SC - Re: New World Food Rant / Counter Rant

[Tim & Dee]

> Actually, Chihuahuas are widely available throughout the Known World
although
> the expense of purchasing breeding stock may outweigh any benefits
attained
> in the culinary field. Also remember that STANDARD Chihuahuas are not the
> tiny miniatures that most people associate with the breed. Standards are
> relatively large (e.g., up to knee high) and those were the type raised by
> the Aztecs for food purposes, SFAIK. Miniature and toy versions are a
> relatively modern phenomenon.
>
> Ras


Sorry to disagree with you Ras, but according to my dog's breed book the
Chihuahua NEVER was a large breed (knee high) bred to the toy size that it
is today.  Plus there is NO Miniature version of the Chihuahua, they are TOY
size only, in two coat varieties -- Long coat and Short coat.  The heights
vary but there is not a Miniature Chihuahua breed.   According to the
Chihuahua standards for size, the IDEAL size for show dogs, are:
    "Should not weigh more than 6 pounds, with 2 to 4 pounds preferred.
Although standard does not specify heght, dogs usually measure about 5"
tall."  (Harper's Illustrated Handbook of Dogs, page209.)

In my AKC dog book, they describe the Techichi as: "A small kind of dogs,
which were mute and did not bark, as usual, but were domesticated."  This
dog sounds very similar to the breed known as the
Basenji, which were popular in Egypt by the Pharaohs.  The Basenji are 16-17
inches at the shoulder (bitches & dogs, in that order for size).   The
Basenji do not bark, they make a chortleing (I am not sure how you spell
that but...) noise.  Mundanely I work in a Veterinary clinic and we have 3
Basenji's as patients, never have I heard them bark like you would expect
from a dog.  They are also only about 14-16 inches high at the shoulders.
We also have several (probably 100 or so) Chihuahua and chihuahua mixes that
come in to the clinic and none of them are over 16 inches high.  Some of the
mixes are pretty interesting combo's but none the less they are not over 16
inches high at the shoulders.

I don't know everything about animals and I would never claim to, but I do
know alot about chihuahua's, I grew up with them and I love them.

Dierdre