Mexican lapdog

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Mexican lapdog
Mexican lap-dog by JG Keulemans.jpg
1890 illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans
Origin Mexico
Breed status Extinct
Dog ( domestic dog )

The Mexican lapdog, also known as the Peruvian lapdog, Mexican mopsey or Ytzcuinte potzotli, [1] is an extinct breed of lap dog originating in Mexico. Noted for its small size, it was the smallest known dog breed. Another Mexican breed, the chihuahua, is the smallest breed still in existence.

Contents

Characteristics

The Mexican lapdog was the smallest of all dog breeds, [2] [3] being nearly identical in size to a guinea pig, [4] with the puppies roughly the size of hamsters. The only surviving taxidermy specimen, which is of unverified maturity, is only 18 centimetres (7.1 in) from the snout to the base of the tail, [5] [6] and 8 centimetres (3.1 in) tall at the shoulders. [7] A contemporary account by John George Wood stated that the breed was smaller than even toy dogs in shop windows. [2]

The breed had medium length white fur, although the fur on its short tail was longer than the fur on the rest of the body. It had a round head, small ears, a flesh-colored nose, and widely separated brown eyes. [6] There were two varieties, a silky-haired one and a woolly-haired one. The latter variety was called the "Mexican mopsy" and was the more popular of the two. [1] Author Dave Madden described the breed as resembling "a guinea pig caught in a wind tunnel". [8] The breed's foundation stock is not known, although it is believed to have likely been descended from European breeds. [5]

Unsurprisingly due to its small size, the breed was not used for any sporting or working purposes; an 1875 book refers to it as being "of no use" and "merely an object of curiosity". [9]

Taxidermy

The taxidermy specimen at the Natural History Museum at Tring Russmexlapdog (cropped).jpg
The taxidermy specimen at the Natural History Museum at Tring

Taxidermists of the Victorian era often mounted puppies, marketing them as small adult dogs, for display in cabinets of curiosity. For example, many spaniel puppies were mounted and subsequently sold as "Roman dogs", supposedly found only in the ruins of Ancient Rome. [10] Mexican lapdog puppies were frequent subjects of such taxidermy, owing to their small size. [11] One such puppy, purchased in Liverpool in 1843, [12] was kept in a glass case in the British Museum for many years. [13] The taxidermy puppy is now kept at the Natural History Museum at Tring, and is one of the museum's oldest specimens. [14]

Possible hoax

Decades after the breed's extinction, author Peter Dance questioned whether such a small breed ever existed. He was told by the British Museum's dog authority, Dr. J. Jewel, that the museum would get donations of similarly tiny dogs, which turned out to be mostly black and tan terrier puppies mounted before they could reach adult size. [10] Dance then concluded that the "breed" likely consisted of puppies from other breeds, which were killed, mounted, and sold ready-made as curiosities. [10]

Even prior to its extinction, some questioned the breed's existence, as it was so small; John George Wood said he would have doubted its existence if the British Museum specimen did not exist. [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Johnson, Henry (1880). Johnson's Household Book of Nature. H.J. Johnson. pp. 290–291.
  2. 1 2 3 Wood, John (1859). The Illustrated Natural History. Warne and Routledge. pp. 277–278.
  3. ↑ Alden, John (1890). Alden's Manifold Cyclopedia of Knowledge and Language. Vol. 21. p. 472.
  4. ↑ The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art. Vol. 50. Leavitt, Trow, & Company. 1889. p. 732.
  5. 1 2 Mivart, St. George (1890). Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes : a monograph of the Canidae. London: R. H. Porter. p. 163.
  6. 1 2 Lydekker, Richard (1901). Mammals. Merrill & Baker. p. 552.
  7. ↑ Dennis-Bryan, Kim; Clutton-Brock, Juliet (1988). Dogs of the Last Hundred Years at the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum. p. 104.
  8. ↑ Madden, Dave (2011). The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy. St. Martin's Press. p. 19. ISBN   978-0312643713.
  9. ↑ Knox, Alexander (1875). A History of the County of Down. Hodges, Foster and Co. p. 628.
  10. 1 2 3 Dance, Peter S. (1976). Animal Fakes & Frauds. Sampson Low. pp. 112–113.
  11. ↑ "DOG BREEDS IN THE 1800s – MINIATURE LAPDOGS". messybeast.com. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  12. ↑ A Guide to the Domesticated Animals (other Than Horses) Exhibited in the Central and North Halls of the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum. 1918. p. 45.
  13. ↑ Masson, David (1850). The British Museum, Historical and Descriptive. W. and R. Chambers. p. 235.
  14. ↑ "The Mexican Lap Dog on the left is one of the oldest mounted skins to be listed in the collection and was exhibited for many years @BritishMuseum in Bloomsbury before the building of @NHM_London. They are both now on display at Tring". Facebook . Natural History Museum at Tring. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
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