"You know, Chihuahuas aren't actual dogs. They're a kind of fox," announced a woman at a party. This woman entirely believed that Chihuahuas are the descendants   of the Fennec fox. Many people might believe this: Chihuahuas are similar to foxes in their appearance with long-haired Chihuahuas appearing almost indistinguishable from their wild counterparts . The idea that Chihuahuas are related to foxes isn't uncommon. Even the American Kennel Club, which is usually a highly respected source of information, accepts the belief and the similarity between Chihuahuas and Fennec foxes. Interesting as it is to imagine that Chihuahuas are a breed   of the fox, this idea simply can't hold water. Chihuahuas are, in fact, far more closely related to dingoes  or wolves than they are to Fennec foxes. Like other dogs, Chihuahuas are able to breed with other members within the same species. The Fennec fox is a member of a different species. Chihuahuas and Fennec foxes are fairly distantly related just like a cat and a tiger are. Their similarities occur only because of a phenomenon known as convergent evolution , in which animals develop similar features to meet similar biological needs.  A simple observation of geography further denies the idea that Fennec foxes and Chihuahuas are related. While the Fennec fox was living in the deserts of Africa, the Chihuahua came from Mexico, where it got its common name. Its closest living  s are other native Central and South American breeds. Its ancestor, the now nearly-extinct Mexican gray wolf, is also a much closer   to the Chihuahua than any other fox. It is common to consider the cute Chihuahua as a little Fennec fox adapted to life, but this theory is not true. Chihuahuas are domestic  dogs to the same degree as other dogs. Much as a Chihuahua might look like a fox, it is--and always will be--a dog. Why did the woman say Chihuahuas are a kind of fox?
They are a breed of the special fox. They partly have the features of foxes in appearance. Their ancestor is the Fennec fox in fact. Their habits are just like those of foxes.