Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Her bark's bigger than she is

Early edition: At 6 inches long and less than 2 pounds, Brandy the Chihuahua is the world’s smallest dog.

By ROBERT FARLEY
Published December 12, 2006

Brandy the Chihuahua is so small, she's not allowed on her owner's sofa -- for fear she'd be injured if she jumped off.
	[Times photo: Kathleen Flynn]

The judge took one look at Brandy and scoffed. “Are you showing me a hamster?” Dog show career, over.

Oh, the indignity. It never ends.

For fun, Brandy’s owner puts her in a pink Hawaiian dress. Brandy isn’t allowed on the couch because if she jumped off, she’d break. You don’t pet Brandy so much as rub her with a thumb and forefinger.

She shivers constantly.

But you can’t take this away from Brandy: she is The Smallest Dog in the World.

So says Guinness.

Brandy’s renown is limited because her owner, Paulette Keller, has shunned the limelight. If you’ve ever seen Brandy, she was likely peering out of the sheepskin-lined purse that Paulette carries everywhere.

Paulette got Brandy a little over two years ago. One day she called breeder Marlene Ritzenthaler of Hudson and asked if she had a Chihuahua for sale, “a small one.”

Did she ever. Brandy was the runt of a litter of five. Not that the others were exactly Dobermans.

At 9 months old, Brandy took up residence in the Keller home in Largo. She lives there with three other dogs, the mothering Mona, and moppish Willow and a boxer puppy.

When asked what kind of dog Willow is, Paulette’s son, John, 24, mumbles unintelligibly.
Excuse me?

“A Chinese Crested Powderpuff,” he says. You can see it pains him to say it. This is a man who drives a Mustang Cobra.

Brandy can bark — in her sleep she issues small, bark-like sneezes — but chooses not to. She eats whatever Keller does — scrambled eggs, steak. A couple of spoonfuls. A general announcement is made whenever Brandy enters a room. If she were to get underfoot ...

Brandy made the transformation from Paulette’s lap ornament to The Smallest Dog in the World a year and a half ago. Ritzenthaler, the breeder, told Keller she thought Brandy was smaller than the smallest dog in the Guinness World Records book.

Keller took Brandy to the vet, who signed papers listing her vital statistics:

Size: 6 inches measured from the base of the neck to the base of the tail.

Weight: 1 pound, 13 ounces.

That proof, along with a picture of Brandy splayed across a dollar bill, was sent to Guinness.

So in the 2006 Guinness book, there is bug-eyed Brandy, on the same page with the dog who can fit the most tennis balls in its mouth (5). Seeing this, you wonder how many tiny Chihuahuas it could carry.

The perks so far have numbered just one. Last year, the Pedigree dog food company paid to fly Ron and Paulette Keller to Reno, where Brandy was paired with one of the largest dogs in the world for a three-day exhibit at Harrah’s casino. Next to the other dog, a Great Dane, Brandy looked like a chew toy.

Husband Ron figures Brandy could be on Leno and Letterman, but Paulette’s not interested.

“I just love her,” she says. “It wouldn’t matter if she’s the smallest. She’s just a really sweet dog.”

Last week, Japanese television came to do a segment on Brandy. Paulette’s children, Jessica, 21, and John, talked her into it. A camera woman and a translator arrived about 10 a.m.

“We’re going to go outside and ring the doorbell,” the translator said, “and when you open the door, we’ll say we’ve heard you have the smallest dog in the world here.”

Ding dong.

“Are you Paulette? We heard you have the world’s smallest Chihuahua here.”

“Yes,” Paulette said, a bit stiff. “Come on in.”

But Brandy missed her cue. Terrified of the camera, she scurried for cover — under tables, under chairs, behind a large coffee mug. Finally Paulette grabbed her.

The crew pulled out a tape measure, propped Brandy on a table and stretched her out. Yep, 6 inches.

Then they interviewed Paulette. She smiled politely, but clearly she was uncomfortable. Afterward, she swore: never again.

“I wasn’t trying to get the smallest dog in the world,” Paulette said. “I just wanted a little dog.”

Brandy sat on her lap, shivering.

Robert Farley can be reached at 727 (445-4159) or farley@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 12, 2006, 22:19:18]