ChihuAchuA'S history (lanD animalS)

The Chihuahua’s history is puzzling and there are many theories surrounding the origin of the breed. Both folklore and archaeological finds show that the breed originated in Mexico. The most common and most likely theory is that Chihuahuas are descended from the Techichi, a companion dog favored by the Toltec civilization in Mexico.^[2] No records of the Techichi are available prior to the 9th century, although dog pots from Colima, Mexico, buried as part of the western Mexico shaft tomb tradition which date back to 300 BC are thought to depict Techichis.^[3] It is probable that earlier ancestors were present prior to the Mayans as dogs approximating the Chihuahua are found in materials from the Great Pyramid of Cholula, predating 1530 and in the ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatán Peninsula.^[2]
In fact, wheeled dog toys representing both the "deer head" and "apple head" varieties of Chihuahua have been unearthed across Mesoamerica from Mexico to El Salvador. The earliest of these were found at Tres Zapotes in Veracruz, Mexico, which date to 100 AD.^[4] Dog effigy pots dating to around 1325 AD discovered in Georgia and Tennessee also appear to represent the Chihuahua^[5] It has been argued that these pots arrived with survivors from the Casas Grandes site in Chihuahua, Mexico, after it was attacked and destroyed around 1340 AD. Pots unearthed at Casas Grandes include representations of the "deer head" variety of Chihuahua.^[4] Hernan Cortés wrote, in a 1520 letter, that the Aztecs raised and sold the little dogs as food.^[6] Colonial records refer to small, nearly hairless dogs at the beginning of the 19th century, one of which claims 16th-century Conquistadores found them plentiful in the region later known as Chihuahua.^[7]
A progenitor of the breed was reputedly found in 1850 in old ruins near Casas Grandes in the Mexican state of Chihuahua from which the breed gets its name,^[8] although most artifacts relating to its existence are found around Mexico City. A pot featuring the "deer head" variety of Chihuahua has been unearthed at Casas Grandes which dates from 1100–1300 AD showing the long history of the breed at this site.^[4] A wheeled dog toy which has been dated to 100 AD from Tres Zapotes in Veracruz, Mexico, depicts a dog identical in appearance and size to the modern Chihuahua, indirect evidence that the breed was in Mexico over 1400 years before the first Europeans arrived.^[4] The Chihuahua has remained consistently popular as a breed, particularly in America when the breed was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1904.^[2]

Description

A tan Chihuahua.

A white longhaired Chihuahua

Purebred Chihuahua puppy.

A calm Chihuahua

Chihuahuas are very small dogs, and are the smallest breed recognized by some kennel clubs.^[9] There are two main varieties recognized by kennel clubs, the short-haired and the long-haired.^[9] There is a second varietal split as well, having to do with the shape and size of the dog's head. These two descriptive classifications are "apple head" and "deer head", but only the apple head is conformationally correct.^[10]

Appearance

Breed standards for this dog do not generally specify a height; only a weight and a description of their overall proportions. Generally, the height ranges between 15 and 23 cm (6 and 9 in);^[9] however, some dogs grow as tall as 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in).^[11] Both British and American breed standards state that a Chihuahua must not weigh more than 2.7 kg (6 lb) for conformation.^[9] However, the British standard also states that a weight of 1.8–2.7 kg (4–6 lb) is preferred ^[12] and that if two dogs are equally good in type, the more diminutive one is preferred. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) standard calls for dogs ideally between 1.5 and 3.0 kg (3.3 and 6.6 lbs.), although smaller ones are acceptable in the show ring.^[13] Pet-quality Chihuahuas (that is, those bred or purchased as companions rather than show dogs) often range above these



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