Chihuahuas Overrun California Shelters
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California has more Chihuahuas than it can handle, and it has Hollywood to blame.
There are so many Chihuahuas at shelters in Oakland, they have started shipping the dogs out of state, said Megan Webb, director of Oakland Animal Services. They have sent about 100 to Washington, Oregon and Arizona, she said, "and as soon as they get them, they are ready for new ones."
Chihuahuas make up 30 percent or more of the dog populations at many California shelters. And experts say pop culture is to blame, with fans imitating Chihuahua-toting celebrities like Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus, then abandoning the dogs.
"It's been a slow and steady climb. ... We call it the Paris Hilton syndrome," Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco animal care and control department, told the Los Angeles Times.
The problem appears to be specific to California - shelters elsewhere would love to share the wealth, said Gail Buchwald, senior vice president overseeing the ASPCA adoption center in New York City.
"We never have enough supply for the huge consumer demand for small dogs," she said.
One of Webb's biggest problems is a lack of money to fly the dogs to other states. Buchwald said she would be happy to help.
"Nothing is outside the realm of possibility here. We have a supply-demand isssue," she said.
Chihuahuas are the most popular breed of dog in Los Angeles, so it makes sense it is the most abandoned breed, said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. In Oakland, some days, they get 10 of the 5-pound dogs a day, Webb said.
The problem is so bad that shelters all over California that were built for big dogs had to remodel to accommodate the little guys.
Among the reasons for the glut is the breed's popularity in movies like "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and as celebrity pets, said Dave Frangipane, senior coordinator for Chihuahua Rescue of Beverly Hills. A cute puppy can grow up to have adult health problems or become protective and aggressive.
There are less glamorous reasons, too, like the high vet bills Chihuahuas can bring. And the biggest spikes in California Chihuahua populations are probably due to puppy mills and backyard breeders, Buchwald and Frangipane said.
Chihuahas are cute, but vulnerable, Frangipane said. "People think nothing of kicking a small, yappy dog. And they can be abused by people of all sizes. A toddler can snap a Chihuahua's leg in a second," he said.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. There are so many Chihuahuas at shelters in Oakland, they have started shipping the dogs out of state, said Megan Webb, director of Oakland Animal Services. They have sent about 100 to Washington, Oregon and Arizona, she said, "and as soon as they get them, they are ready for new ones."
Chihuahuas make up 30 percent or more of the dog populations at many California shelters. And experts say pop culture is to blame, with fans imitating Chihuahua-toting celebrities like Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus, then abandoning the dogs.
"It's been a slow and steady climb. ... We call it the Paris Hilton syndrome," Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco animal care and control department, told the Los Angeles Times.
The problem appears to be specific to California - shelters elsewhere would love to share the wealth, said Gail Buchwald, senior vice president overseeing the ASPCA adoption center in New York City.
"We never have enough supply for the huge consumer demand for small dogs," she said.
One of Webb's biggest problems is a lack of money to fly the dogs to other states. Buchwald said she would be happy to help.
Local Video from CBS 5 in San Francisco
Chihuahuas are the most popular breed of dog in Los Angeles, so it makes sense it is the most abandoned breed, said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. In Oakland, some days, they get 10 of the 5-pound dogs a day, Webb said.
The problem is so bad that shelters all over California that were built for big dogs had to remodel to accommodate the little guys.
Among the reasons for the glut is the breed's popularity in movies like "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and as celebrity pets, said Dave Frangipane, senior coordinator for Chihuahua Rescue of Beverly Hills. A cute puppy can grow up to have adult health problems or become protective and aggressive.
There are less glamorous reasons, too, like the high vet bills Chihuahuas can bring. And the biggest spikes in California Chihuahua populations are probably due to puppy mills and backyard breeders, Buchwald and Frangipane said.
Chihuahas are cute, but vulnerable, Frangipane said. "People think nothing of kicking a small, yappy dog. And they can be abused by people of all sizes. A toddler can snap a Chihuahua's leg in a second," he said.
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If y'all idiots don't know what to do with a dog, or a cat, or a kid you'd better stick with pet rocks or houseplants.
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Oh come on now. Without defenseless pets or kids, what would people be left with to project their misery onto?
American Shorthair Cats. They don't bark, and they love to snuggle.
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How about a plush toy wearing a Snuggie?
You don't have to feed them nor worry about the after effects of said consumption.
he would see that all animals in his country are well taken care of
before he goes abroad. You know the saying: take care of your own
back yard first; or if you love animals you love yourself and others.
I don't think I like Obama any more: funny, I had hopes thinking he
might be different than any of the past Presidents, to set an example
that we humans have been to greedy and selfish and apathetic to the
souls of other living beings. Good Bye.
The US trucking industry moves 60% of the goods shipped every day. Why can't the Humane Society ask a few trucking companies if they wouldn't mind asking drivers to take some of these micro-pups to other regions along their routes? Provide the pups with traveling cages and food. Make it easy on a trucker to tend to the thing while they go about their business.
They don't even need to have the dogs delivered to the shelters. Take the dogs in their little travel cases to the truck's origin then arrange to have the destination shelter go to the trucker's delivery destination to pick them up. Put one dog in every fifty trucks and you'd solve your problem with little to no cost. The truckers who volunteer to do this have a travel companion for their trip, minimal fuss and bother and the dogs (or other animals where an imbalance in their breed/species populations happen) get to places where they're actually wanted.
fooling with. What a great country. People should have to pay an
ownership bond to cover the expenses of sheltering, feeding these pets
once they dump them.
2 years ago, everybody feel in love with the movie 'Chihuahuas'. So, they purchased Chihuahuas. Later, they found out they do not need Chihuahuas. So, they took these Chihuahuas to the RIP house.
In wilderness (and almost everywhere in the world) the Nature takes care of animals in excess, but it is much more rude a story.