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If you have a Chihuahua, share some pictures of your beloved canine this International Chihuahua Appreciation Day. Your friends and family will love it.

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Did you know that packs of wild Chihuahuas common throughout the American southwest in the late 1800s and early 1900's?

In fact, the man who registered the first Chihuahua with the AKC, Hamilton Raynor, spent years catching the small dogs which became the foundation of his kennel. Or so they say...Frankly, having grown up with AKC registered Chihuahuas and having bred 9 generations of this wonderful, tiny Breed for the AKC dog show ring (and of course, to love), I have a hard time imagining that. That guy must have really been both extremely fast and smart to ever catch a "wild Chihuahua."

But then, Chihuahuas are happiest when living together in a family unit. And they are fearless. And smart. There is a more recent, modern-day saga from Arizonia. So maybe... In a news video from 2014, Chihuahua Dog Gang Runs Wild in Arizonia Neighborhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3EdhGjd8E0
Although the Chihuahua in that video are larger than mine, all Chihuahuas consider themselves "big dogs."

Around the turn of the 19th Century into the 20th, tourists were bringing Chihuahuas home from Mexico as travel souvenirs. So, maybe some of those folks weren't any more responsible than a lot of pet purchasers are today. Perhaps some Mexican born Chihuahuas were released into the Southwestern US and turned wild. Or maybe the tiny pooches were just illegal immigrants who wandered across the border in groups...

Whatever.
All AKC registered Chihuahua today (including sweet,3 1/2 pound Puffkin above) are decedents of the very first AKC registered Chihuahua that was said to have been captured in either Mexico or in the Southwest USA. Mr Rayner lived an interesting life beyond Chihuahua catching and breeding: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120427794/hamilton_polk-rayner

For those interested, here is a collection of early articles about Chihuahuas in the USA http://www.txlongcoats.com/VINTAGE-CHIHUAHUAS.html However I do have to totally disagree that any Chihuahua can climb a tree "like a squirrel". Not even the old-time ones.