# Is having a chihuahua not a 'guy' thing?



## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

I sincerely hope my comments do not get misconstrued. Now that I have been hanging around here a while, I recognize that most of the people who post are women. Many of them do have a husband/boyfriend, but I seem to gather that this is not the majority. We ended up with our chi mix, because we found this absolutely cute little dog at the local Humane Association, and we both agreed to take him home. He is genetically chi in the majority, although he weighs 13 lbs.

I have found myself loving him every bit as much as she does, but it was important for me to discover his macho side. He absolutely loves tug of war and play fighting, and he seems to be fearless when encountering other dogs much larger than him, although he knows one of us is always right at his side. I wonder if some of the boyfriends or husbands are not so attached to the family chi out of a feeling that it is a bit of a 'sissy' dog. Let's face it: some of the female owners do like to dress up their little girl or guy in a cutesy costume.

Please ladies, no flames! I am hoping to hear comments from the males on this forum about their feelings about living with a tiny dog. I will confess that I do tell Simcha at feeding time that I am giving him 'doggy food', and I may even give him a little kiss when nobody is looking.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Real men love Chihuahuas.


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## chili (May 27, 2011)

You post made me smile. I asked my husband if he thinks Chili is a sissy dog or a girly dog and he said. "H*ll no, he's a tough little sh*t" LOL. So I guess Real Men Do Love Chihuahuas. I Hope some of the guys that post here chime in.
P.S. Before I got Chili my husband didn't think he would like him but chili stoled his heart


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Nope, my husband loves the Chi's! Didn't start out that way--he was dreading bringing home our first. A month later & he was sold on the breed! He said he'd never own a big dog again...


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## pam6400 (Oct 5, 2008)

My hubby loves ours.......


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## Bianca00 (Nov 20, 2011)

My dad loved Cosmo. Would save a spoonful of his ice cream every night for Cos. sometimes would talk 'baby talk'. Bianca is very much a one person dog. My dad and husband do not have any emotion towards her.


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

I read my other half the message and he said that he's not bothered in the slightest that he's a small dog or seen as a girls dog. He said all he cared about at the time what that I got a dog I was happy with. He says that it's much more important to him to get a dog that has a good demeanour and is happy and healthy and that we're able to provide the right lifestyle for. We did go for a chi because I wanted one but then his suggestion was a Yorkshire terrier which aren't much more macho! But I guess size was a big concern for us anyway. 

When I was a child I had a chi and when I was a little older I got another one. My dad was always more interested in the dogs than my mum was, he loved our first chi very much and the only times I saw him cry were when the dogs died. He is a very macho kind of mans man as well. He worked as a truck driver and mechanic and he wasn't bothered about loving a chi!


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

When my husband and I started dating about 10 years ago he had a Chi. Granted, it was his mom's and she had a stroke and could not take the dog to a nursing home so my husband took him in. After we lost him, we immediately got Hope. Then Ruby. Then Eden. 

My husband is 6'2" nice strong manly guy. He's a car racing, motorcycle jumping kind of man. No one would ever nor could ever see him any differently.

This was him a night or two ago (notice the pink flowered blanket on the left and the stuffed toy on the denim ottoman right below his manly leather chair!)...


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

My dad calls Rocky a sissy, but that's because he is such a scared wimp, not because he is a chi. He adores him though. He proudly walks him in his "I love my daddy" t-shirt! But Lilly is his dog- apparently she's tough being a 30 lb mutt with an under bite. LOL He adores Toby too. Took this on fathers day!

Toby and grandpa:











Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## EmberLuvu (Oct 24, 2011)

Real men love chihuahuas. End of story.

I may not be old enough to have a husband or even boyfriend but I do know that if I was a guy I would love chi's as much as I do now. They aren't a "girly" dog. SURE, they are small and make good mannequins and models sometimes but seriously - a dog is a dog. My grandpa *likes* Ember but loves Trigger (our beagle) more and treats him like royalty so I guess some men prefer the big dogs but it is perfectly manly to have a chi. 

... alright, I'm done, down to the point - ALL the men I have met that saw Ember have went AWWWWWWWWW for like an hour. lol So obviously they liked chis


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

My menfolk absolutely adore the Chi's (x 4) and my poor long-suffering Ex, who is my best friend, benefactor & now psuedo husband without benefits would do anything, anything at all for those dogs - if I rang him at 2am & said the dogs are needing something, he'd be up out of bed to go get it. He runs them/us all over the countryside, but if I ask him to pick something up for me, it's like I asked him to murder someone. 

My 12yo son gets all misty eyed at certain close times with them. Father's always first out with the credit card when we go to the butcher to buy about $100 worth of treats for them - bones and organs, the vet, the pet store etc.

HOWEVER, when it comes to being seen out in public with them, there is no way on god's green earth my silly old 62yo goat Ex would be seen dead holding a lead or carrying a Chi in his arms - so long as they're seen as "her lapse of sanity dogs" he's happy. If they were "dressed" he wouldn't be within miles, he thinks that's beyond ridiculous. Aussie men, pfft, they're a weird bunch in the main.


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## Piku (Jul 28, 2012)

My hubby will not have any other breed but a Chi and he is ex military. My son also a big guy Loves our Chis! So yea real men Love Chihuahuas lol


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## Blondie87 (Jan 10, 2011)

My hubby still wants his big dog... But he LOVES our Chis, especially our smallest one. They have a special bond, he always says she is his dog.. lol. He is a big guy too, 6'5. He isn't afraid to be seen carrying our lil 4 lb Chi around. I agree, Real men love Chis!


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

My fiancé loves our chi's too, he tells everyone they're our kids! Of course he wasn't super excited about getting our first chi, but they were bff's shortly after!


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## MMS (Aug 2, 2012)

When I brought Stella home, my bf said "don't expect me to hold her leash in public, that'd be too embarrassing!" His 15 year old son said something very similar.

Now when we walk together, if given a choice between her leash and one of the bigger dogs (lab and lab/irish setter), they clamor for Stella's! He gets a humongous smile on his face when she chooses to cuddle on his chair for her naptime over mine, and takes more pics of her than I do! 

Granted, she's not a purebred chi, and she's a little sturdier and more rough-and-tumble, but he openly admits that he loves her and wouldn't trade her for anything (not that he'd be allowed to...)


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## Maia's Mom (Oct 13, 2011)

Out of our 4 dogs ( 2 big and 2 small) my boyfriend loves the little ones. He will take my daughter's chi and cuddle with him ( he calls it "man time") I will also catch him baby talking to my chi and cuddling with her and getting her to give him kisses. He acts totally different with the big dogs..... He's not goo goo gaa gaa over them.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

You are definitely not alone. =) Here's a thread I made not long ago that shows a whole bunch of Doggies & Daddies!

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chi...ies-3-*pic-heavy*.html?highlight=dogs+daddies

My boyfriend Robbie is a member here too; one of his brothers has one chihuahua and the other brother has two. =D I agree; REAL men love chihuahuas!!!


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

I think maybe internet forums are not a man thing- it seems mostly women on all of the ones I am a part of, even ones related to things that are not stereotypically gendered. So that is some of it. I bet a lot of husbands/boyfriends live vicariously through us ladies on here too. That said my husband was the one who wanted a chihuahua. Never in my wildest dreams would I have even fostered one. He got me to foster a few then finally he convinced me to adopt a chi puppy. Maybe it is different for us- cause my husband is a hardcore feminist and very vocal about his views on gender conformity. So I don't know if he "counts" when you are talking about manly things. His mantra is that gender in relation to things like this a social construct so owning a chi would never even cross his mind as being a girl thing. Besides us though- I know lots of single men who live in the city and own different toy breeds. They just fit into some peoples lifestyle better.


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## Sideout (Sep 3, 2012)

This is my boyfriend with his manly beard and mustache having a moment with my chihuahua mix:









Forums I find are usually female dominated unless theyre about male specific subjects. Thats probably why you'll fund mostly women on here.

Anyways, I was reading this as my boyfriend is behind me cuddling with my dog so I told him about your concerns and asked him a few questions. He was answering me as he was trying to get my dog to give him kisses. 

Q:What do you think about my dog?
A: Shes cute
Q: Would you get a chihuahua?
A: Yeah
Q: What do you think about guys and chihuahuas?
A: Well my best friend has a chihuahua. Its not masculine but if you like a dog you should get it. 

My boyfriend has a husky puppy by the way. He cradles him like a baby. And for the record, my dog is a cool dog. She wears sunglasses and has a motorcycle haha. No cutesy stuff!


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## Star's Mama (Aug 15, 2012)

It's my husband that chose to have a chi. He's the one that wants to take our dog everywhere that is allowed to too, he doesn't want to leave her alone at home either. He would even carry her in the purple carrier that we have too. 
I don't like putting on clothes for her unless it's needed...like cold weather.
I'm the one that cares for our chi, my hubby is the one that just have fun and spoil her....lol


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## Wuviegrl (Jun 6, 2012)

My dad loves lucky to bits and would play with her and give her small treats, he would even go as far as baby talking. My husband loves lucky too ..I would often catch him cradling her gently while asking her if she had a great day...my son who is almost 11 who thinks girly stuffs are strictly for girls claims that he is the bested friend of lucky.

I think it depends on one's biases. go ahead love all you want.


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## Loveoscar (Jul 22, 2012)

My bf adores Oscar. Sometimes to the point where I'm like put him down and come to bed lol!


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## Rocky (Jan 25, 2010)

I was the one wanting a Chihuahua and I got my partner to come and see a puppy at a breeder (which he wasn't keen about as he would rather have looked at Chihuahua/Jack Russell Mix puppies instead). As soon as he saw Rocky though he fell in love . 
He absolutely loves him now, especially playing with him. However, I will have to do everything else (feeding, picking up the poop, etc.).


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

doginthedesert said:


> I think maybe internet forums are not a man thing- it seems mostly women on all of the ones I am a part of, even ones related to things that are not stereotypically gendered.


Wow, completely different experience to mine, this is the ONLY forum I'm on where I'm amongst other women. The others are all totally dominated by men - cars, 4wd'ing, pipe smoking, aqua-scaping & ornamental fish keeping.

I have been trying to think of a single, solitary Aussie bloke I know who would cope with a Chi on a lead & couldn't come up with a single one, even my dearest gay boy friend put on a fabulous show when we took their fur kids and mine to the beach & he had to drag my Chi's & their stroller through the sand, it was movie worthy.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

My boyfriend convinced me that we needed a chihuahua. Now we have two, and I can't believe I didn't like Chihuahua's before! I think that chihuahua's can be a great dog for both men and women:


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

Well..we had a really big dog in the past. My husband used to wrestle and fight and play "man stuff" with this dog. When we got our little chihuahua I was a bit worried that she would be ignored by him. HA! Who was I kidding??? He loves her to bits! Plays tug of war like she was a lion (which she loves) and snuggles with her too.

Yesterday I was watching him running with her..this little dinky dog and he had this look of pure glee on his face. So, no, I dont think sissy has anything to do with it, at least not for us. 

For the record...Im a girl and I do not dress up my dog. I only put a little tshirt on her once for a picture or if its chilly she has a little sweater. Dresses are adorable and cute to look at but I dont prefer them for my girl at all.

I agree with the sentence REAL MEN love chihuahuas!


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

here is the story why I have 2 chis. I wanted a dog I prefer small dogs and love chis so my husband and I were making a research together and found a breeder with just born puppies close by so he called and set a date. I wanted a female chi and Marcus (husband) wanted a black one. Luckily for us the only female was black so it was a secure deal, but while we were there he felt in love with a male one (chi) and that's how we went there for one and now I have 2 chis.
ps: Very Important! my husband is a cat person, never had any dog before and never thought he'd have one.


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## joeandruth (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks for all the responses; I am glad I started this thread. For the record, I am a senior citizen, 6 foot 2, a bit over 200 pounds. I do worry about accidentally stepping on Simcha or otherwise hurting him. I just have to be careful, since my balance and walking stride are compromised by multiple back surgeries.

Simcha has his preferences, and most of his fighting and tug of war are done with me, rather than my wife. He loves to cuddle with her, but will do that with me too. When my wife utters the word 'sofa,' he runs upstairs to sit in the comfortable leather sofa with her (and myself if available) as she watches TV, naps or reads.

I am absolutely NOT ashamed to be seen with him in public. I am extremely proud of the way he valiantly guards our house by looking out of windows and barking when anything threatening, which includes neighborhood dogs, happens to walk by. He has a surveillance path: upstairs window, glass panes in front door, spare bedroom window, to check out the street.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

joeandruth said:


> Thanks for all the responses; I am glad I started this thread. For the record, I am a senior citizen, 6 foot 2, a bit over 200 pounds. I do worry about accidentally stepping on Simcha or otherwise hurting him. I just have to be careful, since my balance and walking stride are compromised by multiple back surgeries.
> 
> Simcha has his preferences, and most of his fighting and tug of war are done with me, rather than my wife. He loves to cuddle with her, but will do that with me too. When my wife utters the word 'sofa,' he runs upstairs to sit in the comfortable leather sofa with her (and myself if available) as she watches TV, naps or reads.
> 
> I am absolutely NOT ashamed to be seen with him in public. I am extremely proud of the way he valiantly guards our house by looking out of windows and barking when anything threatening, which includes neighborhood dogs, happens to walk by. He has a surveillance path: upstairs window, glass panes in front door, spare bedroom window, to check out the street.


I am so glad that little Simcha came into your life. It is great that you and your wife enjoy him so, and he seems so happy! 

And I agree, real men love Chihuahuas!


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

My hubby loves the breed so much, he's been after me to get another chi. He wants a teeny tiny, but I'm not ready.


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## BellaLina's Mom (Mar 16, 2007)

My husband loves and adores our all our chihuhuas (our late chihuahua girl who passed away at age 15; our current chis, Bella and Lina). He is a proud Daddy to our girls - he shows off their photos to everyone. He is so proud when he walks the girls as he stops to chat with people who ask about our dogs. Our family, friends, and neighbors know all about our chihuahuas - from my husband. In fact, one of our neighbors adopted a chihuahua from an animal shelter because of our love for our chihuahuas influenced her (our neighbor was a cat person).


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## Zippo (Aug 22, 2012)

Not at all! I'm a guy and Chihuahuas happen to be my favorite breed. I've grown up with them my entire life and I will be getting a puppy next month. She will be the first dog I raise on my own. I can not see myself owning any other type of dog to be honest.

I think it's just like other have mentioned that message boards (unless the subject/hobby is male dominated) tend to be mostly female dominated. I've noticed this on other message boards I've been to.


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

Hmm, wonders how I can secretly drug my boofhead menfolk, tie them to a chair and force them to read this thread so they'll reconsider their stance.

It's gone past a joke now, my Ex has been gaining weight dangerously since he gave up smoking, as I have and I've suggested to him that we/they need to take daily family walks and the Chi's would benefit greatly too. His response, "You're delerious again women ... babbling nonsense again ....". I get upset and sulk but in this instance it's the only time I can't win, he won't budge.


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## hemmy (Jul 10, 2012)

The 2 chi's in my house belong to my 28yr old son. He bought 1 then 9 mths later bought another. They're good company for each other.


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## Tiny (Nov 7, 2011)

Personally I was never a small dog type as well as my bf but the day i brought my chi mix tiny home, my bf slowly fell inlove. Now we have tiny and penny, I love them so much and the breed! my bf also loves the breed and doesnt think that they are sissy dogs, he see's them as cute little baby dogs.


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## heathuhhhhwebbbb (Aug 3, 2012)

My fiance won't admit it, but he definitely loves our chihuahaus. He's 6'4 and doesn't mind carrying them around when we go the petsmart of wherever. And even though they get on his nerves at times (like any cute little animal would), I can tell he loves them. Luna is his girl, btw. She follows him, lays on his lap, and gives him kisses...and he thinks its adorable.


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## heathuhhhhwebbbb (Aug 3, 2012)

missy_r said:


> My boyfriend convinced me that we needed a chihuahua. Now we have two, and I can't believe I didn't like Chihuahua's before! I think that chihuahua's can be a great dog for both men and women:


What an adorable photo!


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## Pumpernickel (Apr 5, 2012)

My husband LOVES Max. It's him who spends all day with him as he works from home and I think he would be so lonely without him now! When we first got him he told me that he wouldn't be taking him for walks without me as he thought he would look silly but that only lasted a couple of weeks and he now walks him all the time when I'm at work  When we walk him together then it's always my hubby who likes to hold the lead, I have to fight him for it these days!


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