Tiny Chihuahua, Sized Like a Dollar Bill, Earns Well-Deserved Record as the World’s Shortest Dog

Guinness World Records said the two-year-old pup named Pearl is shorter than a popsicle stick and a standard TV remote

A two-year-old female chihuahua named Pearl was officially crowned the new World’s Shortest Living Dog by Guinness World Records.

Pearl, who measures 3.59 inches in height, is shorter than a popsicle stick and a standard TV remote, per Guinness World Records. Meanwhile, in length, the pup measures just 5 inches — around the same size as a dollar bill — and she weighs in at a tiny 1.22 lbs.

When she was born in September 2020, little Pearl weighed less than an ounce.

She is related to the previous holder of the shortest dog title, Miracle Milly, who measured 3.8 inches in height. Milly sadly passed away in 2020 before Pearl — the daughter of one of Milly’s identical sisters — was born.

“We’re blessed to have her,” Pearl’s owner Vanesa Semler told Guinness World Records. “And to have this unique opportunity to break our own record and share with the world this amazing news.”

According to Guinness World Records, Pearl qualified for the title after her vet at Crystal Creek Animal Hospital in Orlando, Florida — where Pearl was born — used a dog-measuring wicket to determine her height.

Pearl was recently introduced to the world on the set of the TV talent show Lo Show Dei Record in Milan, Italy.

Semler carried Pearl on stage in a pink and brown egg-shaped seat for the appearance. Semler told the show’s host, Gerry Scotti, that Pearl is “a bit of a diva” and “a child at heart.”

She also described her pooch as “small like a ball” and said the chihuahua is slightly taller than a teacup.

As for what Pearl enjoys doing, Semler, who also has three larger dogs, revealed that the tiny pet loves “dressing up nice” and snacking on food like salmon and chicken.

The furry companion isn’t the only chihuahua grabbing attention in the press. In January, a 23-year-old chihuahua from Ohio named Spike made headlines when he was officially named the World’s Oldest Living Dog by Guinness World Records on Jan. 19.

Spike — described as a Doritos-loving, porch-napping chihuahua by his owner Rita Kimball — took the title from Gino, a 22-year-old mixed breed pup from Los Angeles. Gino was crowned in December 2022.

But just days after Spike’s crowning, Guinness World Records announced on Feb. 2 that it recently received evidence of an even older dog: Bobi, a 30-year-old canine from Portugal.

Guinness World Records verified Bobi’s age and officially proclaimed him the World’s Oldest Living Dog and the World’s Oldest Dog Ever.

The shortest dog ever recorded was a dwarf Yorkshire terrier owned by Arthur Marples from the U.K. According to Guinness World Records, the terrier measured 2.8 inches in height and 3.75 inches in length. The pup died in 1945, just before its second birthday.