Chihuahua care on Cape Ann

Get the coat on indoors, before the cold gets in. The AKC says special care must be taken with a Chihuahua in cold weather, and the AVMA's cold-weather guidance adds that short-haired pets feel the cold faster, that a wet sweater or coat can actually make a dog colder, so a dry spare is worth carrying, and that boots protect small feet on frigid, icy ground. A dog under six pounds has very little body to keep warm, and a January drop-off with wind off the harbor is often the coldest part of its day.

Salt is the second winter job. The AVMA advises washing the feet, legs and belly after walks on treated ground, because salt and de-icers can injure paws and be swallowed when a dog licks them clean, and a Chihuahua's belly rides close to the sidewalk. For daycare you only need to bring your dog on a leash with a secure collar or harness, so dress it for the drive and the walk from the car, and keep a dry layer in the car for pick-up.

Give your Chihuahua room to watch big dogs before it ever has to meet one. A six-pound dog cannot outrun a Labrador, so on the off-season beaches, where Good Harbor allows dogs off leash on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 at the time of writing, choose a quiet hour and keep enough space to step away from a big dog bounding over. The Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park has a separate small-dog area, which makes a calmer first off-leash outing than an open beach.

Use a harness, not a collar, for these walks. VCA says tracheal collapse often affects Chihuahuas, describes a dry, harsh cough sometimes called a goose honk that can worsen with excitement, at night and in hot or humid weather, and advises a harness rather than a collar, along with weight control. A Chihuahua that lunges and barks at a passing dog on a collar is pressing on exactly the spot VCA wants protected. A honking cough is a reason to see your vet.

Every dog needs the same paperwork, however small. Bring Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records and a current city dog license to the free evaluation. In Gloucester, at the time of writing, the license is $20 for a spayed or neutered dog and $25 for an intact one, each plus a $2 processing fee; it needs a current rabies certificate and is due by April 30. Renewals can be done online, and new licenses go in by mail or the drop box.

Grooming needs no evaluation, so a bath and nail trim can come first and give your Chihuahua a short, quiet first visit to the building. For daycare, add the Pup Van if you live in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea: $10 each way for pick-up and drop-off, which spares a small dog the walk across a cold parking lot. Our small dog daycare page explains how the size-matched groups run through the day.