I am the breeder responsible for two and a half healthy generations of chihuahuas.

It all started with Cooper, a sweet little boy that I purchased from a reputable breeder in 2011. I picked him out as a puppy, and two years later got a little girl named Lola to be his companion after a few months of thinking about the moving parts of breeding. <br><br>Lola was a bit different. She had an ear that always sat down, and her face was not as apple-shaped as some chihuahuas. But she was a ballerina when she moved, had a deep bark for a girl of her size, and was a hard worker. And she was a friend to my oldest son when he was a baby. She was always happy to sit next to him, and she licked his face so much that his skin was always damp. <br><br>A few years later, I bred them together. <br><br>The first litter was born in 2013. None of the puppies had an ear that always sat down, but one little brown girl was born with a tail that was bent regularly at the end. I kept that girl and named her Tiny, and she grew to be an incredible mother. I always watched her closely, and she never had issues with any of her litters. <br><br>And I bred her to Cooper in 2015. The dam had a tail that was bent, and the sire had a funny spot on his neck. And I got a little boy who was completely black except for a patch of white on the bridge of his nose. He was born without a tail, and I was told that's nothing to worry about. He was a gift to my eldest son on the eve of his 5th birthday. We named him Sparky. <br><br>And I did my best to breed to different studs. But no matter where I went, no matter what I looked for, Cooper and Tiny were always the best option. I was a very small breeder, just a few litters every year. I never raised an animal that I would not call a pet. And I never sold an animal that I thought would be better of staying with us. <br><br>I bred to Toy Fox Terriers, Pomeranians, Poodles. I bred to other chihuahuas, and even mixed-breed rescues who had chihuahua parents. <br><br>In a decade of breeding, not a single animal ever came back to me with a genetic condition. Not a single animal was ever reported to have chronic health issues. <br><br>I had some dogs with funny ears, and some dogs that were born without tails. I had a few dogs with bent and broken toes, and a girl with a lump on her head all her life. But all of them had clean records; all of them loved to run and jump and hunt. <br><br>And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. <br><br>Now I have a list of people waiting for one of my dogs, but I am no longer breeding. I have taken a position on the local animal control board, and it's very important to me that I take a break from breeding while I work to control the animal population in my local area. <br><br>And I've got 4 dogs to care for, as the years go by. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to give them a lifetime home.