Brandy, the Chihuahua, the Smallest Dog in the World

Brandy the Chihuahua is 6 inches long and weighs less that two pounds. She's not allowed on the furniture because if she jumped off, she'd break. She's also, according the Guinness, officially the Smallest Dog in the World.

Brandy's owner, Paulette Keller, carries her around in a sheepskin-lined purse. For fun, she dresses her in a pink Hawaiian dress. You don't pet Brandy so much as rub her with a thumb and forefinger.

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

Keller took Brandy to the vet, who signed papers listing her vital statistics.

So in the 2006 Guinness book, there is bug-eyed Brandy, on the same page with the dog who can fit five tennis balls in its mouth.

The perks so far have been few. Last year, the Pedigree dog food company paid to fly Ron and Paulette Keller to Reno, where Brandy was paired with one of the largest dogs in the world for a three-day exhibit at a casino.

Keller says she doesn't care about the attention.

"I just love her," she told the St. Petersburg Times. "It wouldn't matter if she's the smallest. She's just a really sweet dog."

http://www.forbes.com/business/energy/feeds/ap/2006/12/13/ap3252970.html

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