Hello everyone!
So I've had some dogs before, big ones and smaller ones, but I didn't treat any of them like I treat my little chihuahua.
Since I'm not the only one, (I saw pictures here of dogs in the cutest dresses and with their own kingsize bed) I was wondering how come we sometimes think our canines are little baby's.

In my opinion, it's because my chi is really feeling the same way. When there's snow outside and he's shaking, why not put him in my coat where he falls asleep and doesn't want to come out? When it started to get cold outside, my vet told me to get him a coat, why not choose a cute one?

So my question for you, is your chihuahua a dog or a baby?

Complicated question!

Calista is my baby in some ways... I honestly feel about her as I would feel about a baby (maybe because I don't have one) and I love to baby her with cuddles, clothes etc.

However... I also let her be a dog. She likes to run around outside off the leash, get muddy, chew sticks and rough play with other dogs.

I want her to have the chance to be what she is, I know there is a danger of me treating her like a baby substitute. I think she gets the best of both worlds this way!

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Baby, but I don't have human children.
Cosmo had a lot of personality, so he was happy in any situation. Bianca is extremely skiddish and if she gets scared or thinks she's hurt she'll hide for most the day. But Ripley is my first big dog with big dog energy. The first year or so my husband referred to me as her wet nurse. She takes so much time and has never given the signals for potty like the other two.

Lilo is a dog, not a baby.

She does have some clothes that she wears when it gets really cold out and a few for cuteness but I'm under no illusions that she is my baby. She is treated the same as my bigger dogs. She is expected to be obedient, sit when told, down when told, walk nicely on a leash like a big dog, doesn't ride in a bag, does agility like the big dogs and shows successfully. She goes to the park and plays off leash with the pack happily. She swims in the lake in the summer and romps in the snow in the winter. 6 mile off leash hikes are no problem for her. She is crate trained and fully house trained, potties outside at all times, and can hold it for 8 hours while I'm at school with no problem. She loves everyone, never barks or growls at anyone while walking or coming in the house.

I think it's because she is treated like a dog first that makes her such a pleasant little girl to be around. She knows her place in life and in my house (bottom of the pack order below all the border collies since she was the last one added to the house) and never questions it. Our house runs constantly under Nothing in Life is Free and everyone knows where they stand. I really think it is healthiest for these little guys to know they are dogs and not to be baby substitutes for us. This is just my opinion, and is not intended to start a huge argument, I know everyone has different thoughts and opinions.

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I agree with omguthrie.

Brody is a dog. A very cute and adorable dog, but a dog he is. Not a baby. Not a baby substitute. He is not a person, he is an animal.

I wouldn't trade him for the world. I love him more than words. I hold him upside down and whisper sweet things in his ear and kiss his little cheek. But he is not a child. He is a dog.

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"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

I did want to add that I do love my dogs more than is good for me. I kiss the spots between their ears, they all sit in my lap and I tell them what wonderful dogs they are and how my heart wouldn't be complete without them. They are my life. I do not have children and am not married, they are my family.

I had to throw this in lest anyone think I don't love my Lilo because I think of her like a dog, not a baby.

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They're my dogs BUT I love them with a passion and they mean everything to me.

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It is an insult to the dog to call it a human Audrey Lyn is a Princess Puppy not a baby.

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My girls are not spoiled, I am just well trained