Brandy The Chihuahua Is The World's Smallest Dog (6 inches long, less than 2 pounds) PIC

[matcom]

<snip>

The judge took one look at Brandy and scoffed. "Are you showing me a hamster?" Dog show career, over.

Oh, the indignity. It never ends.

For fun, Brandy's owner puts her in a pink Hawaiian dress. Brandy isn't allowed on the couch because if she jumped off, she'd break. You don't pet Brandy so much as rub her with a thumb and forefinger.

She shivers constantly.

But you can't take this away from Brandy: She is the Smallest Dog in the World.

So says Guinness.

Brandy's renown is limited because her owner, Paulette Keller, has shunned the limelight. If you've ever seen Brandy, she was likely peering out of the sheepskin-lined purse that Paulette carries everywhere.

Paulette got Brandy a little over two years ago. One day she called breeder Marlene Ritzenthaler of Hudson and asked if she had a chihuahua for sale, "a small one."

Did she ever. Brandy was the runt of a litter of five. Not that the others were exactly Dobermans.

At 9 months old, Brandy took up residence in the Keller home in Largo. She lives there with three other dogs, the mothering Mona, and moppish Willow and a boxer puppy.

When asked what kind of dog Willow is, Paulette's son, John, 24, mumbles unintelligibly.

Excuse me?

"A Chinese crested powderpuff," he says. You can see it pains him to say it. This is a man who drives a Mustang Cobra.

Brandy can bark - in her sleep she issues small, bark-like sneezes - but chooses not to. She eats whatever Keller does - scrambled eggs, steak. A couple of spoonfuls. A general announcement is made whenever Brandy enters a room. If she were to get underfoot ...

Brandy made the transformation from Paulette's lap ornament to the Smallest Dog in the World a year and a half ago. Ritzenthaler, the breeder, told Keller she thought Brandy was smaller than the smallest dog in the Guinness Book of World Records.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/13/Tampabay/Her_bark_s_bigger_tha.shtml

[jobycom]

1. Well-written piece. nt

[BreweryYardRat]

2. Holy crap. It's shorter than my hand is long.

Hell, it's almost shorter than my hand is wide.

That poor thing's probably fucked up internally.

[philosophie_en_rose]

3. Cute, but "teacup" dogs live stunted lives.

I have small dogs. I love small dogs, but the rush from breeders to develop teensy little guinea pig dogs has led to a lot of health problems. Plus, the poor dogs are too fragile to do regular dog activities.

Most little terriers are sturdy and bred for work of some kind (Yorkies hunt rats; One even served in WW2). But purse dogs make me sad. Dogs aren't fashion accessories.