Renton puppy could be smallest in the world

Apr 3 2009 by Amanda McKendrick, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A TWO-WEEK-OLD miniature puppy named Tom Thumb is staking his claim as Britain’s smallest dog.

Renton couple Susan and Archie Thomson’s Chihuahua Spice gave birth to the tiny black and tan coloured dog, which weighs around one and a half ounces and measures just eight centimetres from head to rump, on March 18.

Despite its size, the baby Chihuahua and Jack Russell cross dog is holding its own and even pushing its brothers and sisters aside at feeding time.

Susan: “I looked on the internet to see if I had to do anything with the wee one because he is so small, but he’s feeding himself. He’s the first in there at feeding time and doesn’t let the bigger ones bully him.

“In fact when Spice stands up, Tom Thumb goes with her because his suck is so strong.

“There’s another black and tan one like Tom Thumb and the others are black and white.

“One of the black and white pups is massive, we’ve called her Buttercup because she looks like a cow. We’ve never had pups that size before. It’s a funny litter.

“We’ve got five of our own dogs, plus the four puppies, but we’ve not really had to do anything other than check the pups because Spice is a great wee mammy.

“They can go to their new families at six weeks. But if Tom Thumb doesn’t get any bigger, then I’m keeping him because he might be the smallest dog in the world.”

The perfect pooches, which can’t walk yet, should open their eyes in the next couple of days and Archie and Susan will soon start to look for new families for the dogs.

As well as the pups, the Thomson household includes Chihuahuas Morgan, Spice and Mr Murphy, Jack Russell Oossie and Yorkshire Terrier, Ben.

The last time the couple’s dogs had puppies, they were snapped up by desperate dog lovers from as far afield as Manchester and Liverpool.

In March 2002, an 8cm high Papillon was thought to be Britain’s tiniest dog. Dylan weighed just 25 grams.