Small dogs were generally bred for a purpose, to chase rats into holes, mostly. These ridiculously small dogs who would be killed by any rat worth his salt, are mostly the ones we would have killed at birth only a few years ago. That is the sick part - these tiny dogs often have health problems, and yet people continue to breed them - even the ones with demonstrated genetic diseases, and I find that really sick.

I am the proud parent of a Hairless Chinese Crested - he weighs 9 pounds and is about 12 inches high, and he's one of the healthiest dogs I've ever had. I live in the city in a small condo, so a small dog is appropriate for me, and I liked the cleanliness of this breed. His blood line has been carefully selected by responsible people over many generations, and I seriously doubt many of these "backyard puppy mills" have any idea what that means, which is why they produce so many runts and then "market" them as "teacup" whatevers...

My Hairless Cresty, Akira (new window)