Chihuahua Charm

Drop-kick dogs, dust mop dogs, rat dogs...whatever you want to call them, Chihuahuas are still dogs.  I am a cat person by nature and believe me, I've used these epithets to describe little dogs before.  Obviously you can't apply these to big dogs, but big dogs still annoyed me nonetheless.  However, like many parents, we thought it would be nice for the boys to have a dog because a dog might be able to handle the kid energy that a cat doesn't want to deal with. We also knew many parents with special needs kids who firmly believed that a dog made a positive difference in their kids' lives. If we were to get a dog, I reasoned that it would have to be a smallish dog, a cat-size dog.  Now, which breed?

Terriers are cute but they are waaaaay too hyper for me.  I already have a kid with ADHD; I don't need a dog with ADHD.  Poodle? No. Enough said.  Dachshund? Mmmm, maybe...no.  Chihuahua? No.  Long-hair Chihuahua? Maybe.  Despite reading many negative commentaries about Chihuahuas and children, last year we got a long-hair Chihuahua and it has been the best thing for the boys, especially our oldest.  He now has a buddy around all the time.

IMHO, Chihuahuas get a bad rap because many people treat them like babies instead of dogs.  Before we got a dog I read somewhere that if you wouldn't allow a big dog to do it, then don't let a little dog do it.  This was very good advice that I wish my oldest son would heed.  Our little Chi walks all over him but they have a ton of fun together.  Strangely enough, because our youngest son is blind he is not taken in by the Chihuahua charm, consequently he doesn't put up with any nonsense from the dog. The dog is very deferential toward him and this is so funny to watch. This is the pecking order in our pack from the dog's point of view:

Alpha- My husband
Beta- Me (Alpha when hubby isn't around.)
Gamma- Youngest son
Delta - The cats
Epsilon- The Chihuahua
Zeta - Oldest son

My oldest son would deny being in last place, but there you are.  It's kind of hard to deny when it's there in black and white.