ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Little dogs get big boost from Hollywood

By: Karen Nazor Hill
(Contact)

Included in this article

If the hit film “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” has you yearning for your own feisty, little dog, do your homework before bringing one into your home, experts say.

The high-energy breed requires lots of attention, breeders say.

“Chihuahuas are very delicate as puppies and can be inadvertently injured by being dropped, stepped on or having a small item fall on them,” Bruce Shirky, president of Chihuahua Club of America, says on the Web site chihuahuaclubofamerica.com.

“We recommend that families with very small children perhaps consider a larger breed,” he said.

Most people don’t realize that Chihuahuas can live to be 20 years old, said local Chihuahua breeder Terry Boydston.

“They can live in your home longer than your children,” she said.

Plus, they’re fragile, Ms. Boydston added.

“The standard Chihuahua weighs 6 pounds or less, so they’re dependent on you to make sure they’re safe from falling objects, not being left alone on beds or sofas,” she said. “A knock on the head could easily injure a Chihuahua.”

Ms. Boydston said she won’t sell her dogs to anyone who plans to leave them outside, even if they would be in a fenced area.

“Chihuahuas are fast and can get out of a gate or a front door before you know it,” she said. They are also easy targets for bigger animals or birds of prey.

Chihuahuas retail from $500 to more than $1,500, she said.

“My average Chihuahua weighs about 4 pounds, which is a good size to breed,” she said. “Chihuahuas weighing less than that should not be bred because they’re too small.”

Comments