| Mexican lapdog | |
|---|---|
 1890 illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans | |
| Origin | Mexico |
| Breed status | Extinct |
| Dog ( domestic dog ) | |
The Mexican lapdog is an extinct breed of lap dog originating in Mexico noted for its small size.
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The Mexican lapdog was the smallest of all dog breeds, [1] [2] being nearly identical in size to a guinea pig. [3] John George Wood stated that the breed was smaller than even toy dogs in shop windows, and that its small size would have caused doubt as to its existence if a specimen did not exist in the British Museum. [1] The specimen, of unverified maturity, measured only 18 centimetres (7.1 in) from the snout to the base of the tail. [4] [5] The breed had curly, 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. [5] Author Dave Madden described the breed as resembling "a guinea pig caught in a wind tunnel". [6] The breed's foundation stock is not known, although it is believed to have likely been descended from European breeds. [4]
The puppies were roughly the size of hamsters, and taxidermists of the Victorian era often mounted Mexican lapdog puppies to display their small size. [7] One such puppy, purchased in Liverpool in 1843, [8] was kept in a glass case in the British Museum for many years. [9] This puppy was 8 centimetres (3.1 in) tall at the shoulders. [10] The taxidermy puppy is now kept at the Natural History Museum at Tring, and is one of the museum's oldest specimens. [11]
