there currently in the midst of a popularity surge so its definatly a breed to be carefull of.
proux chis are gorgeous, well bred and as ive said ive heard nothing but good things about them.
the average price for a well bred chi is currently averaging $800-$1200 here in CT. ive seen "pet quality" chis go for much less but there almost always from BYB's and in this breed it seems to definatly be a get what you paid for kind of thing.
the GOOD points about chis is when from a good breeder, they tend to be a very hardy breed. the only real medical problems there prone to are hypoglycemia, luxation and heart murmers, a good breeder tests for luxationg patellas in their stock, they also test for heart, and in well bred chis, after the age of 6 months the risks of hypoglycemia tend to drop dramatically. after that 6 month mark they tend to be very hard and again spend a little extra for a great breeder who does all the health tests and youll reward yourself with 15+ years of generally just routein checkups and the occasional teeth cleaning.
there a LONG lived breed in general living 15+ yrs, my granfather has a 20 yr old 2.5lb pet female whos never had a health concern in her life.
personally id have no problem paying out $1000 to proux for a good chi because id know im getting a wonderfull puppy.
you could also contact the breeder at proux chis and let them know what your looking for and they could probably point you in the right direction. i havent had much in terms of dealings with breeders down south as im up in CT.
i do agree though, be VERY warey of BYB's and mills due to the currently popularity of the breed.
theres no such thing as a "teacup"
and theres NO rare colours in chihuahuas.
if your looking for a pet puppy rather than a show baby make sure you let them know that, every breeder has "pet quality" pups in a litter and many will go cheaper. or even taking on a slightly older chi, vixie was almost 7 months when i got her.
these guys live so long that adopting an older chi has no effect on quality time.
they also bond VERY strongly to their person.
Zoom! your so right, my mother wants a cav king charles but there UBER expensive theres a breeder up her (good one) charging and getting over $2000 for pet pups and over $3000 for show.