Bullhuahua

The name Bullhuahua is a combination of the names of the dog’s two parent breeds, the Bulldog and the Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is the smallest and one of the oldest known dog breeds. Its origin is debated, but it is commonly accepted that Chihuahuas were present in Mexico as early as the 9th century AD. The same theory traces the breed back to its suspected predecessor the “Techichi” – a small dog that was first domesticated by the Toltecs – a Mesoamerican civilization. The Toltecs may have crossbred the Techichi with a dog breed that lived in the mountains of Chihuahua, called the Perro Chihuahueno. When the Aztecs conquered the area, they embraced the Techichi, using the dog in spiritual ceremonies. When explorers arrived in South America from Western Europe, the Techichi was bred with other small dogs to produce the Chihuahua that we know today. The Chihuahua became popular in North America in the late 1800s to early 1900s and was registered by the American Kennel Club in 1904. The other parent breed, the Bulldog, also has a debated origin. The AKC contends that the Bulldog began in the British Isles. It is confirmed, however, that the breed was initially bred for “bull-baiting” – a “sport” in which Bulldogs attacked Bulls, or in some cases bears, by the nose. This sport was eventually banned, and the Bulldog was taken in by admirers as a companion dog in the mid to late-1800s. Bulldogs were bred to be very stout with short muzzles, unfortunately causing many of the health issues that plague the breed today. The product of these two purebred dogs is a relatively new and atypical hybrid. There is no known date of the Bullhuahua’s origin, and its personality and appearance have not yet stabilized. As such, the Bullhuahua is not widely recognized and lives in the shadow of more popular Chihuahua hybrid breeds.