Noki the teensy Yorkie gets star treatment

Tiny Pinocchio is a lot bigger these days, at least in terms of national attention.

Since a St. Petersburg Times story about the 16-ounce, 8-inch-long Yorkshire terrier appeared April 22, the dog and its owner, Linda Skeels-Hopson, have appeared on Good Morning America and the Today show.

A German TV station is filming a short documentary, and the dog's Web site (tinypinocchio.com) has had close to 100,000 hits. Skeels-Hopson and Noki also have received more than 600 e-mails, most of which are addressed to the dog.

Skeels-Hopson is trying to verify through the Guinness World Records that 1-year-old Noki is the world's smallest dog. (The current record holder is 1 ounce heavier and 0.2-inches taller.)

"I've had lots of offers to take care of him if I need a dog-sitter," said Skeels-Hopson, of St. Petersburg. "And we're stopped everywhere we go. People want to hold him, have their picture taken with him and ask for my autograph. He's an overnight sensation."

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