Your Chorkie family pet is a hybrid resulting from the breeding of a Chihuahua to a Yorkshire Terrier and, as such, can take on the breed characteristics of either or both parent breeds. The Chihuahua breed originated in Mexico and its history is surrounded by mystery as it dates back to the 9th century, believed to have emanated from a small, mute dog known as “Techichi”, being noted in ancient carvings as a dog which resembles our Chihuahua of today. The Aztecs invaded Mexico in the 12th century, bringing with them a small, hairless dog which was bred to the Techichi, creating the breed we know and love today, the Chihuahua. It was believed that these tiny canines had a spiritual effect on the afterlife of the owner when they were buried together. The Yorkshire Terrier originated in northern England, being utilized to hunt and kill rats and other rodents in mines and cotton mills. In the 19th century, at the height of the industrial revolution, the Scottish people moved south to England to establish their own textile operations, bringing with them their own Scottish nondescript terrier which they bred to the Waterside Terrier found in northern England. Other suggested contributors to the ancestry of the Yorkshire Terrier include the Maltese Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the Skye Terrier, the old rough-coated Black-and-Tan English Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, the Paisley Terrier, the now-extinct long haired Leeds Terrier and the Clydesdale Terriers. The Chorkie hybrid originated in the United States in the early 1990’s and it is recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club, Designer Breed Registry, Designer Dogs Kennel Club, Dog Registry of America Inc and the International Designer Canine Registry.