The Hour

They often say that dogs look like their owners, but there’s not much chance of that with the latest breed to become the must-have pet, the Tea Cup Chihuahua!

Small enough to fit into a cup or mug, these tiny dogs are the smallest in the world, and are often mistaken for rodents.

Charlie Kirkwood bought one of the dogs, which are becoming hugely popular after turning into the pet of choice for celebrities, for his girlfriend Kim McGroarty.

So determined to get the right species, he even travelled down south to get his hands on one of the miniature dogs and paid a whopping £1000 for their pet, Holly.

He said: “I actually had to go down to Liverpool to a place called Birkenhead, to pick Holly up. It was a bit of a journey, it was the first day of the bad storms, and it took nine and a half hours to get back up with her, but she slept most of the way, she was fantastic.”

Holly was about the size of a bat when she was born, and now tips the scales at just 700 grams. Only six inches tall, she is so tiny that the pair have to be careful not to step on her.

But Charlie and Kim often forget just how small Holly is, until she’s next to other dogs. Kim explained: “I’ve seen a massive change in her since we got her, size-wise. But when went to the park the other day you can see how small she is again, compared to the other dogs.”