is the popularity of the celebrity favored chihuahua breed on it’s way out?
famous chihuahua® says absolutely not! chihuahuas will always be a popular pet among serious chihuahua owners. what makes it a crisis is that not too long ago chihuahuas were the popular choice for hollywood celebrity pets. people followed this trend and began purchasing chihuahuas on impulse rather than out of a genuine and sincere love for the breed.
today a crisis in california has evolved, where an excess of chihuahuas have been abandoned by their owners and left homeless for shelters. here are the details of this chihuahua celebrity story.
california has an excess of chihuahuas and hollywood is to blame.
there are so many chihuahuas at shelters in oakland, they have started shipping the dogs out of state, said megan webb, director of oakland animal services. they have sent about 100 to washington, oregon and arizona, she said, “and as soon as they get them, they are ready for new ones.”
chihuahuas make up 30 percent or more of the dog populations at many california shelters. and experts say pop culture is to blame, with fans imitating chihuahua-toting celebrities like paris hilton and miley cyrus, then abandoning the dogs.
the problem appears to be specific to california; shelters elsewhere would love to share the wealth, said gail buchwald, senior vice president overseeing the aspca adoption center in new york city.
“we never have enough supply for the huge consumer demand for small dogs,” she said.
one of webb’s biggest problems is a lack of money to fly the dogs to other states. buchwald said she would be happy to help.
“nothing is outside the realm of possibility here. we have a supply-demand issue,” she said.
chihuahuas are the most popular breed of dog in los angeles, so it makes sense it is the most abandoned breed, said madeline bernstein, president of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals los angeles. in oakland, some days, they get 10 of the 5-pound dogs a day, webb said.
the problem is so bad that shelters all over california that were built for big dogs had to remodel to accommodate the little guys.
among the reasons for the glut is the breed’s popularity in movies like “beverly hills chihuahua” and as celebrity pets, said dave frangipane, senior coordinator for chihuahua rescue of beverly hills. a cute puppy can grow up to have adult health problems or become protective and aggressive.
there are less glamorous reasons, too, like the high vet bills chihuahuas can bring. and the biggest spikes in california chihuahua populations are probably due to puppy mills and backyard breeders, buchwald and frangipane said.
chihuahuas are cute, but vulnerable, frangipane said. “people think nothing of kicking a small, yappy dog. and they can be abused by people of all sizes. a toddler can snap a chihuahua’s leg in a second,” he said.
save a chihuahua, visit chihuahua rescue organizations
source: sphere.com/nation/article/california-confronts-chihuahua-crisis/19273192
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Comments 6
I don’t blame celebritys as much as people but you would think celebrities would do some outreach concerning it.
MY NEW LITTLE DOG (BARNEY) IS A BEAGLE/CHIHUAHUA MIX – HE IS ABOUT 3 YEARS OLD – I GOT HIM FROM THE NASHUA NH ANIMAL SHELTER BACK IN FEB! HE IS A SPECIAL LITTLE DOG – HE DEFINITELY HAD BEEN ABUSED BUT HE HAS GROWN TO LOVE AND TRUST ME IN THE SHORT TIME I HAVE HAD HIM! HE ARRIVED HERE FROM CALIFORNIA WITH ALL THE OTHER MIXED BREEDS…. IT IS A GOOD FEELING TO KNOW I HAVE HELPED SAVE THIS LITTLE DOG (PLEASE CONSIDER A SHELTER DOG!!) YOU WON’T BE SORRY
I’d just like to comment on the chihuahua issue that has become such a problem. It’s really a shame that this little breed of dog has been used for popularity mostly in California. Leave it up to the rich, famous, and wealthy to throw out their pets with ease like they throw out their wardrobe after wearing it only one time. They get bored in a matter of days, and discard their sweet little dogs. They have no remorse either! It’s such a shame. How can one abandon any animal and be able to sleep at night? I live in Montana, and it’s very difficult to find any sort of small breed dog. We mostly have cattle dogs, labs, medium and large mixed breeds. One of our shelters recieved 4 “Puggle” pups, and 3 “Chug” pups. There were so many applications the shelter was horribly overwhelmed. We would surely welcome these abandoned Chihuahua’s at our shelters with open arms. They would be adopted within a few days! I feel so sorry for the little dogs, it’s not their fault. Leave it up to inhumane people to create this sort of problem.
My plea: Stop using these poor animals for popularity!
Where is your compassion? If you can not commit to them, don’t adopt them in the first place! They live a long life and only wish to be your loving and faithful companion. They aren’t toys for (you) the rich and famous to dump off when you don’t find them flattering any longer. When you’re selfishly bored, don’t merely thrown them away! They have feelings too! All they want is to make you happy. All they ever wanted was for you to love them and take care of them. They don’t deserve to be mistreated and then abondoned! Bless their little hearts!!!!
Sincerely,
Mary in Montana
hi i would just like to say that due to the celebs interest in the little dog they and the film industry have made it in possible for the likes of my self to buy one of these little dogs i have had chihuahuas for over 30 years i sadly lost my darling poppy christmas 2008 she was all most 17 years old and we had her from a puppy i still have all her food bowls and bed as i can not bring my self to get read of her things i have been looking for a puppy not to replace my little darling but to feel the void in my live she was my friend and my companion and i miss her very much but due to the price of these little dogs now it as made it in possible for me to buy one i live in the uk and chihuahua breeders here are charging between £800 and £1.800 pounds for the little darling s i am disabled and my husband is my carer so we do not have that sort of money i have been on the internet and all most got scammed by some evil person that said he had a chi that he needed a good home for i went out and got food and toys but he wanted me to send £200 by money gram for the little mite even though we said we could collect her in person so every one seems to have jumped on the bandwagon and is trying to make as much money as they can for these lovely little dogs i miss my little girl very much and feel very sad all the time we took her evry where with us and she was such a lovely little dog we really do miss her a great deal if i lived in the usa i would to have two of them from a shelter but sadly i live here in the uk i hope that all the chihuahuas find kind loving homes Maggie x
Were any of these California Chihuahuas shipped to New York ? 🙁 I would adopt one, poor things.
I think this is awful, no one should get a dog of any kind just because a “celebrity” has one then abandon it when it is no longer a “trend.” Dog have feelings too