So. After taking advice on my 'Chorkie' thread, I looked into the two breeds as purebred and am pretty sure that a Chihuahua is the dog for me. However, it does concern me that they are so fashionable as 'accessories' at the moment. Firstly, I worry that people will think I have got myself a TOWIE handbag dog (and therefore Chihuahua crosses still interest me as they won't necessarily represent this as much), and secondly I worry that the price is so inflated right now. Are responsible breeders upping their prices too or generally keeping them the same? I know dogs in general are expensive and getting a well bred dog will likely save me money in the long run, but I can't justify spending thousands on one a Chihuahua when I could get something else. Any advice?
Who cares about what other people think? you don't have to justify your choice of dog to anyone. Besides, people are only going to think 'handbag dog' if you treat your dog like one. As for prices, I have no idea what a well bred Chihuahua goes for, but I would imagine it must closely approach the 4-figure mark? unfortunately prices are just one of those things and like you say, the price for most well bred purebred dogs is pretty high now. To be honest though, the initial price of the dog is NOTHING compared to what you spend over a lifetime on the dog. So if price is really an issue, then you may need to think long term about the financial implications a dog can bring.
If you are concerned about the fashionable aspect, I'd go for a purebred. A chi crossbreed looks far more 'fashionable' then a purebred, any day of the week.
That's interesting you think that, thank you. As for the price thing - it's the fact that I would resent paying over inflated prices just because of a fashion, not the amount itself. I did say I realise dogs are expensive.
Oh man that's a cutey. Where is that one? I'm still a little bit in love with Judy from Many Tears. Dreamt about her last night!
I dont think breeders would have put the price up because the breed is in fashion, well not good breeders anyway! The problem with toy breeds is that they often dont have the litter sizes that larger breeds do. This increases the cost to the breeder and reduces the supply of well bred puppys. Both of which are factor that push up the price for a puppy. If you look at less 'in' toy breeds they are pretty much all in the 4 figures these days
I heard that there was a huge increase of small dogs in rescue. I can't remember where I heard it but, it's getting less fashionable to have a handbag dog. More and more are ending up in rescues. Again not sure how true that is, but I wouldn't get a dog based on what people will think. If you go to a breeder, it is usually best to go by personal recommendation from someone who has had a dog off them before.
