Need to understand

misspr85 · 12-04-2007, 12:31 AM

Can someone help me understand why there are soooooo many chihuahuas in shelters? Every time I look, it seems like there are 10 times as many chi's as any other dog. I would really like to know. My parents' very good friends make it a point to only adopt shelter chi's and their current pup was a bit of a handful at first but she's an extremely wonderful dog. Any insight is welcomed.

TeddieXRuxpin · 12-04-2007, 01:43 AM

The Chihuaha is a very popular breed of dog and has ben for a while. A lot of people like the fact of owning a small sometimes "teacup" aka abnormal sized dog. Chi's like Labs, Shepherds, and "pit bulls" just to name a few are found in shelters a lot more than some other breeds.

I can't really give you a reason, but the more people that want them the more you will see breeding. When there is breeding there are always bybs in there and most end up in rescues.

The rescue I work with comes in contact with a lot more bullies, shepherds and large breeds of dogs, but we dog get some smaller dogs. There are tons of dogs in shelters. A lot of it has to do with area.

misspr85 · 12-04-2007, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeddieXRuxpin

I can't really give you a reason, but the more people that want them the more you will see breeding. When there is breeding there are always bybs in there and most end up in rescues.

This makes sense to me. It infuriates me that people are so irresponsible. Here in our area, there are an abundance of chi mixes and my roommates and I are leaning toward giving one of them a home.

RonE · 12-04-2007, 05:01 AM

I think it might be a regional thing.

I visit a lot of shelters and have never seen a chi. In fact, around here, the smallest dogs I've seen in shelters are beagles.

I can pretty well count on a large number of labs and lab mixes and pits and pit mixes.

the-tenth · 12-04-2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonE

I think it might be a regional thing.

I visit a lot of shelters and have never seen a chi. In fact, around here, the smallest dogs I've seen in shelters are beagles.

I can pretty well count on a large number of labs and lab mixes and pits and pit mixes.

I've never seen a chi in a rescue around here either. Most of the dogs in shelters around here are also large dogs.

Annamarie · 12-04-2007, 12:17 PM

I would say it's definately regional. Most of the small dogs available at the SPCA where I live are snapped up in a second by rescues. Some are legit, some re-sell the dogs at hugely inflated prices. I had been wanting to adopt a small dog for quite a long time and had a really hard time finding one available for adoption at a reasonable price. And by reasonable I mean less than $600 !

sobreeze · 12-04-2007, 12:57 PM

The rescue I work with get a lot of Chis mostly breeders older dogs . As you all know I foster lots of dogs well I talked my mom into fostering the last chi. that came into rescue . This is Violets story the rescue I foster got a call from a shelter they said they had a owner surender chi. 16 year male very sick and frail . One of the foster moms went to check it out turned out to be a 10 year female very bad skin problems under fed with a very bad infections through out body. She was pulled from shelter taken to her vet put on meds then taken to the home of head of rescue she was treated a few days not getting better took a trip to our rescue vet as it was thought she was dieing . The rescue vet spayed her as she had infections in her female parts from having so many pups and not cared for right this is a dog less than 2 lbs. Now Violet is a happy girl being spoiled by my mom her new foster mom gaining lbs a little at a time skin getting better and just being a very sweet girl. you know some folks love than think its ok to dump a life in a shelter then there are some folks that pick up those dumped little lives and love them . Violet may not have a lot of years left but the best ones are ahead of her.
I dont like chis but I love Violet .

misspr85 · 12-04-2007, 02:30 PM

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that around here people are super active, camping, hiking, snowboarding and the little dogs aren't always as crazy about this as big dogs. Or that being in California period makes everyone want to carry a little guy around in their purse. I think a lot of it has to do with ignorance and misinformation.

briteday · 12-04-2007, 08:52 PM

Being close to CA, we do see some chi's in our shelters especially picked up as strays by animal control. I think owners underestimate the escape ability of little dogs and don't maintain their fences. And the "dog in every purse" theory is prevelent here as well. I was out shopping last week and a little girl had a 4 week old chi, out in public at the mall, said her mom only paid $40 for it because the people didn't want the expense of feeding the pups.

On the other hand, most dogs at our humane society for adoption are pit bulls. Other breeds have lots of rescue options. There are no rescues for pit bulls. I'm guessing 85%+ of all the dogs at the humane society are pits / pit crosses. The other dogs get adopted or farmed out to rescues.

Although our shelter decided last year to be a no-kill shelter, how humane is it to have a dog in a concrete box for more than 2 years...

dcmidnight · 12-05-2007, 10:05 AM

In this area, its hounds and beagles. The rescue groups I've worked with have all said that in the PA/VA/WV area it happens a lot around hunting season. Hunters will either be done with a dog or have one that doesnt hunt well and they will just get rid of them.

Curbside Prophet · 12-05-2007, 02:10 PM

I'm going with the theory that the closer you live to Paris Hilton, the quantity of adoptable chi's increases...perhaps exponentially.

Hound Bound · 12-06-2007, 12:01 AM

Aha! Valid point you've got there, Curbside. Makes sense to me :P

Now that it's been mentioned... I have noticed an abundance of chis/chi mixes at our local shelter. They aren't as expensive here, but still run the rate of about $350 :-/

Annamarie · 12-06-2007, 12:11 AM

in my area it's mostly backyard bred mixes. mostly APB, GSD, with a bit of lab or who knows what else thrown in.

despite my better judgement i still find myself browsing petfinder weekly and sometimes am so tempted to go pick one up from a shelter.. but the SO says no more dogs and neither of us want a large dog or one that's very hairy. still, sometimes those eyes get me!

misspr85 · 12-06-2007, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hound Bound

Aha! Valid point you've got there, Curbside. Makes sense to me :P

Now that it's been mentioned... I have noticed an abundance of chis/chi mixes at our local shelter. They aren't as expensive here, but still run the rate of about $350 :-/

I've often wondered about that, the sometimes ridiculous price of a mix breed dog. When we went to the shelter today, every small dog was chi and something else. I should have asked about it. I think I will when I go back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Annamarie

in my area it's mostly backyard bred mixes. mostly APB, GSD, with a bit of lab or who knows what else thrown in.

despite my better judgement i still find myself browsing petfinder weekly and sometimes am so tempted to go pick one up from a shelter.. but the SO says no more dogs and neither of us want a large dog or one that's very hairy. still, sometimes those eyes get me!

My roommate is anti-pit (her issue not mine) but when we were at the shelter today she was just as in to them as she was the smaller dogs. I just had to laugh.

rsculady · 12-15-2007, 02:28 PM

Being in the Bay Area here in CA we see more Pit/Rot crosses than anything else. I rarely ever see anything smaller than a beagle but our shelters are filled with pits. Some found as strays, most removed from bad owners(unfortunately these ones rarely get the chance to be considered for adoption due to temperment) and the occassional owner surrender. My grandparents uses to raise Pits in NM when I was a child and their dogs were family dogs first, show dogs second and the greatest pits I have ever been around. Unfortunately, that was nearly 30yrs ago and they were "as popular" as they are now with certain undesirable groups of the population. NO offense to anyone but in this area it is very much a true statement.

FilleBelle · 12-15-2007, 02:38 PM

The spca at which I volunteer is full of Chis and Chi mixes, too. I suspect people get small dogs thinking they will be less work and are then startled to find they need to be housebroken, walked, trained, played with, disciplined, and doctored just like any other dog. They aren't the cute little toys uneducated people would like them to be, so they are dumped.

Twinney · 12-16-2007, 12:43 AM

Where I live it's mostly alot of large breeds too, labs, goldies, husky's, BCs, and so on, give or take the occasional beagle or something, but I've heard that chi's bark alot. Could that be a reason? I don't really like chi's (no offence to anybody who does) so I wouldn't know, I just know a guy who helped with training dogs years ago, and a few chi's came in there.

misspr85 · 12-16-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twinney

Where I live it's mostly alot of large breeds too, labs, goldies, husky's, BCs, and so on, give or take the occasional beagle or something, but I've heard that chi's bark alot. Could that be a reason? I don't really like chi's (no offence to anybody who does) so I wouldn't know, I just know a guy who helped with training dogs years ago, and a few chi's came in there.

I've only ever been around very well behaved chi's, so I'm not sure on the barking thing. However, I do often here people say they don't like "little yappy dogs." The only little yappy dogs I've ever met are the ones whose owners think it's cute because they're so little. These people also tend to shove their "little precious" down people's throats, so then the misconception that all little dogs are yappy comes up. But for people who don't want to take the time to train their dogs when it's time to bark appropriately, the shelter is there back up plan.