not considered an inspiration to many
”The problem, say experts, is people who want to be seen with a trendy pet, but don’t want to be bothered caring for it”
Paris Hilton will hold her title of tabloid queen for 2009.
ANIMAL SHELTERS are bursting at the seams with Chihuahuas – and pet experts blame Paris Hilton!
Many of the adorable pups were purchased by women who saw PARIS and other Hollywood starlets toting the animals as fashion accessories, say animal shelter workers – and now the little dogs are being dumped when the women get sick of caring for them.
There’s an epidemic of abandoned Chihuahuas – especially in trend-conscious California – and sadly, many are being euthanized.
Overwhelmed with the number of Chihuahuas at their three county shelters, officials in Santa Barbara, Calif., held an “Adopt a Chihuahua Week” – offering a fur-trimmed pink carrying case to anyone who adopted one of the tiny pooches.
The problem, say experts, is people who want to be seen with a trendy pet, but don’t want to be bothered caring for it.
“Chihuahuas are not a toy or a fashion accessory,” leading authority Lynnie Bunten told the media. “But because some people think they are – then realize they’re wrong – there’s a growing problem of abandoned Chihuahuas.”
Bunten, who runs the Chihuahua rescue for the Chihuahua Club of America, says young girls see Paris with her dog, Tinkerbelle, and want to emulate her. The club now bans anyone under 21 from adopting a Chihuahua.
“They just want the dogs for the wrong reason,” says Bunten. “I think it’s just plain silly when you see a woman walking around with a Chihuahua in her purse because she thinks it’s fashionable.”
