‘Healing’ and Hairless, Xolo Dogs Return

COURT HOUSE — You may have seen a hairless dog at one time or another in your life but you probably did not call it a Xoloitzcuintli.
Traci Johnson, owner of Jersey Devil Doggie Daycare, owns four Xoloitzcuintli. They share her home and business, Jersey Devil Doggie Daycare.
Xoloitzcuintli, whose origin in Mexico, were recognized as a new breed in January by the American Kennel Club. They were an AKC recognized breed in the 1950s but their numbers dwindled almost to extinction and were dropped by the club.
“The breed itself has been around for over 3,000 years,” said Johnson. “The Aztecs and the Mayans believed these creatures to be sacred and they believed they were a healing dog.”
“They also ate them because they thought they were healing, if they consumed them, they thought it would cure all their illnesses,” she continued.
They are also known as Mexican Street Dogs or the Mexican Hairless. They are called Xolo for short (pronounced show-low) named for an Aztec god named Xolotl, said Johnson.
In very rural parts of Mexico, they are still sold for meat, she said.
The dogs are covered with a skin that feels somewhat like a Naugahyde chair. They also exude a lot of body heat. Xolos come in black and bronze skin.
“Because of their dark pigmentation, they tan,” said Johnson.
They seek out sunshine. Her dogs have four chairs in the backyard. They love being outside but don’t like rain or snow falling on them, she said.
The dogs come in three sizes, toy, intermediate and standard. Their numbers are still low.
How do you produce a hairless dog? Johnson said it is the result of a “hairless gene.” A coated version of the Xolo is needed to produce a hairless puppy. The hairless variety does not have a full set of teeth, she said.
In Johnson’s family is Peach, not quite a year old and holding seven points towards her championship with 15 points needed, Willie, a 2-year-old intermediate, who is also shown and likes to sit on laps, Juan Carlos, who is not a show dog and would make a good pet for the right person and Ouida, the first female Xolo champion in the country.
She has a spot of blonde hair on her head. They are permitted to have a bit of hair on their feet and tail. Her father was the first Xolo champion in the country.
Johnson said one out of every five Xolos has a coat and some have spots.
She describes them as “a little aloof with strangers, very laid back and very intelligent.” They don’t need a lot of exercise but they do get bored.
“They would make excellent agility dogs or obedience dogs,” said Johnson.
They need a lot of socialization from an early age because they are fairly primitive, she said.
Xolos have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. Their only health issues are with their skin.
They can have food allergies and can get acne, said Johnson. They need lotion applied to their skin twice a week. She said they don’t have an odor.
Members of the public have asked Johnson if the dogs have mange or if they are contagious. She patiently explains they are bred to be hairless.
Johnson has operated her doggie daycare for 11 years. Just like daycare for kids, “parents” drop them off their dogs on the way to work and pick them up at the end of the day.
Johnson and the dogs in her care spend most of their time outside. Her yard is sand, which she said is easy to keep clean. There are cans in the yard filled with toys and tires, spools and tunnels to run through.
Johnson’s website is: http://www.jerseydevilddc.com/