The Origin of the Chi Chi

It is not surprising that the nickname for a Chihuahua is Chi or Chi-Chi. The word ,chi, means life force in China and most Chihuahuas certainly display plenty of that. Chi-chi is also French slang for fashionable or cute.

Chihuahuas are very active, saucy animals that fall into the American Kennel association category of a ,toy dog., (In fact a chi chi can be described as the worlds only ,natural toy dog., It also bears the distinction of being the world’s tiniest breed.

What does China have to do with this tiny Mexican dog who most of us are familiar with from seeing them cavorting in a Freda Kahlo painting or advertising Mexican food for Taco Bell on T.V.?

It seems that the organ of the dog’s breed is the subject of some debate. The most popular point of view is that the breed originated over 2000 years in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico which is why you see so many of these dogs wearing cute little sombreros in family photographs.

However some experts believe that the Chihuahua’s canine lineage goes back a long way before the birth of Christ. The Chinese just as expert at miniaturizing plants such as the bonsai as they were dogs and horses. It is theorized that this culture may have may have developed the Chihuahua by miniaturizing a dog called the Techichi/ These tiny dogs were also bred for the dinner table, ritual sacrifice and as companions for royalty.

The Techichi was a short-legged stocky dog compared to today’s graceful, thin limbed Chihuahua. It is believed that the Techichi may have been imported to Mexico from Europe by Spanish explorers.

The reason this is not such an implausible theory is that carvings found in the Monastery of Huejotzingo, on the highway from Mexico City to Puebla, show pictures of a dog that strongly resembles both the modern day Chihuahua and the Techichi.

However the reason that many breeders ALSO subscribe to the theory those Chihuahuas are of Mexican origin is because the tiny bodies of Techichi dogs have also been found in the graves of the ancient Toltec and Aztec tribes. This means that despite what was just theorized above, a Chihuahua like dog may have indeed been bred by ancient civilization that long predate the birth of Christ or at least been around in Mexico from the 9th Century A.D. In these cultures the dogs were also employed as ritual sacrifices and companions for royalty.

However the loving house pet that knows today, as the chi is believed to have been perfected as a breed around the early 1850s in Mexico. The breed is well established and the Chihuahua Breed Standard was first recognized by the American Kennel Association in 1904.

These lively and lovable little dogs with their slim, limber bodies and eyes as round as saucers came in three varieties: smooth coat, longboat, or hairless. The hairless version is now known’s the Xoloitzcuintle, or Mexican Hairless. However the two most popular types that you will find as pets in Europe and North America are the smoothcoat and longcoat.

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What Dog Breed Can You Afford?

What dog breed you can afford to keep might depend on your income. I thought it might be interesting to break down your pet ownership potential by looking at your annual income. Many people think they can afford a Labrador for instance and then are amazed at the amount of food it eats as well as the dental care and other expenses that it requires just to keep it healthy. They don’t really take into account that a Labrador is the same size as a small human being and has similar health care needs like dentistry and grooming.

For instance if you make fewer than twenty thousand dollars a year it is quite obvious that you can barely take care of yourself never mind a pet. You can’t afford food or health care for a dog as expenses could be as much as 5,000 a year. There is nothing worse than having a sick pet and not enough money to take care of it. Get a goldfish!

If you make less than forty thousand year then you can afford smaller dog that does not require the extra expense of a lot of food or training. You should stick to pets that are medium sized (less risk of accidents then toy breeds). Good choices include the American Water Spaniel, Bacon Fries. Bolognese, Brussels Griffon, Cairn Terrier, Cardigan Corgi, Javanese, Cotton De Tulia, Standard Poodle and the Tibetan Spaniel. These are compact pets that are well behaved, flexible, adaptable and do well in rented spaces because they tend to quieter.

If you make under sixty thousand year was your answer then you can probably afford most dog breeds for a pet with the exception of the more expensive breeds that cost over $1000 to purchase such as the Appenzeller Mountain Dog, the Cesky, the Chinese Shar Pei, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the Norwegian Lundehunde, the Afghan, the Giant Schnauzer, the Irish Setter, the Jack Russell Terrier, the Pharaoh Hound, The St. Bernard, the Shi Tzu and the Whippet. These dogs are all a bit alpha and require a lot of training to combat their hard wired instincts to chase, herd, run, jump up on people and nip at their ankles. They are also larger and more neurotic pets. You need to stick to braes that feature all smaller to medium sized dogs that don’t eat a lot and don’t need a lot of health care. Look for a friendly smaller dog. Better yet adopt one from a shelter.

If you make over sixty thousand a year you can well afford any dog that you like including many of the expensive toy breeds. However be aware that if you choose an alpha dog and do not have him trained that you could be liable for millions of dollars in damage. This is why it is a good idea to budget in for some dog training for your pet. An untrained dog can cost a lot of money in the long run especially if he or she bites someone.

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