MICHA the pug dog is so tiny she can fit inside a teacup.
Owner Dawn Robinson told the Examiner when they are out for a walk she has to make sure she doesn’t lose her down the grates in the road.
Seven-month-old Micha weighs just 1lb, is seven centimetres tall and is commonly referred to as a teacup dog.
Dawn, 50, from Paddock, is severely disabled with a movement disorder, so keeps the dog on a pillow on her wheelchair when they go out in town so she doesn’t get lost.
She said: “In Paddock she's like a celebrity – people must have more pictures of her on their phones than anything else.
“She's absolutely wonderful, you can't go anywhere without people stopping and asking about her.”
Dawn said some people have remarked that keeping a dog so small is cruel.
She said: “Some people say it's wrong that I'm keeping a dog this size but she was in a bad situation where she was living before.
“I got her from a rescue home. She was living with three dogs ten times her size and was getting bullied.
“Now she's in a loving home with someone who cares for her.
“I haven't got her for breeding or showing, she's my little companion – she's a wonderful dog.
“I don't ever agree that someone should buy a dog this size because there are too many hazards involved.”
Dawn said because she is disabled she spends a lot of time at home where she can look after Micha.
“She loves to play so we've got to watch out because she could choke on the smallest of things.
“It's like looking after a baby sometimes, we keep a constant eye on her.
“She has to wear special coats to keep her warm because otherwise she could die from the cold.
“Once she got stuck at the back of my drier and we had to drag the drier out to find her.”
Micha is fed two dessert spoons of miniature dog biscuits a day.
A spokesman from The Kennel Club said a teacup dog is not an official breed.
“It’s a very small variation of a breed of dog, usually a Yorkshire Terrier or a Pug.
“They are given the name ‘teacup’ because it is the fashionable term.
“They are usually the smallest in the litter, but sometimes people breed two small dogs to create a smaller dog.
“There are no restrictions to say this can’t be done and they aren’t illegal to keep.”
