When it comes to dogs, how small is too small?
I admit, I thought this three-ounce Chihuahua-Jack Russell Terrier mix was beyond cute when I saw the picture of him in a tea cup, but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if some dogs are being bred to simply satisfy consumers.
The owners, Susan and Archie Thomson of Scotland, say they've had six Chihuahua litters but never seen a dog quite this tiny. Still, it makes me wonder.
"He's perfectly proportioned, but absolutely miniscule," said Archie Thomson, who believes he may have the world's smallest dog. "Judging by the size of his paws and head, I'd be surprised if he grew much bigger than an inch or two more."
I love small dogs - my wife and I own three Dachshunds - but Tom Thumb, born in March, seems too small. I just hope he doesn't create a trend toward breeding sub-toy dogs.
Do you agree?
I don't know if you saw the story about the woman who recently adopted 27 dogs from a shelter to prevent them from being euthanized. When I first read it, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
I'm sure Colleen Spalioni's heart was in the right place. She lost her own dog in November when it was struck and killed by a car, and she wanted to find another that looked just like him. Her Internet search led her to Dogsindanger.com, a site that posts photos of dogs in shelters with the number of days they have left until they are euthanized.
Spalioni, who lives near Reno, hired a teenage neighbor to drive with her almost 800 miles to a shelter near Bakersfield, Calif., where she found a dog that resembled her own. But after seeing so many dogs in need of homes, she just couldn't help herself.
She adopted the dog she wanted - and 26 others, including one Chihuahua, 10 Chihuahua mixes, two German Shepherd mixes, two Miniature Pinschers, a Jack Russell Terrier and a Poodle. She loaded them into her truck and drove home.
Everything would have been fine, except that her new dogs did what dogs normally do. They barked -- so much, in fact, that the neighbors began complaining. And then she was told that a local ordinance allows no more than three dogs per household.
Since then, Spalioni has been looking for new homes for the dogs. So far, she's found places for almost all of them.
And, she said, "I learned my lesson. I promise I won't do this again."
Her concern for the dogs is admirable. I commend her. I'm sure others would love to do the same if they had the space and time to love and care for dogs in need.
But as someone who owns four dogs, I could have told her: It's a lot of work.
Even urban parks have wild animals.
And I'm not talking about squirrels or dogs. This little JRT true to his breed, likes to hunt for creatures napping in the bushes. After an incident where he found a napping two-legged creatures who he thought wanted to loose weight in their ankles... Everyone was OK, thanks to thick boots, but the problem could not be ignored. The options are to keep him leashed, keep him home or muzzle him and let him drag a leash.
