Big Dogfight over World's Smallest Dog Title

Tiny Dog, Big Ambition

Milly, a Chihuahua in Puerto Rico, weighs 7 ounces. She aims to take the title of world's smallest dog from a long-haired Chihuahua in Kentucky named Boo Boo. Read the full account here.

It is shaping up to be one nasty/cute little dog fight.

Milly, a tiny Chihuahua in Puerto Rico is trying to claim the title as the smallest dog in the world. Milly’s owner, Vanesa Semler, who lives in Puerto Rico, said he’s an almost definite shoo-in for the coveted title. And he’s quite ready to bark at the chance.

“Obviously, he’s very small, and I think he really has a chance” Semler said about Milly, who weighs about 7 ounces and measures less than 3 inches tall. “We’ll see. But if he wins it would be a huge honor.”

A spot in the Guinness Book of Records would be a gigantic deal for the miniature pooch with big dreams. And Semler is not taking the opportunity lightly, she said.

The Guinness designation comes with worldwide attention. Press around the world would be scrambling for a sit down with the pocket-sized pooch, which weighs as little as a cell phone and fits on the palm of a hand, a small hand.

Semler, a self-described animal rights activist, who owns 14 dogs, said she would use the spotlight on Milly to raise awareness about how to care for dogs responsibly, and the importance of taking in rescue dogs.

“I would definitely use that platform to tell the world that we all need to share responsibility on caring for pets,” she said.

Milly, who is four months old, is considered a puppy and cannot qualify for the Guinness title until she turns one.

But the owner of the current Guinness title holder, a long-haired Chihuahua named Boo Boo, says Milly has more bark than bite.

“I’m not saying Boo Boo can’t be beat,” said Lana Elswick of Kentucky, “but there are so many people saying they have the world’s smallest dog, then their puppy keeps growing, and keeps growing.”

Elswick scoffs at the notion that Milly will stop growing.

“Boo Boo was that small at that age, or even smaller,” Elswick said.

Certainly, Boo Boo’s life has changed since Guinness designated her the official smallest living dog in the world. Elswick said her phones didn’t stop ringing for three months and invitations came from all over the world after she was declared little top dog. The pooch made TV appearances in Italy, New York, and got invitations from as far away as China.

But Elswick is just happy to have a still healthy pet, which she nicknamed little miracle, because she survived even though she weighed just one ounce at birth. “She was the size of my thumb,” she said.

Even though Semler thinks Milly will stop growing soon and strip the title from Boo Boo, Elswick is not so sure. Even after being told Milly is a mere 7 ounces.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “Until the dog becomes a year old they can say anything they want.”