I asked a friend what I should write about .  She suggested her dog.  She has a Chihuahua. 

 

Now let me say first off that I LOVE dogs.  My family  had a few different ones over the years, and I've held each in high esteem- even Jackie, the mean little Beagle who did nothing but bark, growl, and chase my horrified friends out of the yard.  To this day, if I see a puppy I get down on all fours and start playing with it.  Dogs and I get along very well together.

 

But then there's the Chihuahua. Seriously, I want to see papers (the scientific kind) that that thing really is a dog.  And it's not like I have something against small dogs...read back to the part about puppies.  Chihuahua's just look so unnatural - like God started to create them, got busy making something else, and forgot to come back, accidentally sending it out into the world with a fresh batch of other animals.  I know the reality is that somewhere - probably Mexico - the dog was "created" from a mix of other dogs and is actually a marvel of modern breeding techniques.  If that's true - I want to see the hodge-podge of creatures used to create that little ball of fur, eyes, and shivering.  It looks rather pathetic. 

 

I think the part that just kills me is trying to imagine Chihuahuas surviving out in the wild.  What would they eat?  Would they herd?  What would their "natural habitat" be?  Can a pack of Chihuahuas take any other animal down?  They would probably have to be set on an island with  other useless animals like hamsters (don't get me started on them), gerbils, and canaries.  We'll call it "Annoying Island" and reward Zoo bred Tigers who have been well behaved with roaming around for an hour, to enforce population control. 

 

Please, oh please, explain to me why these animals are so lovable.  And no, they are not cute.  Comment away.

 

Jason