What, one might ask, are teacup puppies?
Well, as its name suggests, a teacup puppy is a teeny-weeny creature small enough to fit inside your average teacup.
But it is important to stress at the outset that teacup puppies are not recognised by Kennel Clubs either in the UK or America. The term is used for marketing purposes only, dreamed up by some PR executive to gain public interest.
Essentially, these puppies weigh anything from two to four pounds (think of a bag or two of sugar) and stand only a few inches tall. Some of them are not much bigger than a hamster.
Result of selective breeding
That makes them just about half the size of the dogs falling into the toy group, whose weight ranges from four to seven pounds.
The term ‘teacup puppies’ is used to describe dogs which have been selectively bred from a variety of pocket-sized breeds. Into this category might fall Yorkshire terrier puppies, Chihuahuas, Pugs, Pomeranians, Poodles, Maltese and Shih Tsus. And occasionally the smaller type of labradoodle puppies.
Fragile creatures
The trend for producing tiny-sized puppies was begun in the 19th century when it was deemed fashionable to have cute little dogs who could sit on ladies’ knees, warm their beds and be paraded for all and sundry to admire.
What the Victorians did not appreciate – or perhaps they did appreciate, but didn’t care – was that because these tiny animals were selectively bred, they were very fragile creatures who had a whole host of health problems. Sadly, they did not live very long.
Their heartless owners simply replaced them with something equally small. Or smaller.
Sensitive to their feelings
Even today, there are many recorded instances of these poor little puppies surviving only days, or weeks, which is a very valid reason for not investing in them, or even accepting them if they’re offered to you as free puppies.
Today, we are generally a little more sensitive to the feelings of our pets. But there is still plenty of interest in these dogs. Anyone considering looking up adverts for teacup puppies for sale should be made aware that these tiny animals might look like toys, but they are not. They are living, breathing animals who need just as much love and attention as their larger counterparts.
Alternative uses for the teacup
You’ve seen an attractive teacup for sale in the window of a junk shop. Fancy cleaning it up and using it as a dog-bed for your tiny little companion? Forget it. Buy the teacup, clean it and take it home by all means. Fill it with a scented candle, some sweet-smelling potpourri, or even an unusual plant. But not with a dog.
Old Mother Hubbard might have lived in a shoe, but puppies do not live in teacups. And the sooner breeders stop this form of selecive breeding, the sooner the fashion will die out and dogs of these very small breeds will be born at their normal size.
Matching dog to owner
Puppies come in all shapes and sizes, so why not go for a more normal-sized companion? Breeders and rescue centres have no end of choice and are always happy to match the puppy – or the dog – to the prospective owner. Lively, lazy, squeaky, bouncy… the dog’s personality can be matched quite easily to that of the owner. And it’s not always big dogs that are the most assertive.
Over to one man who summed up the situation rather neatly.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 – 1989) 34th President of the United States (1953 – 61) knew about dogs. ‘Ike’ didn’t go in for the teacup breed, but he did know what made a dog tick and had his own views on the subject.
‘What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog,’ he claimed. The President’s faithful companion throughout his period at the White House was a beautiful Weimeraner called Heidi. Weimeraners are definitely not teacup puppies!
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