chinchilla Rescue
CARE SHEETS C&C Chinchilla Rescue and Rehabilitation (.doc)/ ChinCare (.doc) SURRENDER/ RELEASE FORMS Lab Retriever Rescue of Florida, Inc: Surrender Form Monty's Place Chinchilla Rescue & Refuge: Surrender Procedures/ Sinful Chin's Surrender Form Second Chance Chin's Chinchilla Rescue: Pre-Surrender Questionnaire and Release Form Twisted Oaks Animal Rescue: Relinquishment Form www version/ .doc
RESOURCE LINKS
Oxbow Cares
Rescue Rewards Program: "Oxbow can support your rescue organization
with substantial product discounts and educational resources to help
meet the needs of your rescue program." There is also the "Oxbow
Pet Products Animal Rescue Grant" Raise
awareness that "good homes" for chinchillas are at a premium
and inform the public of the work of chinchilla rescue by contributing
a story to "The
Rescue Report." Xenu
is a link-checking tool for websites, it's invaluable (free, easy)
in keeping your site links current RescueGroups.org:
"RescueGroups.org offers free and low-cost services, including
the Pet Adoption Portal, web site and voicemail services to non-profit
animal rescue and shelter organizations." Consider
getting signed up with Petfinder,
Petboro and
RescueGroups.org, check
out the benefits! Also, get your charity signed up with GoodSearch
and make everyone you know aware that if they use that search engine
and input your name in the charity field, then GoodSearch's advertisers
will donate to your rescue. Although
it is commonly acknowledged that rescues need to be prepared financially
for emergencies before declaring themselves capable of conducting
rescue, the following organizations may offer assistance for veterinary
costs:
The
topics below derive from these ChinCare pages: Let's
Home Those In NEED Before We Breed,The Rescue Report, Rescue, Rehoming & Classifieds, Setting Standards for Responsible Pet Chinchilla Breeding, Ownership and Neutering |
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RESCUE/ REHOMING TIPS The following tips pertain to the process of chinchilla rescue/ rehoming, as told by pet chinchilla rescue workers and they do not necessarily reflect the exact views and opinions of MM. These tips are presented as a way to educate and inspire fellow rescue workers, to share ideas and not to promote plagiarism: we advise our site users to comply with internet copyright law at all times. Per our site disclaimer, MM claims no association with, endorsement or guarantee of the information, opinions or products of the sites we link to (or they to us). This section is primarily intended for the benefit of the international chinchilla rescue community. To submit a contribution to this section, contact us and specify whether or not you'd like to be credited. |
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Whenever possible, try
to home chins out in pairs rather than singly. Besides the fact that
chins are herd animals in the wild and most prefer companionship,
having a friend keeps the chin from becoming bored and lonely, especially
late at night after the chinparent has gone to bed. Homing out in
pairs also saves the chinparent the trouble of conducting introductions
later on if they decide to get their chin a friend, and it prevents
catastrophes like their getting a mis-sexed
pet store chin and then ending up with unwanted litters. |
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Bach's Rescue Remedy (bachcentre.com,
bachflower.com) is helpful
for calming chinchillas that are seriously stressed, anxious or traumatized
from an injury. This is an herbal, all-natural treatment that is safe
for use by all animals and humans. Do a search for best price, it
varies greatly between suppliers. |
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In addition to fundraising
the typical way, by soliciting donations, why not follow the excellent
example of Tanzy's
Chinchilla Rescue, NZ or
R&J
Chinchilla Rescue in the UK and make it possible for people to
sponsor one of your permanent rescue residents? Check out their programs
for how-to, and it's adviseable to set up a paypal account or some
similar type of payment method so that sponsoring is available to
people worldwide. |
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See this link on "Why
People Do Rescue," it's an straight look at what it takes
to do rescue honestly, and this link also contains some essential
considerations, "Starting
a Successful Rescue." (Not chinchilla-specific links,
but noteworthy) |
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Never turn away anyone
who needs to relinquish a chin: if they're out-of-state/ region/ country,
or if your rescue is at capacity, send them to the ICRN
team for advice and assistance. |
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It is strongly adviseable
to post a legal disclaimer when referring someone to another online
rescue service, so that chinparents know we can't vouch for the character
or legitimacy of rescue volunteers that only they will get
to screen and meet in person. See example. |
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To dramatically decrease
time-wasting spam, space out your website's contact email and do not
hyperlink it because that's what the email harvesters look for. Try
this approach instead: "Contact: me @ my rescue .org (no spaces
when sending, put "chinchillas not spam" in subject)" |
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Always cc, "carbon
copy" everyone directly involved when coordinating a rehoming
and encourage them to communicate directly but keep you in the loop,
it expedites results. |
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Don't judge an adoption
candidate by their first email, most people make poor first impressions,
especially by email. Ask, ask, ask before assuming.
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These two asterisked points
derive from the pages of Second
Chance Chins: **We do not charge to take in chinchillas for rehoming, but we do require that you supply us with all of the chinchilla's belongings. This means the chin's cage and all its contents, food, toys, leftover litter and any other supplies that you may have. First, this keeps familiar things with your chin, so that they are not as traumatized by the change in location. Secondly, if you're giving up your chinchilla, you shouldn't have any need for these items anyway. Items that are in good, usable condition that are deemed unneeded here at Second Chance Chins are donated to other small animal rescues (rabbit, guinea pig, rat, ferret, etc.) or sold and the profits are used to help support the rescue. We do not pass along items with a chinchilla when they go to their new home. Their new family is responsible for providing for their needs. **Things to keep in mind during the application process:
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If
someone asks health care questions, try to get them all answered on
your first response rather than posing more questions, often the first
exchange is all you get before they disappear. |
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When you get an adoption
request and then don't hear back after your reply, do at least two
follow-ups just in case the person's email was down or they had a
family emergency, etc. |
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As rescuers our number
one concern should be the chinchillas and what is best for them. This
means at times we may have to work with another rescue that we normally
would not correspond with. Networking and lending a helping hand beyond
normal comfort zones is critical in achieving the best results for
our rescued chinchillas. |
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Automate by form letter
as much as you can, and turn on the auto-reply on your email to let
people know that their email was received and what your approximate
response time (24 or 48 hours, etc.) is. |
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Chinchillas can be very
territorial, especially those that have come from abuse or bad cagemate
situations in the past. If a chin is getting edgy with their bonded
cagemate, or if they're urine-spraying or biting you or marking their
territory by urinating all over their cage perameter, then put a sheet
around their cage, this often resolves those issues immediately. |
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Don't take in more rescues if it will detrimentally compromise the level of care and attention of those you already have, find and cooperate with others who do rescue in your state and support each other by transferring overflow when necessary. Quality of care must come first, that's what separates us from hoarders, folks! | ||
"I AM AN ANIMAL RESCUER" Author Unknown My job is to assist God's creatures. I was born with the drive to fulfill their needs. I take in helpless, unwanted, homeless creatures without planning or selection. I have bought dog food with my last dime. I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand. I have hugged someone vicious and afraid. I have fallen in love a thousand times. And I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body too many times to count. I have Animal Friends and friends who have animal friends. I don't often use the word "pet". I notice those lost at the road side and my heart aches. I will hand raise a field mouse and make friends with a vulture. I know of no creature unworthy of my time. I want to live forever if there aren't animals in Heaven, but I believe there are. Why would God make something so perfect and leave it behind? Some may think we are masters of the animals, but the animals have mastered themselves... something people still haven't learned. War and abuse make me hurt for the world, but a rescue that makes the news gives me hope for mankind. We are a quiet but determined army and we are making a difference every day. There is nothing more necessary than warming an orphan, nothing more rewarding than saving a life, no higher recognition than watching them thrive. There is no greater joy than seeing a baby play who, only days ago, was too weak to eat. By the love of those who I've been privileged to rescue, I have been rescued. I know what true unconditional love really is, for I've seen it shining in the eyes of so many, grateful for so little. I am an Animal Rescuer. My work is never done. My home is never quiet. My wallet is always empty, but my heart is always full. |