By Bill Knell

Some say it started with Taco Bell dog. A five hundred million dollar ad campaign featured a talking Chihuahua which continually repeated slogan, “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” which is Spanish for “I want Taco Bell.” Then came Legally Blond films and unstoppable Bruiser. The topping on cake was when Paris Hilton appeared on cover of Seventeen magazine and later tried living The Simple Life on Fox TV with Tinkerbell, her pet Chihuahua. Celebrities have discovered what many pet owners already knew: Chihuahuas are best dogs to own and care for. In process, they’ve set off a Chihuahua Craze that is reaching towering proportions.

When most people think of Celebrities and their toy dogs, Yorkshire Terriers, Toy Poodles, Pekinese, Lhasas and Shih Tzus usually come to mind. That’s because famous folks like Audrey Hepburn, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mia Farrow were regularly photographed with their beloved pets. In Audrey‘s case, it was a Yorkie. In her early days of fame, Mia Farrow was rarely seen out in public without her Lhasa. Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor loved to walk through hot spots of Beverly Hills and be photographed with a multitude of Toy Poodles, Pekinese and Shih Tzus. But times have changed!

The always innovative Madonna may have set standard for change not long ago when she sported her beloved Chihuahua, Chiquita, for a press photo op. Noah Wyle, one of hot stars of ER, was recently photographed with his Chihuahua while on holiday. Jennifer Lopez has also joined exclusive club of famous Chihuahua owners. Younger celebrities like Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Paris Hilton, Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon and members of Simple Plan have found themselves attracted to these fabulous canines and brought a huge amount of attention to them.

Chihuahuas make great pets because they are very low maintenance, world’s smallest dogs and longest lived breed. Celebs love fact that Chihuahuas prefer company of humans more then they enjoy being with other animals and can easily accompany their owners everywhere. Chihuahuas love to be held or carried around in their very own shoulder bag and that makes them especially attractive to busy celebrities and people who are always on move.

By Bill Knell

When you look at a Chihuahua that weighs less than two pounds full grown, it is hard to imagine that it’s actually a dog! That is why so many people once believed rumor that Chihuahuas were some kind of weird mix of rodent and dog. The rumor began after people who traveled along Mexican Border with Texas and Arizona over one hundred and fifty years ago noticed breed.

Early Wild West novels and storybooks explained small size of Chihuahua by claiming that animals were created through a secret process used by medicine men or pagan priests in Mexico or South America. The process was said to have involved mixing of small dogs and rodents. However, dime novels were not only places where tale tales about Chihuahuas were spread.

Early descriptions of dogs by Missionaries and Conquistadors traveling throughout South America indicated they were used in worship ceremonies or even eaten by faithful followers of Aztec religion. Such descriptions were often exaggerated to make Aztec People seem completely pagan to Christians and, thereby, justify their conquest and conversion. While we are certain that Chihuahuas were used in Aztec worship ceremonies, there is no evidence to date that any were eaten. Many have been found buried with people, so it’s possible they were killed to join their owners in death.

Because they are much smaller and seem to be so different from other dog breeds, a number of old wives tales exist about these tiny animals. Some are true, others are just myths spread by uninformed:

BAD BREATH - Chihuahuas have a breath odor that is no better or worse then that of any other dog breed. This rumor started because so many early Chihuahua owners fed their dogs unwanted fish parts. Captains, mates and others who worked aboard ships in California of middle to late 1800’s found Chihuahua dogs to be terrific companions. Not only would these dogs sound alarm if anyone came near their personal property, but they were small enough to be welcome aboard vessels of any size. Ship captains were particularly found of them because Chihuahuas had a knack for chasing rats out of small spaces that other dogs couldn’t reach. When pups came along and they were sold to landlubbers, new owners were told that dogs just loved fish parts!

CHIHUAHUAS HAVE GIVEN BIRTH TO KITTENS - Chihuahuas tend to get along unusually well with Cats. In fact, Chihuahuas have been known to nurse orphaned or abandoned kittens. However, I can say with great certainty that no Chihuahua has ever been known to give birth to a litter of kittens.

CHIHUAHUAS COME FROM OUTTER SPACE - Some Natives of North and South America have traditions that indicate their ancestors may have come from stars. Some researchers believe that’s an incorrect interpretation of native people’s belief that their ancestors come from a higher spiritual existence. Either way, early scholars who took an interest in origin of Chihuahuas indicated that they had not been able to discover how, when or where breed originated. As interest in ghosts, Atlantis and space beings first became popular in late 1800’s, many people adopted idea that Chihuahuas must have been brought to Earth by visitors from beyond. Needless to say, this is probably not true and likely came from same people who believe that Corn is an Alien invention unfit for human consumption.