Purrley,

Buffy is the best Chihuahua we have ever owned. I have another one, a male named Tobi (I opened a thread for him if you want to look at his pics). Neither of our chihuahuas shake, nor do they have runny eyes, nor do they bark a lot. When I compare our chihuahuas' behavior to our flat-coated retriever, there is no difference, except that the chihuahuas are more confident and will stand up to even a Great Dane. They're not whiners nor are they yappers. They bark if someone gets within 20 feet of the house, which is absolutely great. When I think I hear something, if Tobi or Buffy are not alert, I know I was inmagining things. Chihuahuas are very low maintenance. It takes me 15 minutes to bathe and groom Tobi and Buffy. In the summer I choose to shave Tobi since in Miami it gets really warm -- it takes me 10 minutes to shave him and he really enjoys it. All I know is that I will ALWAYS have a long-hair chihuahua in our lives. Everyone that meets Buffy is amazed that something so tiny (she weighs only 3 pounds) can have so much personality as she is VERY affectionate.