Image Copyright: Girlie in Sydney

Several years back, I used to work for an online greetings card company. I remember us creating ecards for several North American festivals without ever witnessing even one of them. Our only help—a research team that ate, drank and slept Google. Once such festival was Cinco De Mayo. Those cards inevitably ended up with Mexican sombreros, song and dance, and the Chihuahua.

I really didn’t give the dog much thought then. I didn’t pay attention when I saw a Chihuahua being carried around by Paris Hilton. I really wasn’t interested until I saw a Chihuahua in person, a few weeks ago in a dog show. My first reaction was that of surprise. I didn’t know of too many of these little dogs here in our part of the world. But soon enough, my surprise was overpowered by admiration.

What a remarkable dog! Those of you who think of Chihuahuas and “tea-cups” in the same breath, think again! These little dogs are feistier than the biggest guard dogs you know, and they are way more than decorations that peek out of your handbags. Chihuahuas are dogs with strong characters… you just have to look beneath the surface.

Those of you who know me, would be aware of the fact that I like to go deep into things. So I went back home and logged on to the dog channel. Here are some off the bat facts about the Chihuahua that many of you didn’t know:

  • Chihuahua is named after a state in Mexico
  • It is the smallest dog breed in the world
  • It comes in both long haired as well as short coated varieties
  • They are excellent pets for the city and for apartment life
  • They are naturally curious
  • They make great watch dogs because of their vociferous nature
  • They are practically fearless
  • They are picky eaters and tend to put on weight easily
  • They can live for up to 15 or more years

Now tell me? Do you think of teacups or Paris Hilton when you read these facts? No, you don’t. This gives you that picture of a dog that you would want to own. Please remember, there are no teacup dogs… the tiny dogs that sell for a fortune may be physically deficient or stunted. It’s not fun or fashionable to own one such dog. It is torture for these dogs to carry them around like show things.

However, if you would like to own a Chihuahua for the love of a breed that will love you back, then you might want to look for responsible breeders in the dog breeds directory of the dog channel. There should be a number of puppies for sale.

… and if you are one with a heart for rescued dogs, you can also find information on dogs for adoption as well.