Who ‘Run’ the World? (This Formerly Chained, Now-Adopted Chihuahua!)
Update: OK, Billie fans, now let’s get in formation. We have exciting news concerning the formerly chained chihuahua once known as Beyoncé—PETA has found her an irreplaceable family!
After spending several weeks in foster care with one of the PETA fieldworkers who rescued her—recovering from cherry eye surgery and, thanks to her fosters’ patience and know-now, learning how to overcome her anxiety—Billie now has her very own humans (and another rescued chihuahua!) to fall crazy in love with.
While this sweet chi is no longer a single lady, there are endless companion animals who need safe, loving homes. Click the button above to let PETA upgrade U, or visit Petfinder.com or your local open-admission shelter to put a ring on it.
Originally published February 27, 2025:
When I first signed on as a fieldworker with PETA’s Community Animal Project (CAP), I thought I knew what to expect—I’d seen Breaking the Chain. Heck, I’d written endless content for PETA about the field team—its heartwarming successes and heartaches alike. I was prepared to meet chained pit bulls and other large dogs who are forced to exist outside 24/7. But it had never occurred to me that I would encounter tiny, short-haired Chihuahuas—who don’t stand a chance of surviving northeastern North Carolina’s harsh winter chill—who are also forced to spend their entire lives languishing outdoors on the end of a tether.
Enter Beyoncé. (No, not that Beyoncé … THIS 👇 Beyoncé!)
Prior to working for CAP, my Chihuahua experience was admittedly limited. It mostly consisted of time with my grandmother’s canine companion, Jezebel, who spent 18 years eating from my grandma’s plate, snoozing with her in her recliner, and—I always suspected—occupying the role of “favorite granddaughter.” So imagine my shock when Jenny, a CAP senior manager, clued me in to a Chihuahua she’d met who spent her days and nights tied up in a rural North Carolina backyard with only a flimsy plastic doghouse. Jenny knew that Beyoncé wouldn’t survive our service area’s fast-approaching blizzard, but the Chihuahua’s owner repeatedly refused to allow her to go indoors or to let PETA take custody of the vulnerable dog.
Yet, as I’ve seen it do countless times, PETA’s persistence paid off in the long run.
Late one night, Jenny and Daphna—the senior vice president of PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department—returned from the field with one additional passenger in tow!
Jenny—who has never much considered herself a member of the BeyHive—promptly renamed the petite gal Billie and whisked her off to her very own safe, warm home.
Billie has made it clear in foster care that she loves cats, kids, and other dogs. Given that this shy but sweet girl was—for the first year of her life—denied the compassion, socialization, and love that all dogs want and need, Billie is intent on permanently joining a family that includes another dog or two … ones who can keep teaching her how to, well, dog.
Billie is spayed, her cherry eye has been treated, and she’s topping the potty-training charts. Although she’s made loads of progress, she still needs an adopter who understands her smart-but-sensitive nature and will welcome her into their home with loving, patient arms.
OK, adoption applicants, now let’s get in formation.
So what are you waiting for? E-mail [email protected] if you’re feelin’ yourself, feelin’ yourself.
