CC(Happy Holidays) repliedWhen the Puppy mills and the BYB's brokeout. Puppy mills and BYB's don't test their dogs for diseases, they just simply breed them for money, selfish! I know.

VMK_narutoshadowclone repliedIt's another word for little Chihuahua.

Channel16WaitingForAction repliedI'd say it started when the sells of standards were starting to wear off and it wasn't a big profit. People had to find ways to sell more dogs so they acted like this small poorly bred runt was something special.

alias boxer repliedWhen did the trend begin? My guess would be that it started with Tinkerbell.

Yes, it's sad that people will breed sick dogs to get even sicker puppies... but it happens. It happens with every breed.

What more info do you want exactly??

like legit.. repliedwhen paris hilton came to town

WOOT repliedThis is how i see it.

BYB and puppy mills can not produce the same quality of dog as a top kennels or reputable breeder. FACT.

As they have 'shoddy goods' they cant get away with selling at top price. So, they breed a different type of dog that these reputable kennels and breeders will not breed. Teacups can only be bought from these BYBs so they can charge what they like. Indifferent of the fact that they are breeding poor quality dogs. People want fashion and these are the places they can get them. Also, BYBs are not willing to keep sickly pups. Whereas if a reputable breeder were to breed a runt they may keep it or give it to a friend or family to make sure that it is not bred from and recieves the required care. BYB can avoid this 'burden' by passing of sickly runts as teacups.

Thats the way i see it anyway

Hope this helped

suspended three times already repliedOne word (or two): Paris Hilton

Hug Your Horses repliedWhen backyard breeding and puppy mills got the support they needed from pet shops and people who wanted a smaller chihuahua. There is no such thing as a 'teacup' chihuahua, only over bred dogs bred until they are nothing but an abused dog of countless medical problems.

♥willow♥ repliedYour sister doesn't have a teacup anything. She just has a very small chihuahua. And sounds like from a very bad BYB at that! I hope your sister didn't pay too much for her dog since she's had to deal with so many health problems. 4 year old dogs shouldnt be having these kinds of problems.

The "teacup" fad has been around awhile, but it has been really in full swing since people like Paris Hilton have been promoting the gimmick.

No breed of dog comes in a "teacup" size. All chihuahuas come in one size. Yorkies, poms, malteses, poodles, etc - no teacups. There will of course be size variation in the breed though. But very bad "greeders" and BYBs put a fun little label on their poorly bred runts and sell them for FAR more than they are worth!