My favourite type of dog (Chihuahua)

Member Name: leeanne

Product:	Chihuahua
Date:	08/11/01 (418 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cute, lovable

Disadvantages: price

Since I was 6 years old there has been a Chihuahua in my life - the first one from 1986 - 1999, then the other one from 1999 - date.

Chihuahua means Mexican Mouse Dog. These dogs are from Mexico originally and used to chase the mice away. These dogs are the smallest kind of dog you will find. They have large black eyes and big pointy ears - this might sound like an ugly dog, but they are cute and beautiful. There are 2 hair types to this dog - long haired and short haired.

The first dog was called Gizmo. He was named that after the character in the film Gremlins. He was a few weeks old when we got him. He had white fur and was a short haired one. He died aged 13 years and it was just because of natural causes. He was a great dog - very friendly and never any trouble to children. Gizmo wasn't a pure pedigree so his mouth was slightly deformed - just a bit droopy, but he was gorgeous.

Pippa is the other dog. She was born the 3rd of December 1999, and my parents got her in February 2000 after she had her jags. She is also a short haired species. Her coat is red sable coloured and her underneath is white. I would say that is more adventurous than Gizmo and is always wanting to play and try to lick your hand. Pippa is a pure pedigree.

You don't feed these dogs much, because of their size. Pippa has one meal a day - usually dried biscuit things mixed with meat. She also gets nibbles through the day and a treat everyday like a meat flavoured chew. This dog seems to eat anything and everything. She loves curry, chilli and other spicy things, but also garlic bread, chips, crisps, shepards pie and so on.

One common problem with these dogs are their throats. If they seem to get out of breath or are very excited they tend to "honk". The sound is similar to a duck, but all you do is rub their throat quite firmly, and this will make the noise go away and the breathing go back to normal.

These dogs don't c
ome cheap. I don't think it would be easy to pick this type up in the kennels, so you are better to go to a breeder. Gizmo cost £100 in 1986, and Pippa was £180. I know this does sound like a lot of money, because it is, but these dogs are adorable and I would choose this type anyday.

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