What is JCCARE?

JCCARE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dog rescue organization comprised of all volunteers dedicated to the health and welfare of Japanese Chin dogs. Our sole purpose is to help, rehabilitate and find homes for abused, abandoned, or relinquished Japanese Chin across the United States of America and parts of Canada. While we enthusiastically support mixed breed rescue, and many of our members are active in organizations that accept mixed breeds, we have chosen to dedicate our limited funds and resources to purebred Japanese Chin.

Chin come into our program from owners relinquishing their pets and from animal shelters. We do not buy Chin from pet stores, puppy mills or individuals and we do not accept relinquishments from active breeders. While we are not affiliated with the national breed club, we do respectfully support responsible Japanese Chin breeders. For this reason, we do make every effort to contact breeders and facilitate a Chin’s return to his breeder’s care whenever possible.

Our Chin are not here because they are bad. Some were very much loved and pampered family pets and are here because of unfortunate situations, such as a move or divorce, death of their owner, or because of financial hardship. Others are here because the owners did not research the breed before buying on impulse and decided much too late that they shed too much, need too much time or attention, they don’t match the furniture anymore, or any number of reasons that should have been thought of before bringing a new Chin home. Some of the Chin do have health problems. Some of these problems have been brought about by irresponsible breeding practices. Still others are the result of neglect or abuse. All of our Chin need and deserve love and a second chance to be part of a warm, loving family. This is a chance some of them never had before coming into rescue.

Occasionally we are presented with a Chin in need who has serious behavioral issues that presents a danger to foster home members and to prospective adopters. We regretfully cannot accept a Chin with a previous history of aggression toward humans.

When a Chin is turned over to JCCARE, he is taken to the vet for a complete check-up including heart worm, shots, worming, and spay/neuter. Any apparent health problems are treated before being placed into a new adoptive home. We receive a variety of ages into our program, however, most are adults. We occasionally get puppies, but not very often. Males outnumber females and all Chin are spayed or neutered before placement. Sometimes people contact us who have strong preferences about age, sex and color of the Chin. The more open you are about these things, the more likely we are to find a suitable companion for you. If you do have very strong preferences, a rescue may not be the right pet for you.

JCCARE does not sell our Chin. We do, however, ask for an adoption fee which helps to fund our program and pays for vet expenses and allows us to continue our work in saving other Japanese Chin. Adoption fees vary based on the age and health of the rescued Chin, but generally range from $200.00 to $600.00 but are occasionally higher for puppies and Chin who have incurred exceptionally high medical expenses. The adoption fees cover only about one-half of the cost of our vet care so additional and ongoing donations are always needed and most welcome. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations in excess of the adoption fee are tax deductible according to applicable tax law and help defray costs so that we can save more Japanese Chin that need us. We appreciate your generosity.