Chihuahua T-Shirts! Because We Love Our Chis!

Chihuahua Love - Didn't know this would happen, but here they are! These will help support the cost of running our blog and of course, taking care of our Chis. This is for you Lucy, Ricky and Goober, and of course also for anyone else that loves their Chihuahuas, as much as we love ours! Click on the link to purchase.

Chihuahua Love

 

Puppy Love

We will be making more, but this is or intro the our Chihuahua shirts. Hope you like them! 

Make a Difference!

It brings so much joy to my heart when people or organizations make a difference in animal's lives. Please always remember to try your best and support local animal shelters and any other organization that truly cares about the safety and well being of animals. Many people don't even require a salary to go out of their way rescuing and caring for an animal, they do it out of the goodness of their heart. Support doesn't have to be in the form of money, other types of donations are and support are also welcome. Sometimes volunteering and donating just a little bit of your time can be more than enough.

This video inspires me and gives me hope for all the animals that are suffering in one way or another. People can continue to make a difference, even if it's just one animal at a time. 

Make a difference!

Pet Insurance Isn't Important, OR IS IT?

How important is insurance, really? Not a whole lot. After all, how often do dogs really get sick? That was my frame of thought about 3 years ago when I got my first dog Lucy. I had a dog in the past, but it was a when I was a child and kids don't think about insurance. Why should they, they're kids and the cuteness of their pet, takes top priority.

When I first got Lucy, I thought if anything happened to her it would probably be a one-off situation and I could deal with it when the time came. I figured I'd be prepared somehow and it wouldn't be an issue. I couldn't be more wrong. Illness is definitely not something you can plan. This is true pets, just like it is for people. And to make matters worse Lucy didn't get sick alone, she became ill right along with Ricky, which I adopted about a year later. Yes, two sick dogs at the same time. Do you think I was prepared for that? Not even close. It cost me $650 for an emergency vet visit to get them checked and then leave them both overnight, while their system got flushed. That was just for one night, one check up and one treatment.

Ricky & Lucy at the Vet

Yes, many people have emergency funds for such instances, or can just put it on a credit card and pay it off eventually, but not everybody has these options. If you don't, or even if you do, you may still want to look into getting pet insurance because it will save you money! If it's going to cost $1500, but only $800 with insurance, wouldn't you rather just pay the $800??

Since this site is focused on Chihuahuas (for the most part), I thought I'd include some health issues that can be common for this breed. It doesn't mean they will experience all of these, it may just be one, or maybe none, but they're worth noting. The list also includes what it can cost to treat them.

Luxating Patella - $1,500 to $3,000 (Between 75% and 80% of Chihuahuas that have luxating patellas have an inherited problem)
Heart Disease - $5,000 to $20,000
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Heart Murmur - $5,000 to $20,000
Pulmonic Stenosis - $15,000 to $20,000
Eye Problems - $50 to $3,000 per eye
Dental Problems - $200 to $2,000
Tracheal Collapse - $4,000 to $7,000
Bladder Stones - $50 to $500
Molera

In the past, there were only a handful of pet insurance/medical plan providers for pets, but now there are many more, including premium insurance companies like Nationwide, Farmers and Liberty Mutual (which is actually branded as ASPCA Pet Insurance). There are also medical plans offered by individual vets and clinics like the one I have for Lucy and Ricky from the VCA Pet Clinic in my area. Insurance/medical plans can range from $15 a month, to $50 a month or more. It just depends on what you choose.

This may not be a complete guide of all pet insurance providers, but I say it's a pretty good list with which to get started. I will include links to various providers, as well as links to comparison websites which may also help in your decision making process. Once you've reviewed them, you will be able to pick the one that works best for you and your pet.  

If you want a quick review and comparison site, you can visit following websites:

The 10 Best Pet Insurance Plans

PetInsuranceQuotes.com

PetInsurance.com

Petfirst.com

Petsbest.com

ASPCA Liberty Mutual

Nationwide Pet Insurance

Farmers Pet Insurance

Other "Medical Plans" can usually be found at your local vet office or pet clinic near you. Medical plans sometimes include one teeth cleaning a year, which can cost close to $500 on its own. You might want to keep that in mind when comparing the different insurance plans and medical plans.

Hope this information proves to be helpful, and may you and your pet be well!

Chihuahua Yoga!

Did you know Chihuahuas like to do yoga? Well they do! Watch this Chihuahuas perfect form.  

Just one more reason to own a Chihuahua! As you can tell, I'm a huge advocate for owning/adopting one. They're perfect apartment or small home pets. Also great for people that want a smaller animal that's easier to care for. They're very affectionate, not to mention cute as can be!

If you have cute videos or pix of your Chihuahua, send them over. I'd love to post them. I know many people love their Chihuahuas, just like I do! Email LittleChiLove@gmail.com

8 Things You Should Know Before Adopting a Chihuahua!

My last post talks about how to make sure you really want a Chihuahua, before taking steps to adopt one. Too many people take one home, only to come to the conclusion later that it’s the wrong dog for them, or that they don’t even want a dog. You need to be well informed before making any decisions, which is why I wrote this post.

There are things you should probably know about the Chihuahua breed, prior to considering adopting one. Don’t just do it because they’re cute, that’s just the icing on the cake. Adopt a Chihuahua because they are well suited for you and your lifestyle. Consider everything about them first, then decide. And PLEASE,

don’t “order” one specially bred for you, adopt one that desperately needs a home. They need love too!

1. Chihuahua History - Modern breed comes from Chihuahua, Mexico, and they were used as foot warmers by nobility. Not what I would necessarily call a fun fact, but I suppose it's still good to know.

2. They are definitely the smallest breed in the world and come in various sizes, but usually are about 6 – 9 inches tall (unless it’s a teacup Chihuahua).

3. Most Chihuahuas weigh under 6 pounds. If your chi ways more, have him checked by a vet to make sure he’s not overweight. The excess weight can cause permanent damage to their little legs.

4. All Chihuahuas are very affectionate and love to cuddle and burrow into pillows and blankets, once they feel comfortable and trust you. They like to lay with you and love attention and constant petting. It's not necessary, but know that if you want to shower your Chihuahua with that kind of attention, they most definitely won't mind.

5. Chihuahuas can make great watch dogs. While they're not huge, they are very territorial and will always let you know when someone is coming or getting near your door. They usually bark when they hear someone near, or are approached by someone unfamiliar. However, once they become comfortable with that person as well, they're quite friendly.

6. Yes, they tremble when they’re cold, but also when they are anxious. Learn to tell the difference, as this helps understand your dog's behavior. It may take a little time, but once they're comfortable with you, you’ll get to know your Chi very quickly.

7. They are very smart and actually have a large brain for their size, which is perfect for easy training, as long as you start early.

8. Speaking of training, Chihuahuas are easily housebroken and will potty on dog pads if necessary. However, please don't use pads as a replacement for walks. They must still be regularly taken outdoors for exercise.

Hope this has been helpful. Now go pick up that adorable Chi waiting just for you!

Please Don't Kill a Chihuahua! Save One Instead!

Killing one can be what you do when you commit to own one, then change your mind and just decide to get rid of it. I know that sounds a little harsh, but that's really what can happen. Depending on who you are, you might find that even the most adorable Chihuahua, just isn't right for you. 

I absolutely love my 3 chis, (well, 2 chis and one chiweenie) and think that everyone else should love theirs too, but the fact that I've seen some that are in desperate need of rescuing at the local human society or shelter, makes me think that people just don't know everything they need to know before taking one home.

How did I end up with 3? Actually, that's exactly my point. A friend of the family owns a Chihuahua, which continually gets pregnant (please don’t get me started on how many times I suggested they spay her). Once, she told me she had a “leftover” puppy, which nobody wanted. Apparently, this puppy was the runt of the litter and was born with a defect. One of her legs was very badly formed, therefore she had a limp. The owner told me that nobody wanted the puppy due to the defect. I had been considering adopting a small dog, so I took her in and named her Lucy. She is now the light of my life!

About a year later, a friend of mine decided she wanted to adopt a Chihuahua, I recommended she go to the human society which had many to adopt the last time I was there. Around the same time, the friend of the family I mentioned earlier told me her dog had yet another litter, so I put them in touch with each other and an adoption was made. The puppy was separated from her mother way too early (in my opinion) and was delivered to me. Since I had a bit of experience, as the same had happened with Lucy, offered to keep the puppy for a couple of weeks to make sure he was going to be ok. She gladly agreed.

Two weeks later my friend calls me and informs me that when she spoke with her landlord about the puppy, he said she was not allowed to have any pets. Now, don’t you think this should’ve been the first thing she did?? I must say, I was pretty upset. Especially when she said, “Just take it to the human society, they’ll know what to do with it”. Actually, at that point, I was way past upset. Needless to say, I decided to adopt this one as well, which the friend had already named Ricky. Since I named mine Lucy, I thought it’d be cute to just keep the name.

Moving on to Goober, my chiweenie. I won’t make this a long story, but let’s just say it was a very similar situation, and I just had to take him in too. I say had to, because he’s just so darn cute! It really disappoints me to see people care so little about a living creature. In my opinion, it's just irresponsible behavior. We all know that animals not adopted within a certain amount of time are destroyed, and this is just not acceptable.

I hope you agree and that this inspires you to head down to your local shelter and adopt your first, second or third loving dog. Their unconditional love deserves the same in return! And PLEASE,

don’t “order” one specially bred for you, adopt one that desperately needs a home. They need love too!

 

 

Introduction to My Little Ones

Ricky and Goober

Welcome to the blog. It's going to be all about chihuahuas, mine, yours, others, everyone's! I love them and I know many other people do too, so I figured they deserve a blog all to themselves! However, there's also a lot of info, articles and helpful linkes, sites I'll be adding to help you take care of your Chihuahua.

If you have something you'd like to submit, maybe something about your chihuahua (story, pix, vid), or just something you think the readers might find interesting, just let me know and we'll include it in the blog.

Also, I take compliments, questions, recommendations, suggestions and maybe even some constructive criticism, but no insults or derogatory comments. Those will be deleted and/or blocked. Just an FYI. Ok, now that all that is out of the way. Let's get this going!

I'll introduce you to my three dogs, which are chihuahuas, or chihuahua mixed. Above you've already seen a picture of Ricky and Goober. Ricky is a full short haired chihuahua (on the right with his eyes closed), and I was told that Goober is some type of a chiweenie. Still not sure I'm sold on that one, and I know the mother was a chihuahua for sure, but not so sure about the father's side. I guess we'll just go with it.

Now to introduce Lucy. I have to fist post a pic of when she was only just a puppy first, which will definitely show how easy it was to  immediately fall in love with her. And here she is!

This is her now. Yes, she's a bit spoiled.

Well, you've met them all. I think that's enough of me going on about my dogs for now. Thanks for checking out the blog. Until next time!