At birth, Lulu the chihuahua was the size of her litter mates, and owner/breeder Jean Tindall expected her to grow like normal. However, while the other dogs got bigger, Lulu stayed tiny. In 50 years of breeding, Ms. Tindall says she’s never seen a dog so little. Now, at a robust 4 inches, little Lulu is one of the smallest dogs in the world.
To paraphrase Dale Gribble from the TV show King of the Hill: Pets just keep getting smaller and smaller, and bigger and bigger. Soon, the medium-sized pet will be a thing of the past. The ultimate in tiny pets has to be the trendy teacup chihuahua, favored by Hollywood socialites and people who love shivering rats. Lulu is just the product of a genetic fluke, but I imagine it won’t be long before breeders start intentionally shrinking their dogs to reach her adorableness levels.
Tags: micro-chihuahua, miniature dog, world’s smallest dog, unusual animals, pets, nature, Lulu, Jean Tindall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, four-inch dog, tiny pets, teacup chihuahuas