[Aztlan] Cuzcos -- Mummified dogs found in Peru

[Keith Dixon]

In his message on 26 Sept Marcelo Donadello raised a 
question in response to "Mummified dogs uncovered in 
Peru."  (by Dan Collyns, BBC News, Lima).  He wrote,

"In Argentina, usually little dogs are called 'Cuzcos'. 
Every terrier and similar fall in that class. I never knew 
why."

I was curious and asked a friend from Argentina.  She also 
was puzzled and sent the question to her large contact 
list in Argentina.  She summarized the responses:

"I wrote to my friends in the Argentine list and they tell 
me that, because of unknown reasons, a cuzco o cuzquito is 
the name given to small, ornery, nasty-tempered small dogs 
of mixed pedigree (so mixed nobody knows what they are!) 
which bark at everything and anything and run after cars 
and cyclists and make a nuisance of themselves always at 
all times. I don't think this reply is very helpful, as 
there is no mention of Peru in the accounts I got so far."

So that name is apparently very common but still a puzzle. 
. . .