Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Eruff is Eruff: Adopt These Super-Chihuahua Siblings Now

Today KramerPost unveils "Eruff is Eruff," an occasional feature spotlighting good dogs that, through no fault of their own, keep getting overlooked for adoption at Helping Hounds, a dog rescue where my wife, Leigh, volunteers.

www.rescuehounds.com

Choo Choo and Cha Cha
You'll find Helping Hounds in one of the out-structures at the Shoppingtown Mall in DeWitt, N.Y. Staff and volunteers can usually tell which dogs will get snapped up the quickest and which ones will struggle to find homes. Puppies and small dogs tend to fly out of the shelter almost as soon as they arrive -- sometimes before they arrive. But now and then some excellent canines languish inexplicably.

Such is the case with Choo Choo and Cha Cha, a brother-sister pair of Chihuahua-Terrier  mixes plucked from a high-kill shelter in Tennessee. They're about 5 months old.


I met Choo Choo and Cha Cha just today, and they're delightful: Calm, well-mannered, affectionate with people and each other. If Leigh and I weren't already at the municipal limit (3) of dogs in our home, I'd be tempted to grab them myself.

The siblings have spent 3 weeks at the shelter, an unusually long time for small-breed puppies. What seems to be the hang-up? Several prospective adoptive humans have commented that the puppies are too large for what they want in a Chihuahua.

I find this infuriating on several levels.




For one, I happen to be a larger representative of my species, yet I'm a charming, generally house-trained companion, and I've had all my shots.



Furthermore, it's not as if these dogs are monsters (see photo). Choo Choo goes maybe 7 pounds.  Cha Cha goes about 6. The American Kennel Club, the animal husbandry arm of Satan, decrees that a true Chihuahua can weigh no more than six pounds, but so what? This is America. Everything is bigger here.

Leigh and I have two super-sized Chihuahuas of our own, Rondo (13 pounds, a mix) and Gigi (10 pounds and growing.) I'll tell you straight up: When it comes to Chihuahuas, big is bitchin'.

Rondo and Gigi are small enough to carry onto Coach class, yet rugged enough to hike with us over small mountains. We don't worry about them being carried off by raptors.  We rarely step on them by mistake.

Rondo is particularly intrepid. I've seen him stare down with dogs six times his size -- and always it's the other dog who defers. Dogs of any size who treat Rondo with respect are treated with respect in return. But invade his space without his consent, try to sneak a quick unauthorized nuzzle at what's left of his gonads, or mess with his 70-pound Shepherd mix pal Larry, and look out: Now you've got 13 pounds of coiled, pissed-off Mayan wombat to contend with.  Let's see your 2.5 pound Tea Cup do that.

It turns out there's even a classification that covers many super Chihuahuas. I recently learned that the larger, long-legged tan-colored ones like Rondo and Gigi are called "Deer Chihuahuas." They are thought to be descendants of the dogs of the Mayans, which weighed up to 20 pounds and had a physical  presence and confidence not associated with the freakishly down-sized Apple Heads so popular today.

Choo Choo and Cha Cha are not Deer Chihuahuas, but they've got thatvibe. They belong with someone who wants two cool, little dogs -- emphasis on dogs ...not toys.

Also, if you're in the market for an adult super Chihuahua, inquire at Helping Hounds about Cali and Molly, both about a year old. They've been at the shelter too long too.

















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