One of the earliest breeds to be added to the American Kennel Club studbook appeared under the name, “Mexican Hairless,” the breed we know today as the Xoloitzcuintli. In fact, the only time that Westminster Kennel Club held two dog shows in the same year (1884) was the year that the entry of 600 included the Mexican Hairless. Three years later, a Mexican dog named ‘Mee Too’ made breed history as the AKC’s first registered Xolo back when Grover Cleveland was US President, and in 1940, “Chinito Junior,”  a Xolo that was bred and owned by a New Yorker named Valetska Radtke became the first and to that point, only AKC champion.

Right about now, you might be wondering how it is that a breed that was AKC recognized just seven years ago (2011) could be shown at Westminster back in 1884, let alone have its first champion seventy-eight years ago. We wondered the same thing and consulted some Xolo experts.  We learned that the AKC was indeed the first kennel club in the world to recognized the breed which it registered as the Mexican Hairless Dog, but there were so few dogs registered that in 1959, the breed was dropped from the registry, and even considered to be extinct by some.

To paraphrase, you can’t keep a great breed down. In 1986, the Xoloitzcuintli Club of America was founded to regain AKC recognition for the breed. In 2008, the AKC voted to readmit the breed to its Miscellaneous Class, and in 2011, the Xoloitzcuintli returned to the AKC fold as its 170th breed. 

If you’re interested in the breed, we thought you might also be interested to see the work of Mexican sculptor, Sergio Peraza whose most critically acclaimed solo exposition was ‘Animas y Perros’ (Animals and Dogs). It was the first time he presented his creations of  “Xolo-Sculptures:”

Photo Image of Xoloitzcuintle by Sergey Taran is available as wall art, home decor and more here.