This handout photo released on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, by Guinness World Records, shows Miracle Milly, a brown female Chihuahua who is the smallest dog living, in terms of height, measuring 3.8 inches (9.65 centimeters) tall when measured from backbone to paw, on Feb. 21, 2013. Milly is owned by Vanesa Semler who lives in Dorado, Puerto Rico. AP Photo/Guinness World Records 2014 Edition
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico can now boast it is home to the world’s smallest dog — at least when it comes to height.
The brown Chihuahua named Miracle Milly is shorter than a soup can, standing at 3.8 inches (9.65 centimeters) tall when measured from backbone to paw, Guinness World Records announced Thursday.
She is nearly 2 years old, weighs roughly 1 pound (half a kilogram) and is known for often sticking out her tiny tongue when someone takes her picture.
“She knows how to pose,” owner Vanesa Semler told The Associated Press.
Miracle Milly dethroned Boo Boo, a long-haired Chihuahua from Kentucky that stands 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) tall.
Guinness also has a second category for world’s smallest dog when measured by length. That title is held by Heaven Sent Brandy, a Chihuahua in Largo, Florida, that measures 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) long.
When she was born, Miracle Milly weighed less than an ounce and fit in a teaspoon, Semler said.
Her mouth was too tiny to nurse from her mother, so Semler gave her milk every two hours through an eyedropper.
She slept in a doll’s crib next to Semler’s bed, growing stronger as the months passed.
The Chihuahua now sleeps in a baby’s crib and will eat nothing but food cooked by humans.
“She really likes salmon and chicken,” Semler said, noting that she eats four times a day.
Miracle Milly is close to her two sisters, both which are of normal size, but she prefers the company of people.
“She does not understand that she is a dog,” Semler said. “She thinks she’s a kid.”
She doesn’t bark and likes playing with the plants in Semler’s backyard. If there are birds to chase, even better.
If she’s playing inside, she gravitates toward Paco, a yellow Chihuahua plush toy twice her size. The stuffed animal is among dozens lining her crib.
“We give her a new toy almost every week,” Semler said. “She likes to cuddle with them.”
Miracle Milly is one of 10 Chihuahuas that Semler owns, and is easily the most popular.
“People are amazed when they see her because she is so small,” Semler said. “And she has a big personality. People love her.”