HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

The ads on the ‘net are all the same and today is no different

I am in the area for a week and I am looking for a teacup male shih tzu 1 year old or older 5 lbs and under. please email if you have on one …thank you

There is no such thing as a “Teacup” Poodle, Yorkie, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua etc.   Unscrupulous breeders breed runts to runts to produce a tinier and tinier dog.   Oftentimes, the mother dog must have a C-section.  Firstly, the dog is so tiny to begin with, but if the male dog is tiny but passes the gene for a slightly bigger version down, the puppies heads could be too large for her to deliver.   But to these folks, money is worth more than their dog’s life.    When the puppies are born, if they survive and thrive, which not all will considering they were bred from the two perhaps unhealthiest puppies in their parents’ litters, they may experience other complications as the grow up.   It is not uncommon for these very tiny 1-3 lb dogs to have seizures, an enlarged heart, a soft spot that doesn’t close, or dwarfism.  Also, it is a common idea that all tiny dogs “shiver,” and that’s normal.  Untrue.   I am not speaking from reading articles, but from the personal experience of seeing these dogs come through shelters, and having known people who have these tiny ones and the heartache they go through.

So please, resist the temptation to answer an add offering “Teacup” anything unless it is porcelain and comes with a crumpet or lemon wedge.     Rescue instead.    Please take the time to educate people that there are plenty of tiny dogs in rescue.  They may not have one at that very second, but if you let them check your references ahead of time, they will keep you in mind should a dog come up, or they may be able to rescue one more knowing you have a home for one.

Also, if you want to go one further, try to educate the people offering these dogs if you can.  Some may treat you nasty and may just be out for the money, but you might find someone after your 50th try who didn’t listen to the spay and neutering message and are assume their dog’s tiny pups must be “teacups” as marketing to find them homes.  Maybe that person is ready to listen.

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