Time.news – Only 9.14 cm high and 12.7 long, Pearl a female chihuahua who lives in Orlando, Florida, entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest dog in the world. By her owners, who have three other dogs, she is described as “a bit of a diva, small as a ball”. In fact, based on measurements by veterinarian Giovanni Vergel, of Crystal Creek Hospital, Pearl is the length of a popsicle, a dollar bill, and can fit in a pocket.
In reality the record remains in the family: the dog enters the Guinness Book of Records thanks to smaller dimensions than the ‘aunt’, thus taking over from Milly, a sister identical to Pearl’s mother, a few centimeters ‘larger’. Pearl weighed less than 28 grams when she was born in September 2020, shortly before Milly’s death, and has since ballooned to 553 grams, thanks in part to her fondness for chicken, salmon and other similar “premium foods.” Pearl’s owner, Vanesa Semler, said. “We are lucky to have her and have this unique opportunity to break our record and share this incredible news with the world,” added Semler, who also owned Milly.
Pearl is at least the second chihuahua in the United States to capture international titles since late last year. In January, Guinness publicly announced that Spike, a 23-year-old Chihuahua mix based in Ohio, was the oldest dog in the world. However, a couple of weeks later, 30-year-old livestock guardian in rural Portugal, Bobi, wrested the title from Spike.