Chihuahuas are often the type of dog that you either love or hate.
Chihuahuas might be small, but they are feisty, and they are known for their aggressive tendencies.
However, some humans are captivated by their puppy-like eyes and cute appearance.
Here are ten totally chill facts all about Chihuahuas that you probably didn’t know.
Chihuahuas have two different head shapes.
There are two different head shapes when it comes to Chihuahuas, which are known as an “apple head” or “deer head.”
An apple head is when the skull appears to be rounder in shape with a more prominent forehead. The apple head Chihuahua will have a short snout and bulging eyes.
Whereas “deer head” Chihuahuas have an elongated head with a longer snout. The skull shape is more oval, and their facial features are less prominent.
The apple head is the more common of the two.
Taco Bell employed a Chihuahua for its commercials.
In the 1990s, Taco Bell employed a real Chihuahua for their commercials.
Born in 1994, Gidget the Chihuahua filmed its first commercial with Taco Bell for its debut in 1997.
Gidget was voiced by Carlos Alazraqui and had the famous catchphrase “Yo quiero Taco Bell!” which translates from Spanish to mean “ I want Taco Bell!”
This was just the start of Gidget’s career as she went on to feature in the 2003 movie “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde” as Bruiser’s mom.
Sadly Gidget was euthanized at her home on July 21, 2009, following a stroke. She died at age 15.
Chihuahuas are amongst the most aggressive breeds of dogs.
Chihuahuas are known for their feisty personalities and are rated as one of the most aggressive dog breeds in the world.
Alongside German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas can be aggressive, but they can be managed.
Like other aggressive dog breeds, it is encouraged to let them play and mingle with other dogs, humans, and children from a very young age.
This allows them to become more used to a variety of people and be calmer with their surroundings.
Chihuahuas originate from Mexico.
Chihuahuas originate from the state of Chihuahua in Mexico.
They were first discovered in the state in the mid-19th century around 1850; however, these were not the same as the Chihuahuas we know today.
The Chihuahuas we have today would have been bred with other dogs over time.
When the Spanish came to Mexico, they brought small hairless Chinese dogs with them on the ships.
It is believed that these would have bred with the native Chihuahuas to create the dog we know today.
The crossbreeding emphasized its small qualities, creating the world’s smallest dog.
In February 2014, a pack of Chihuahuas terrorized a small town in Arizona.
In Maryvale, Arizona, residents made around 600 calls to animal control in February 2014.
There were three times the amount of phone calls made in two months compared to the previous year.
The phone calls were in regards to the rogue Chihuahuas terrorizing the streets of Maryvale.
The Chihuahuas were attacking schoolchildren, defecating everywhere, and even recruiting larger stray dogs to their pack.
The situation was starting to get out of hand as these rogue Chihuahuas were creating an untamable pack.
As well as recruitment, none of the strays were spayed or neutered, so the pack was ever-growing naturally.
Locals were encouraged to shut them in their gardens and then call animal control to take care of them.
Chihuahuas are believed to be the descendants of the Techichi.
It is believed that Chihuahuas come from the native dog of Mexico, the Techichi.
Techichi’s were small mute dogs that were often kept by the Toltec people of Mexico around the 9th Century AD.
Drawings of Techichi’s have been found on items excavated in Mexico dating back as far as 300 BC; however, it is unknown exactly how long they existed.
Like human babies, Chihuahuas have a soft spot on their heads.
When babies are born, they have what we call a soft spot. This is called a “molera” for dogs.
A molera occurs when the puppy is born and is found on the forehead.
When the skull has not fully formed at birth, there is a small soft spot between the skull.
Between 80% and 90% of Chihuahuas are born with a molera, most of which occur in apple head Chihuahuas.
Statistics show that 50% of Chihuahuas born with a molera will have it for their entire life.
Chihuahuas are useful Service Dogs because of their size.
The world’s smallest sniffer dog is a Chihuahua crossbreed.
You might think that a sniffer dog needs to be big and tough-looking, to scare criminals, but not in all cases.
Midge is the world’s smallest police dog working as a police K9 in Geauga County Sheriff’s Office, Chardon, Ohio, USA.
Midge passed her narcotics dog training on November 7, 2006.
She is small enough to search school lockers and inmates’ property in country prisons.
The Aztecs worshipped Chihuahuas.
Chihuahuas played a big role in Aztec civilization for both rituals and as servants.
It was believed that yellow Chihuahuas were there to serve, so when an owner was soon to die, the Chihuahua would be sacrificed.
This was so the Chihuahua would be ready and waiting in the afterlife to serve its owner.
Red Chihuahuas were thought to relive the sin of their owner and were used in rituals at funerals and burials.
Chihuahuas are the smallest dog in the world.
Chihuahuas are the world’s smallest breed of dog, but there’s one Chihuahua smaller than any we have seen before!
Meet Milly the Chihuahua, the world’s smallest dog, and smallest Chihuahua ever recorded.
She was born in December 2011 in Puerto Rico, weighing less than 0.5 ounces (14 g). She was small enough to fit in a teaspoon.
In February 2013, she was fully grown and measured 3.8 in (9.65 cm) tall, weighing around 1lb (0.5 kg).
Milly, also known as Miracle Millie, is such a sensation that her owner allowed Milly to be cloned 49 times by Sooam, a South Korean pet cloning company.
Most of the clones were made to study to learn more about why she is so small.
Chihuahuas were the outcome of the natural crossbreeding of the Techichi dog from Mexico.
Their ancestors have served humans for thousands of years and are one of the world’s most loyal breeds.
Chihuahuas might be feisty, but that doesn’t stop them from being loved and being popular pets worldwide.
