Outrageous Tales About Chihuahuas: Some Are True!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.
CHIHUAHUAS CAN HEAL SEVERE INJURIES OR REDUCE PAIN - Early settlers who came to Southwest United States noticed that Mexicans and some Natives would tie Chihuahuas to parts of their bodies that seemed to need healing or where pain was a problem. This practice lead to theory that dogs were magical and could cure an assortment of physical problems. In reality, Chihuahuas have been known to lie near or on parts of their owner’s bodies where pain was being felt, an infection had set in or other health problems may have existed. The warmth of their tiny bodies probably helped ease pain a bit. The licking of infections or open wounds may have helped clean out microorganisms or infected tissues. Interestingly enough, it has become known that some dogs seem to possess ability to diagnose cancer or other health problems in various parts of human body.
