Big News for Little Dogs

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2010-01-13 06:00:00 -0800
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If you were asked to name the dog breed most in need of rescue, odds are that Chihuahuas wouldn't be the first to come to mind. Until a couple years ago, the little dogs probably wouldn't have made the Top 10, even if you factored in their tendency to be puppy mill favorites.

Then Britney Spears and Paris Hilton showed up flaunting Chihuahuas as accessories. Both divas had been voted "worst dog owner" in online polls, with reputations for adorning themselves with the dogs and then ditching them like last season's handbag. Chihuahuas continued to gain the wrong sort of popularity -- the trendy, fickle kind. Hollywood didn't help, featuring the dogs in movie after movie, most recently (and perhaps most excessively) in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Shelters, especially in California, soon found hundreds of these pint-sized pets abandoned at their doorsteps every month.

Last July, over 100 live Chihuahuas and some 150 dead, were removed from the home of a hoarder in Michigan. The toy breed had officially reached "threatened" status.

Now for the good news.

On Tuesday, thanks to American Legal Defense-funded forensics, the Michigan hoarder pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges. He is no longer permitted to own any animals, he must pay a $3,000 restitution to ALDF as well as an undetermined amount to the local authorities, and he will serve five years' probation with mental health supervision.

Meanwhile, Project Flying Chihuahuas has been flying the little dogs from California, where the breed now accounts for more than 30 percent of the shelter population, to shelters around the country where they're still in high demand. Dogs have been transferred to Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New Hampsire, and other states. Last week the ASPCA celebrated the arrival of their Chihuahua crew, eager to match the dogs with the perfect NYC adopters.

People are looking out for the little dogs ... as dogs, not as accessories.

If you're thinking about getting a small dog, check out Petfinder for adoptable dogs in your area. There are nearly 9,000 Chihuahuas listed in need of homes across the country!

Photo credit: JPott

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.
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