Adopting a Hoarding Rescue Chihuahua: Ru's First 3 Days

In July 2026, 74 dogs were pulled from a sweltering trailer in West Jackson, Mississippi. One of them was a one-year-old Chihuahua who'd spent her whole life in a cage. A few weeks later she was home with us, sleeping on my chest.

This is Ru's story, starting with her first 3 days.

How We Found Ru

We were looking for a companion for our 12-year-old Chihuahua, Yogi, and my sister Janet had been talking with Maine Coast Animal Rescue. This rescue worked with Cheshire Abbey Animal Rescue in Jackson MS. When the rescue sent us the news video of that terrible hoarding situation, we saw Ru in it, and we knew we had found our new family member. Watch WLBT's news report.

This is Ru, in the news video from the day of the rescue. (Image: WLBT)

Her rescue name was Ridgeland. She rode a transport van straight up from Jackson, which dropped off dogs from the same hoard with rescues all along the way to Maine. We met the van in Freeport.

I don't think any of us fully understood what "hoarding situation" meant. Ru had been raised in a cage with six or seven other dogs. She had almost no experience with people. Chances are she was never physically abused, just neglected. There's a good possibility she has never been struck. She was basically forgotten.

The Ride Home

In the car, she seemed okay. Then we put a collar around her neck, and she started to shake. We took it off.

The Crate on the Deck

At home, we set her on the back deck in a big crate so she could get some air. She looked miserable, and that's when it hit us: she might never have been outside before.

When we reached into the crate to get her, she growled and nipped. She wasn't mean. She was overwhelmed, so we brought her inside into another crate we had all set up for her already.

Ru learned to ask for treats by watching the pro.

Then She Met Yogi

With people, Ru was shut down. Then we introduced her to Yogi, and she came alive. She went straight to him and wanted to be with him right away.

She fell in love with Yogi immediately. In those first couple of days, when every person was too much, Yogi was the one thing that felt safe. He turned out to be our secret weapon.

A Silent First Night

We set her up in a quiet room for the night, and she didn't make a sound. Not a whine, not a bark. In some ways that was harder than noise. She was shut down, just trying to get through it.

What We Decided Right Away: Following the 3-3-3 Rule

From day one, we decided to follow the 3-3-3 rule that many shelters recommend: 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn the routine and 3 months to feel at home.

For us, that meant one firm commitment: no discipline and no training of any kind until Ru has been with us for 3 months. No scolding, no boundaries, no lessons. Until then, Ru sets the pace, and our only job is to make her feel safe.

Lucky for Us, She Loves Food

We got lucky in one big way: Ru is very food oriented. Even when she wanted nothing to do with people, she wanted what we were holding.

Using food as a lure has been how we've earned every bit of trust so far. When we move into the second phase after three months and start actual training, we're hoping that same love of food will be one of our best tools.

A Hoarded Dog Is a Different Kind of Rescue

Another woman was in Freeport picking up two bonded dogs from the same van, and while she was getting them, the dogs got loose. About two weeks later, we found out those dogs were back up for adoption.

A dog from a hoarding situation needs more time and patience than most rescues, and it helps to know that going in. We've committed to Ru for the long haul.

I have friends who've adopted hoarded dogs or dogs that lived on the street. Many weren't abused by people; they were just in strange situations, and with time they came around. We're betting on the same for Ru.

What's Next

Over the next few weeks, Ru let one person in. Then, on a weekend Janet was away, she let in a second.

Part 2: The First 3 Weeks, and the night she finally came to me.