What Was the Chihuahua Bred For?

American and European tourists are said to have taken a liking to the little dogs from Chihuahua province. Resourceful Mexicans turned this interest into real money and began to breed the little four-legged friends. Particularly small specimens were preferably mated with one another in order to keep the offspring as tiny as possible.

From Mexico, the dogs finally made their way to the USA and England, where their continued breeding began around 1900. In Germany, on the other hand, the first Chihuahuas appeared in the middle of the last century.