Geraldine Gilliand’s mother should have let her have a dog growing up. Instead, Geraldine has spent her adult life—since her arrival in the US from Ireland in 1975—rescuing and caring for dogs in need.

When Geraldine and her husband Theodore built their home on the property nestled high in the Malibu mountains, they named it “Rancho Chiquita” after their rescued beagle mix, Chiquita, who came to them neglected and abused, with a broken leg and a scarred heart. Geraldine lovingly nursed Chiquita back to health, watching and cheering as Chiquita grew into a confident and beloved companion—a feat Geraldine would accomplish again and again in the years to come as she continued to take in the old, the neglected, and the unwanted dogs from throughout Los Angeles. 

When Theodore passed away on Christmas Day in 2003, Geraldine was able to move on through her grief in large part because of her precious animals and their undying devotion. In 2007 tragedy struck again when her guest house burned to the ground in the Corral Canyon fire. All animals and humans survived, and Geraldine again pushed forward, rebuilding, determined to continue hosting fundraisers for animals and saving even more dogs. Geraldine also hosted many fundraisers for her close knit Corral Canyon community after the fire, including “ An Evening under the Corral Canyon Sky” featuring a concert by the band America.

Always generous with her time and talents, Geraldine continued hosting events for nonprofits such as Robert Cabral’s “Bound Angels,” California Wildlife Center, K9 Connection, Beagle Freedom Project, and Meade Canine Rescue. With the goal of doing even more for the animals, she launched “Chiquita’s Friends”as a 501c3 non-profit in 2011.

In 2017 another dream of Geraldine’s came true when she purchased a ranch in the hills of Cornell California where Chiquita’s Friends would have the opportunity to expand their rescue efforts, bringing more gorgeous animals to a safe and blissful sanctuary where they can experience the love and tender care they deserve. Geraldine, a frequent visitor to Mexico, also began rescuing Tijuana street dogs.

Sadly, a setback again occurred in the devastating Woolsey fire of November 2018 when the caretaker’s home, and the goat shed on the Cornell ranch burned down. Again, all animals and humans survived, but it took months before animals could be returned. 

Starting in 2019, Geraldine began taking dogs off the streets of Tijuana, Ensenada, Mexicali and Tecate, working with the local rescue community on the ground in those areas, vetting them, and transporting them to the ranch at Cornell to find their forever homes. Hundreds of dogs came to the USA this way. Some were at death’s door, but all survived and adopted out to the local community. 

A passionate person by nature, Geraldine devotes herself to the neediest of dogs and refuses to give up on any of them. As a renowned chef, author, and restaurateur (Bon Appetit magazine once named her one of the top six BBQ chefs in the United States), Geraldine Gilliland could choose to live a glamorous life relaxing at Rancho Chiquita, high in the hills over Malibu. She chooses instead to live her life in service to neglected and abused dogs, young and old, sometimes ill or disabled, because she knows every dog deserves a warm bed, a safe home, and the love of a human companion. Through Chiquita’s Friends, Geraldine Gilliland strives to offer just that to as many dogs as she can reach for as long as she can.

In 2023 Geraldine made yet another bold move, sold her home, her restaurant, packed up her Sprinter van with her 10 dogs, and made the 1000 mile journey to Los Cabos, Mexico. Today in Mexico she is sponsoring spay and neuter clinics in San Jose and San Lucas. Geraldine purchased another home to use for the dogs she rescued from the local landfill dump. 

A word about spay and neuter. 

The homeless and stray street dog and cat population is overwhenlming in Los Cabos. Abandonment, abuse, health issues, suffering and death are common. We are working on the root of the problem and changing the culture through education with the local communities. Sterilization is the only way to go. We will never rescue our way out of this problem. 

Chiquita’s Friends has been going into the slums, barrios and villages where poor people live and sponsoring clinics and campaigns for several years.  The local people cannot afford to fix their animals, so we pay $25 per animal to get fixed. We aim to fix as many animals as we can. 

After a few years we are seeing an overwhelming response from the communities. At a recent clinic over 550 animals were brought in to be fixed.