Whole Lotta Rosie

Do Chihuahua's help Asthma? — Do Chihuahua’s help Asthma?

Almost one year ago I wrote a post prompted by Brittney Myers about Asthma and Chihuahua’s. Several months later, The Dog Liberator had selected a few Chi’s to rescue, but they were adopted from the shelter in Lake City. My son Ryan was very excited, only to be told it was not going to happen. Ryan has suffered from allergy-related asthma all of his life, he takes several medications, and gets allergy shots regularly.

Last week, Dusty (Lilly’s Dad) asked if I could help a friend who was surrendering her Chihuahua. Based on the dog’s temperament and photo, I thought she was highly adoptable. The two year-old was delivered to me last Sunday, January 5th, but I never dreamed that I would fall in love with her immediately! Her name was Athena, and we tossed around some name ideas, and settled with Rosie even though she has a million nicknames already.

In an attempt to conduct our own experiment, Rosie has been sleeping with Ryan every night. However, last night, she slept with me. This morning Ryan awoke sneezing, coughing and wheezing. Coincidence? Maybe!

Like I did one year ago, I researched the myth that Chihuahua’s help children with Asthma again. Here’s what I found!

While I currently do not believe that any dog can “take asthma away” I wonder if the Chi is so small that it actually delivers the allergen to a person who is allergic, much like the shots that Ryan is receiving contains the actual items he is allergic to. Getting small dosages of what hurts him is helping him build his own immunity.

If any person is allergic to dogs, the last thing they would want is a 120 pound dog sitting on top of them! But a tiny little Chi might be delivering just enough of the allergen to help the patient.

I also believe that any dog, even a tiny Chi can help a person relax and feel comforted. So even if it’s psychosomatic, who cares if it works! Remember, I am the person who bought Claire Bear chicken feet! I’ll try anything!

When I researched the epidemic of homeless dogs last month, I found that in 2007 only a few hundred Chihuahuas were homeless on Petfinder, yet in 2013 there were over 18,000 homeless Chi’s listed on Petfinder. This mess was created in party by the popular Beverly Hills Chihuahua and greedy breeders. If we can safely say that some people truly believe for reasons we can not yet prove that Chi’s help people with Asthma, it’s a win win!

But here’s what I really want to share about Rosie. She is housebroken, she does not bark at strangers, she is not afraid, she is not neurotic, she does not bite, she is very friendly, she is crate trained, she is sleeps in her bed during the day, she eats very little, she does not require much grooming, my pack has accepted her, and she is very polite with the pack, she is cuddly and gives kisses. When given the right environment, training and leadership, all Chihuahuas can be like Rosie.

For now, she will stay with us but if for any reason we do not feel she is a match for us, I have no doubt that she will be fought over! In the meantime, anyone wanting to start up a Chihuahua rescue, I’m all ears!

01/14/14 Update: Rosie went to the vet yesterday. She needed all of her shots, and her micro-chip. We forgot to heartworm test her (I know it’s negative) so we’ll do that tomorrow. But, she needed FIVE teeth pulled. FIVE teeth in that tiny little head of hers! Ah Chihuahua – that must have hurt! Still groggy and in some pain, she slept with me last night. I gave her the pain meds, and listened to her breathing. Every once and a while, she’d let out a tiny groan – poor thing!

What’s wild is that this morning, Ryan needed his inhaler! He was coughing and wheezing, remember, I slept with Rosie. When I arrived at this vet this morning, Katrina mentioned that one of her family members always had a Chi because of Asthma – and she insists that it’s not a wive’s tale! Time will tell eh? Rosie is doing great today! I’m scouting for dog clothes for her, to help her through the cold days that are on their way here.