“YO quiero Taco Bell,” says a pint-sized bug-eyed canine, and a star is born. Chihuahuas have become the latest victim of a trend brought on by the portrayal of a Spanish-speaking dog, hungry for Taco Rell food in commercials. People around the Lower Mainland can‘t get their hands on one of these little dogs fast enough. Oh, this behaviour of jumping on the celebrity dog band wagon is nothing new. It has been going on for decades. Remember Lassie? At one point everyone wanted a collie. They were (and still are) good looking, smart dogs that could let you know when Jimmy fell down the well. : Next there were Dalmatians. Everyone wanted a spot- ted dog with big brown cyes like the one in the movie 101 Dalmatians. Then came the Jack Russell craze. Everyone wanted an v HUGE SELECTION v LOW WAREHOUSE Roper~jennair~ Inglis Frigidaire~ Panasonic ’ Kitchen Aid~Danby~iSE Dacor~Whiripool~G.E. Magic Chef~-Wolf~AEG Sub Zero~Goldstar~DCS NuTone~Faber~Venmar Kelvinator~ Marvel~McClary v Compact & Full Size v Built-in & Free Standing v Gas & Electric ¥ Most items in stock for immediate delivery/pick-up COLONY HOME FURNISHINGS Saving you money since 1969 1075 Roosevelt Crescent North Vancouver (2 blocks behind Avaton Hotel) Mon - Thurs 9 = 5:30, Fi9-9 Saturday 9 - 5:30, Sun 12-4 Cede elere canine connection Eddie from the TV show Frasier, or a Wishbone from the TV show of the same name. Little did they realize that those two dogs are heavily trained by verv skilled canine- performer trainers, and thar the breed Starting October 1st you ca a deposit hack on even beverage containers north shore news PETS tenacious. When the movie Babe hit the big screen, Border col- lies were the “in” doy. Again people did not know these dogs are not couch potatoes. Oh no, no, these dogs are the epitome of a work- ing breed that is far smarter than its owner. Last but not least is the Rortweiller. Hollywood sensational- ized this dog’s personality and it now can be seen in the back of almost every over-sized, jacked-up pick- up around. Young men with ego what looks like chain-link fencing around the dog's neck. Hollywood and advertis- ers gave all of these dogs personalities which in some cases are far from reality. They popularized all of the dogs by showing only good points under super- vised conditions. With the increased popu- larity of these celebrity dogs comes an increased demand. Then comes the unscrupulous backyard breeder and puppy mills. These so-called breeders want only money. They don’t care about in- Sunday. September 26, 1999 —- North Shore News — 33 problems, diseases or tem- perament of their dogs. Because no care or effort was put into a selective breeding process, dogs with unpredictable temperaments, poor immune systems and health problems are born. The end result is a very unhealthy, mentally unsta- ble, poor representation of a once great dog. These dogs are then sold ata very “reasonable” price to the trend s . Unfortunately, as with most trends, the novelty wears off. These dogs are no longer the social attraction they < ES at peers aoe more once were and end up being abandoned, neglected or mistreated. This usually happens after about a year when the dog starts to be a problem due toa lack of responsible training or poor breeding. Local shelters begin to see an increase in dogs given up tor adoption, be it mak- ing room tor the “new dog” or getting rid of a trend gone stale. They also see an increase in mixed-breed puppies because the owner neglected to get their purebred dog spayed or neutered. There are people who love and own all of these get o