SALEM — They're dogs with a celebrity connection, albeit remote.
Five Chihuahuas arrived at the Salem Animal Rescue League yesterday, flown from California by Katherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy" and "27 Dresses" fame.
Chihuahuas are the second-most commonly euthanized breed in California, second only to pit bulls, according to Laurel Kinder, director of the Flying Chihuahuas Project in Los Angeles.
It started with Taco Bell, she said, then blossomed after Paris Hilton started collecting the dogs and exploded after "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" hit the big screen.
Chihuahuas became the dog to own in Southern California, Kinder said, but a serious lack of spay and neuter education in the area has resulted in an overabundance of the small dogs.
"They're killing small, healthy dogs here because of the overpopulation," she said yesterday.
But 25 of those dogs — Chihuahuas, terriers and a few mixes — have hopes for a better life in the Granite State.
The dogs flew across country, landing at Logan International Airport early yesterday, before heading to SARL and the Humane Society for Greater Nashua.
The dogs should be up for adoption as soon as this weekend.
There are five in Salem, 20 in Nashua.
Kinder said she hopes more of the tiny breed will follow their paw prints.
Heigl has helped Kinder's canine rescue operation in the past and footed the bill for the first pack of "flying Chihuahuas" this week.
"We want to do another one right away," Kinder said. "But we're fighting the weather."
The dogs arrived with sweaters and hot water bottles, and New Hampshire shelter workers bundled them into warm vehicles for their trip north. Kinder said the dogs will acclimate to the colder temperature and prospective owners will be given instructions on how to keep them warm.
From SARL's perspective, there is a demand for smaller dogs.
The new arrivals weigh between 4 and 6 pounds, making them good pets for people with limited space or perhaps a landlord who wouldn't welcome a larger dog, according to Valorie Hayes, SARL's community relations coordinator.
"Most dogs in New Hampshire are older, bigger, have medical conditions," Hayes said.
The dogs aren't well-suited to families with children younger than 9, Kinder said, but this particular group of dogs is friendly and should adapt well.
"We're not sending them dogs with behavioral issues," she said.
The dogs all have been spayed or neutered, are up to date with vaccinations, have been tested for heartworm and been checked by a veterinarian.
If the new partnership works out, more Chihuahuas are bound to follow. Kinder said there's no shortage of the dogs facing death in California.
"I just got a call today that there's a pack of Chihuahuas living in an abandoned house downtown," she said from Los Angeles yesterday.
The five dogs at SARL are 1 or 2 years old, Hayes said. They will be available for observation Sunday and anyone interested in adopting one can fill out an application then. The dogs won't be adopted out immediately, although they will be ready before Christmas, she said.
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Interested in adopting?
Where: Salem Animal Rescue League, 344 S. Broadway
When: Thursday, noon to 7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
More information: www.sarl-nh.org, 890-2166 or 893-3210
Cost: $225, which includes spay/neuter, microchip, vaccinations and more.
