Yappy Passion
Clear Lake woman breeds Chihuahuas, helps rescue needy pups
S t o r y by B E V E R LY C R I C H F I E L D p h o t o s by S C O T T T E R R E L L S k a g i t Va l l ey H e r a l d
CLEAR LAKE — Never has there been so much doggone excitement about Chihuahuas. Celebrity millionaire Paris Hilton turned the tiny tremblers into a fashion statement several years ago with the purchase of her dog, Tinkerbell. Before that, the famous Taco Bell commercial featuring a Chihuahua whispering “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” catapulted the tiny dog to its status as one of the top 10 most popular breeds in the United States.
And recently, the Chihuahua has grabbed headlines as a perky, rough-and-tumble attack dog after newspaper reports described a vicious “pack” of them swarming and biting a police officer in Fremont, Calif., just after Christmas.
Chihuahua breeder and rescuer Gloria Hurst says the dogs have become more popular in recent years as lovable, portable “urban” pets.
Of course, Hurst has been well ahead of the Chihuahua craze. She’s been breeding the dogs for about 10 years and runs a rescue service out of her home, affiliated with the nonprofit statewide Chihuahua Rescue and Referral, based in Fall City, Wash.
Hurst considers rescuing dogs part of her responsibility as a breeder. So she’s made sure she’s available for those little guys who are abandoned or whose owners can’t care for them anymore.
Sitting back on a padded bench in her Clear Lake home, Hurst said she’s loved the little breed since she first began babysitting her mother’s and grandmother’s chihuahuas as a child.
The dogs are feisty, no doubt, she said.
But attack dogs? She hardly imagines that her fun-loving French-E-Kiss or Little Lulu would ravage anyone. While Chihuahuas are known for being aggressive toward other dogs, they’re usually friendly with people.
“A pack?” she sputtered considering the Christmas incident, waving her hand dismissively in the air as she watched a litter of six 9-week-old Chihuahua puppies romp in a plastic baby pen in the living room of her Clear Lake home. “There were five. He’s a police officer. They didn’t even bite him. He went to work the next day.”
Hurst’s longtime friend and fellow Chihuahua enthusiast Mary Mulrooney snorted as she questioned the authenticity of the incident.
“What kind of a policeman is he to admit he’d been attacked by Chihuahuas?” Mulrooney said, rolling her eyes and affectionately cuddling her 2-year-old smooth coat, Bronson.
The black and brown dog nuzzled up to her closely, whining with excitement at the prospect of playing with the 18 other Chihuahua adults that raced around Hurst’s kitchen and dining room.
Bronson is an only child, after all, and gets a little lonely, Mulrooney explained. Most Chihuahua owners adopt their dogs in pairs, she said.
“They’re like potato chips,” she said with a snicker. “You can’t just have one.”
Mulrooney is just one of the Chihuahua owners who visits Hurst’s home in Clear Lake once a month to discuss the ins and outs of the breed.
Hurst organized the meetings two years ago as a way for Chihuahua and other small-breed dog lovers to exchange information and make friends.
She usually invites between 10 and 50 Chihuahua owners from as far away as Tacoma and Canada to her home to participate in dog costume contests, barbecues and lunches.
“People really hate meetings, so I try not to make them regular meetings,” Hurst said with a laugh. “They come for the fun aspect of it.”
Not much about Hurst’s life doesn’t involve Chihuahuas — she’s known to folks around town as the “Chihuahua lady.” She runs her own business, Gloryland Chihuahua Kennel.
A quick tour through her house — complete with a bevy of multicolored dogs trailing along and bouncing up and down like pop corn in a bag — reveals walls lined with Chihuahua paintings, a mantelpiece decorated with plates painted with Chihuahuas, Chihuahua figurines and spotless dog carriers stacked here and there.
“I don’t do much without thinking about my babies,” she said.
She said she’s seen more of a demand in recent years for the breed that some critics liken to nervous rats. In fact, the American Kennel Club ranked the breed 10th most popular for 2004 — the latest figures available.
More people are living in small apartments nowadays and can’t keep bigger dogs, Hurst said. Chihuahuas also are relatively low-maintenance, she added.
Friend Rhonda Scott of Mount Vernon had to agree. Scott was willing to fork out $1,200 for her first pure-bred show Chihuahua, which she says has been a lovable companion.
“I just don’t think that bigger dogs are as in tune with you,” she said, petting Bronson affectionately. “And they’re so mischievous. They’re fun.”
Like Scott, Hurst said she was most attracted to the Chihuahua’s lovable loyalty.
She didn’t purchase her first Chihuahua until she was 28 years old and didn’t begin her official Chihuahua-breeding career until she was in her 50s. She had spent years researching the breed and finally found a suitable pair in Spokane.
She paid $2,000 for the dogs — yes, the little guys are expensive — and almost lost the female when she wriggled out of her collar and escaped to run next to the freeway. Hurst still bursts out laughing when she remembers how she and her sister rushed along the freeway after the wayward pooch. “It was 105 degree heat, and there were two fat gals running up and down the freeway trying to catch this dog,” she giggled. Luckily, they hemmed her in and brought her back home, where she was bred the next day, Hurst said. As the puppies kept coming, Hurst realized that taking care of the lovable pups is a full-time job — and not cheap.
Every few hours, Hurst cleans out the pens, feeds the dogs and exercises them. She has set up heated pens in her basement to keep the puppies warm and fenced her large yard. She sets aside one or two days at the beginning of each month to clip their nails.
Then there’s the trips to the vets, the shopping and finding potential owners for the dogs.
While researching Chihuahuas on the Internet, Hurst met a woman with the statewide nonprofit Chihuahua Rescue and Referral, and decided to start her own local rescue service.
Some of the dogs she’s rescued come from veterinarians, others from people who no longer want to keep their Chihuahuas. Many come from homes with elderly owners who have to be moved to a nursing home.
For the past eight years, Hurst has coordinated a local Chihuahua Festival and fundraising event at her home. The last one attracted about 300 people and raised about $3,000.
Walking toward the puppy pen, Hurst reached out to pet a particularly feisty 9-week-old. She was busy working on finding suitable homes for 12 puppies — more than she usually has at one time.
Potential pup parents are screened thoroughly before Hurst will part with a Chihuahua baby, she said.
None go to homes with children younger than 6 or homes with many children, she said. Chihuahuas aren’t well suited for young children, she said.
The new owner has to sign a contract agreeing to have the pup spayed or neutered, and to bring the dog back to Hurst if it is no longer wanted. She also tries to educate potential dog owners about some of the particulars of the breed. For instance, Chihuahuas are prone to having knee problems, suffering from collapsing tracheas and eye problems.
“If someone comes to purchase a puppy, they have to agree to make a 15-year commitment,” she said, while Mulrooney nodded slowly.
Hurst charges about $450 for the males and $600 for females. Rescued dogs cost about $125, which goes to help pay for their upkeep, she said.
While Hurst says she is definitely the dog “mom” of the household, husband Bill also has become invaluable as a helper, even delivering some of the puppies.
Bill only smiles as he holds the nervous long-haired French-E-Kiss.
“It makes her happy,” he says, shaking his head.
Beverly Crichfield can be reached at 360-416-2135 or by e-mail at [email protected].
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