Chihuahua Tales: Sorting Fact From Fiction
Chihuahua stories are everywhere, and I get a real kick out of reading them — plenty of them are genuinely funny. One thing nobody can argue with is that Chihuahuas are comical and entertaining, and that's no tall tale. It's likely one big reason this breed has become so popular. As Bill Knell puts it in Outrageous Tales About Chihuahuas: Some Are True!, the strangest part of all these stories is that a few of them may actually hold up.
The Chihuahua is both the smallest dog breed on earth and the longest-lived. Animal behaviorists report that Chihuahuas are the only dogs that tend to choose human company over the company of other dogs. They've been known to nurse kittens and to help people coping with various ailments. With a track record like that, almost anything seems possible. One thing is certain, though: they make the world's best pets — and that's no Chihuahua tale.
Myths That Simply Aren't True
A Chihuahua's Eyes Will Pop Out If It Gets Really Upset
The prominent "bug eye" look of some Chihuahuas surely gave rise to this one. Modern science has proven the claim false.
Chihuahuas Have Given Birth to Kittens
Chihuahuas do get along remarkably well with cats, and they've even been known to nurse orphaned or abandoned kittens. But no Chihuahua has ever given birth to a litter of kittens — that one is definitely false.
An Ancient Chihuahua Was Found Perfectly Preserved in a South American Pyramid
This wild story came courtesy of the supermarket tabloids. An early 1970s tabloid piece claimed the dog's flesh was still edible, that blood samples could be drawn from the body, and that its eyes were a color never seen in animals before. They made it up — not me!
Chihuahuas Have Bad Breath
A Chihuahua's breath is no better or worse than any other breed's, but it's easy to see how this rumor started. Many early owners fed their dogs unwanted fish parts. Captains, mates and other crew working aboard ships along the California coast in the mid-to-late 1800s found Chihuahuas to be terrific companions. The dogs would sound the alarm if anyone approached their personal property, and they were small enough to be welcome on vessels of any size. Ship captains were especially fond of them because Chihuahuas had a knack for chasing rats out of tight spaces other dogs couldn't reach. When pups came along and were sold to landlubbers, the new owners were told the dogs simply adored fish parts!
Where Did the Chihuahua Come From?
China or Egypt?
Some evidence suggests Chihuahuas may have existed in Africa and Asia before being discovered in America, but nothing conclusive enough to say the breed originated there. We're only now learning that seafarers may have reached our shores long before Columbus or even the Vikings, which could explain the breed's presence elsewhere in the world. Nobody really knows the Chihuahua's exact origin.
Outer Space?
Some Native peoples of North and South America hold traditions suggesting their ancestors came from the stars. Some researchers believe that's a misreading of the native belief that their ancestors come from a higher spiritual existence. Either way, early scholars interested in the breed's origins admitted they couldn't determine how, when or where it began. As interest in ghosts, Atlantis and space beings grew popular in the late 1800s, many people latched onto the idea that Chihuahuas must have been brought to Earth by visitors from beyond. Needless to say, this tale is probably not true — and likely came from the same folks who insist corn is an alien invention unfit for human consumption.
Healing Claims: What's Really Going On
Can Chihuahuas Heal Severe Injuries or Reduce Pain?
Early settlers in the Southwest noticed that Mexicans and some Native people would tie Chihuahuas to parts of the body that seemed to need healing or where pain was a problem. That practice led to the theory that the 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 body where pain was felt, an infection had set in, or other health issues existed. The warmth of their tiny bodies probably eased the pain a little, and licking infections or open wounds may have helped clear out microorganisms or infected tissue. Interestingly, it's now known that some dogs seem able to detect cancer or other health problems in various parts of the human body.
Can They Cure or Reduce Asthma and Allergies?
Most people with asthma or severe allergies have trouble with pets — but apparently not with the Chihuahua. There's no known medical evidence that Chihuahuas can cure any disease, yet many owners who suffer from asthma or severe allergies say the dogs help. As recently as thirty years ago, families in the Southwest would get a Chihuahua for a child or relative with asthma or allergy problems. The dog would sometimes lie near the person's mouth and become ill, while the person seemed to feel better — the idea being that the problem transferred from human to dog. That's obviously untrue, but it is a fact that asthma and allergy sufferers seem to do better with short- or long-haired Chihuahuas than with any other breed.
Chihuahuas in Aztec Times
Early accounts from missionaries and conquistadors traveling through South America described the dogs as used in worship ceremonies or even eaten by followers of the Aztec religion. Such descriptions were often exaggerated to make the Aztec people seem thoroughly pagan to Christians, thereby justifying conquest and conversion. We're certain Chihuahuas were used in Aztec worship ceremonies, but there's no evidence to date that any were eaten. Many have been found buried with people, so it's possible they were killed to accompany their owners in death.
Early Wild West novels and storybooks explained the Chihuahua's small size by claiming the animals were created through a secret process used by medicine men or pagan priests in Mexico or South America — a process said to involve mixing small dogs with rodents. But dime novels weren't the only places these tales spread.
About the Author
Bill Knell, a native New Yorker, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his writing. He has authored hundreds of articles on a wide range of topics, and his Chihuahua Tales are a particular favorite of mine.
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