??? T-CUP ???
NO SUCH THING
Excuse me while I rant, this is a pet peeve of mine.....
and maybe you'll learn something you didn't know.
First I'm going to tell you a sad story. When I was a kid, in the '50s, there was an ad on the back of comic books, it was a tiny Chihuahua puppy sitting in a cup (I feel sure this is where the term t-cup came from), they were in Mexico & you could order one for $5.99. I begged my Mother everytime I got a comic book, but she always said no.
Later when I was grown I read an article about those pups, it said they were starved, just fed enough to keep them alive, so they would stay so tiny, of course they were also sickly & it's anyones guess how many died. I feel sure that is not done today, at least I certainly hope not, but everytime I hear the term T-cup, I think of all those poor babies.
OK, back to my pet peeve.........
I get sooooo may requests for so called "t-cup" puppys. Please! There is absolutely NO classification for a t-cup. It is just a MUCH overused word a lot of breeders use.
IT MEANS NOTHING!
And nearly every breeder will tell you something different, I've ask and gotten answers from 2 to 6 lbs.
One well known breeder (who got angry because I tried to pin her down as to size) told me it was
"just an adjective for a very small dog."
She used the term but couldn't explain it or give me a size.
I have seen 15 pound dogs that some breeder sold as a so called "t-cup" when it was a puppy. Some breeders will tell you anything you want to hear to make a sale.
So, you might ask, why do you see the term used so much?
There are three reasons I know of,
lazyness, ignorance & fraud.
Some use it because it's easier than explaining the truth & trying to educate people, some because everyone else does & they don't know any better & some because they want you to believe it, that there is actually such a thing (as I said above, anything to make a sale).
Yorkshire Terriers are supposed to be 7 lbs. OR LESS
Chihuahuas are supposed to be 6 lbs. OR LESS
Toy Poodles do not have a weight standard, they are supposed to be 10" OR LESS at the shoulder.
(Generally they'll be 6-10 lbs. depending on bone structure
I call my very small Poodles "tiny toys", by this I mean they'll be 5 lbs. or less grown,
Although Poodles come in three sizes, standard, miniature & toy, Yorkies & Chihuahuas do not. If you see an ad for standard sized Yorkies or Chihuahuas, they're just bigger than they're supposed to be, it's not a classification.
I've raised toy dogs for nearly 24 years, I've produced pups as small as 1.5 lbs............
They are still toy dogs and would not fit in a tea cup.
So when your asking about puppies, just state the size your looking for in pounds.
Size of the parents is also not a good indicator, some small dogs have big puppies, my largest Yorkie (10#) has produced the smallest puppies, that's why you want a reputable, experienced breeder.
Remember too that the extra tinys can take much more care & attention for the first 4-6 months. They aren't suitable for people who are gone all day & can't monitor them.
Click on the paw print to go to my page on how to find a good breeder.
And please don't ask me for a "t-cup", it only irritates me!
:o)
