Payne The Chihuahua

1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-62187-033-3
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

Reihe: Kennel Club Classics

Third in the Kennel Club Books' Classics series, The Chihuahua recognizes the ever-popular pequeño perrito in one spectacular volume. Written by author, breeder, and handler, Susan Payne, this book's engaging chapters on everything from the breed's accomplishments in performance events, to their participation as service dogs make it much more than just 'another breed book.' With more than 150 vintage and modern photographs of the breed, this book is a must-have for every Chihuahua owner.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Payne, Susan

Leseproben

A Chihuahua winning Best in Show in Mexico—the Smooth bitch “La Bamba” is pictured taking the top award under American judge Frank Sabella in 1990. The trophy presenter is Carlos Navarro.

Origins of the Chihuahua

By Louise Cacchio

The many theories concerning the origin of the Chihuahua are not only fascinating but also quite diverse. That the Chihuahua originates in Mexico is widely believed by historians and Chihuahua enthusiasts. Evidence of this origin, however, is debatable, and many parallel and plausible theories continue to be argued among breed enthusiasts. Even after researching scores and scores of books on this subject, the mystery of the origin of the Chihuahua still seems to be just that—a mystery.

The Mayans of South America made sculptures of a Chihuahua-type dog as early as the fifth century AD. These dogs were known as the Techichi, an ancient name in Nahuatl, the Mayans’ principal language. However, there were at least fifteen Mayan languages and many dialects, allowing for the many names that are associated with this small dog. Some of these are Tlalchichi, Chichiton, Teuih, Xoloitzcuintli, and Zcuintli. One can understand the difficulty encountered by the conquistadors in translating any information about these unusual dogs, especially since some of the same words were used to describe a rodentlike animal.

Following the Mayans, the Toltecs came into Mexico, conquering the central and southern part of the country and overtaking Mayan culture. Historians consider the Toltecs a much more civilized people who venerated much of nature: the seasons, the moon, the sun, water, and dogs—all had gods dedicated to them. The Toltecs even built a city for the dog-god named Tula. This Toltec dog appears in stone carvings in Huejotzingo, a Franciscan monastery of the early 1500s based at the foot of the snow-capped volcano of Iztaccíhuatl and located 100 miles from Mexico City. Some authors on this subject believe that this Toltec dog, called the Techichi, may have been bred to a round-headed doglike animal with erect ears known as Perro Chihuahueno, which lived in the mountain country of Chihuahua.

The early Mexican art of the Northwest coast culture is characterized as a folk art that usually did not depict subjects of a spiritual nature, other than the dog, which was thought to accompany the souls of the dead. The following sculptures are from the Northwest coast culture. Vessel in the form of a dog wearing a human mask.

After the Aztecs conquered the Toltecs, these little dogs were the prized possessions of the very rich and were held in great esteem. It was believed that when someone died, it was necessary to sacrifice a little dog to cremate with the body of the human master. The dog would lead the dead, as a guide for the human soul, through the underworld to arrive safely at the other side of the River of Death.

The Aztecs also believed that by burning the dog with a human corpse, any “sins” of the human would be transferred to the dog. The Aztecs have portrayed this little dog in their pottery and drawings as evidence of its existence in these rituals. This was not a hairless dog, but rather one that looks very much like it could be an ancestor of our present-day Chihuahua.

This theory seems to be further substantiated by Anton Fernando in his book Ancient Mexican Art. Fernando quotes sixteenth-century missionary Bernardino de Sahagún from his book Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva España:

“For companion he had a small dog, a yellow one that wore a strand of slackly spun cotton for a collar. Men say that he takes [the dead] across the nine fold river to Mictlan.…There the waters are wide, dogs are the ferrymen, and when one recognizes his master he leaps into the water in order to take him across. It is for this reason that the natives breed so many dogs, for it is said that the white dog and the black dog are unable to cross over to the land of the dead.…Only the yellow one, and none but he, can cross the river.”

Vessel in the form of a sleeping dog.

Vessel in the form of a dog lying on its back.

Vessel in the form of a dog scratching itself.

Fernando continues: “Here the colours of dogs are related to various divine functions, yellow, in Aztec religion, being the colour of the god of death. Colima Pottery has left a captivating memorial to the native Mexican breed, called the techichi (‘stone dog’) or tepexhuitl by the Mexicans. Likenesses of these dogs in all manner of true-to-life situations and attitudes were fashioned by the artists of the northwest coast as burial offerings to accompany the dead into the underworld. In one well known example the dog is actually wearing a human mask; more often he is portrayed as a corpulent beast with a maize-cob in his mouth.

“It was not only as companions of the dead that these animals were valued by the Indians, for they were also fattened for eating.”

As you can see from the vessel pictured on these pages, they have more of a resemblance to our modern-day Chihuahua than they have to the “rodentlike” animal referred to by some writers.

Hilary Harmar, in her The Complete Chihuahua Encyclopedia, tells of “a large isolated village in the most northern state of Mexico called Valle De Allende, where nearly every Indian house is owned by a Chihuahua!” People in this area of Mexico cannot remember a time when these little dogs were not an integral part of every household.

History has indicated to us that the conquistadors and the many explorers that followed laid the foundation for what became a “sea” highway to the New World. There are many books recounting stories of the riches brought back from the New World. Of these treasures, it is not hard to imagine that these tiny Mexican dogs would be among the bounty that they brought back to their homeland. And we can further surmise that emigrants from many countries, adventuring to the New World, would include little dogs among their precious possessions in order to start a new life there.

Another theory of the breed’s origin asserts that the Chihuahua might be a descendant of a little dog from Malta, which the Spaniards brought over with them when they came to the New World. This dog from Malta possessed a molera, the open spot on the top of the skull where the parts of the skull meet. This molera is not common to any breed of dog other than the Chihuahua. There is also proof of the existence of this dog in a Sandro Botticelli painting in the Sistine Chapel depicting a very close look-alike of today’s Chihuahua. Since the painting was completed in 1482, before Columbus came to the New World, it could substantiate the belief that the dog is of European ancestry. It should be noted here that several other breeds have claimed the dog in this painting as the origin of their ancestry.

Could the Chihuahua have originated in China? It is common knowledge that the Chinese are masters of the art of dwarfing. With the permission of Jane Harvey of Rangeaire Vision of Australia, we have presented a photo of a ceramic Chihuahua-type dog, said to be a 2,000-year-old artifact discovered in an ancient tomb in the Forbidden City of Beijing, China. Upon giving us permission to print this photo, Ms. Harvey explained:

A once-in-a-lifetime photograph of a Chihuahua artifact said to be over 2,000 years old. Fancier Jane Harvey of Australia’s Rangeaire Vision had the rare opportunity to see this ceramic figurine while touring the vaults of Beijing’s Forbidden City.

The tiny Chihuahua “King,” with his movie-star owner Lupe Velez, being fed from an eye dropper.

“Now you must understand it was not an easy picture to obtain. It was contained in a cabinet well underground in vaults and closely guarded—which can be spooky in a strange country where one has no language. However, fortunately we had a marvelous young guide who was only a student and she took us there especially as she knew it was there and I had told her of my interest in anything dog. She guided just my husband and I on that day as a special favour. This wee dog statue was actually a grave image and was only about two inches high. I asked our guide to beg the guard to allow us to take a photo. We had film, not digital, and anyway had to use a flash because it was so dark in that room. A digital camera would have never coped and we were allowed one shot only. It is a pity that the camera focused on the glass instead of the statue, but we had to hurry before someone else came into the room. So it is a rare picture indeed! I doubt whether I would ever find that room again—it was in the vaults of the ‘Forbidden City.’ And if I did, I doubt whether one would ever obtain permission to photograph it as they are very strict about that—notices everywhere, photographers will be prosecuted…but yes, it is an interesting little statue indeed!”

This picture was printed in a French publication with a caption that translates to: “The Afghan Hound sniffs, with some astonishment, the Chihuahua in his trophy.”

In addition to being a member of high society and a Chihuahua exhibitor, Bee Jackson was also known for her involvement with the Charleston dance craze. She is pictured with the dog generally considered to be her best, the all-white La Rex Snow Flake.

Photo from an ad for the kennels of toy-dog breeder Ida H. Garrett in Lynchburg, Virginia, featuring a 2-pound Chihuahua and an 8-pound Toy Shepherd.

Even the littlest dogs can do their part. These Chihuahuas appeared in an ad captioned “Pass the Ammunition,” dressed in soldiers’ gear, to help raise funds...