Celebs who treat Chihuahuas like toys are so stupid.

Byline: KAREN HAMBRIDGE

Your Life daily THE SURPRISE success of doggy movie Beverley Hills Chihuahua (right) could be the catalyst for creating a renewed Chihuahua craze. With celeb owners carrying them around in fancy designer bags and dressing them up like toy dolls the breed already has a 'fashion accessory' image which could snowball. But is this a good thing for one of the world's oldest and tiniest breeds? KAREN HAMBRIDGE speaks to proud, local Chihuahua owners to get the lowdown on the little canines and learns there's more to them than meets the eye.

SANDRA Stangoe always says a Chihuahua is a big dog in a small dog's body. For sheer guts and grit you can't beat a Chihuahua despite its pint-sized appearance.

Far from being fragile, delicate, prissy pooches, the Chihuahua has the heart of a lion, she maintains; fearless, formidable and exceptionally faithful.

So people who simply want the dog as a fashion statement should really do their homework.

A breeder who has also shown at Crufts, Sandra, 59, from Leamington, is proud to announce her devotion to the breed.

And quick to criticise those who parade their pets like the latest designer accessory.

"Chihuahuas are not toys," she states. "And these famous celebrities who carry them about or put them in handbags, well I think it's a bit stupid.

"The problem is people see it and think all Chihuahuas are like that - it's not right."

And Sandra should know because as well as collecting championship trophies her Chihuahuas have starred alongside household names for TV ads and product commercials.

Sandra, who has two grown-up children, has owned Chihuahuas for 30 years. For a long time the breed was hard to come by in Britain and as a consequence not that popular. Now with the likes of Paris Hilton, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez owning Chihuahuas the breed has seen a surge of interest.

Beverley Hills Chihuahua may just capitalise on their position as a celebrity favourite but Sandra hopes if people take on Chihuahuas as pets they do so because they want a dog not a toy.

"They are a lovely breed and very intelligent. They don't like other dogs too much, especially big dogs, but equally they are not afraid of them."

Sandra breeds Chihuahuas and is well aware of the risks involved. As the bitches are so tiny they are more likely to require Caesarean births and litters are generally small.

The price of Chihuahuas is, by any standard, high.

Sandra will sell a bitch for pounds 850 but prices vary and on the internet puppies are going for more than pounds 1,000 a time.

As well as breeding and showing Chihuahuas, Sandra has also seen her pets star on the small screen in TV adverts.

One of her dogs, Chloe, appeared with Sharon Osbourne, reclined on a chaise lounge in a trailer for the former X Factor judge's talk show.

Another appeared in a Baileys Irish Cream advert and another had a part on 101 Dalmatians which may have been consigned to the cutting room floor.

The mild and friendly temperaments of her dogs and their love of being in the limelight has been a key to their success.

"You see there's a lot more to a Chihuahua than meets the eye," remarked Sandra.

"This agent must have got my number from somewhere and rang me up and asked if I had a Chihuahua which might be suitable to be in an advert.

"About nine years ago I had this lovely black and tan dog, his pet name was Merlin. He starred in a Baileys commercial but sadly he's dead now. Imagine my surprise when at Christmas I was watching TV and there was the advert he starred in. He was being held by a hotel maid who opened a lift door to find two people in there canoodling and she puts her hand over his eyes.

"It was so lovely to see him again, it brought back all my memories of him."

CHIHUAHUA FACTS

CHIHUAHUA owners proudly state their pets are big dogs wrapped in a small parcel, feisty, intelligent and curious.

THEY need a stimulating environment and love company.

They respond well to training although they have a very independent streak.

THE origin of the Chihuahua is open for debate. Some say they originated from Egypt, others China or Malta. Others claim the Chihuahua was developed in Mexico in the 9th century and was much prized by the Aztecs.

EVIDENCE suggests the breed has its origins in pre-Columbian Mexico and is the oldest breed of dog in the Americas.

IN the mid-1800s visitors to Mexico came across the dogs, taking them back to the States.

ALL HAVE a molera, an opening in the top of the skull. Only Chihuahuas have this marked as an official characteristic - although UK standards do not mention it.

CAPTION(S):

FEARLESS... Sandra Stangoe and her Chihuahuas. DJ300109DOGS1; MOVIE MUTTS ... Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde and (left) Piper Perabo and Jamie Lee Curtis in Beverly Hills Chihuahua.