Tiny Dancer had a difficult beginning. His mother was found abandoned and malnourished. When neighbors found the dog, she was given to Jenny Gomes of Okahumpka, FL who immediately took the sickly dog to her vet. The vet found that the dog was an expectant mother who was due to give birth soon. Two weeks later, the mother dog gave birth to a female and then two hours later, gave birth to Dancer. Dancer, a long-haired Chihuahua, was about the size of his owner’s thumb. Although she did not expect him to survive, he slowly made progress. After 11 months, he weighed in at a diminutive 18 ounces!
Jenny began to think that this marvelous little miracle just might be small enough to be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Smallest Dog; however, Dancer had now grown to a hefty 5 inches tall. Two other dogs were listed as smaller. Boo Boo from Kentucky came in at 4 inches tall and Ducky from Massachusetts came in at 4.9 inches in length.
Dancer's owner was not discouraged. Her latest quest is to have Dancer listed as the World's Smallest Therapy Dog. As Jenny searched for an organization that would accept the little dog to be certified, most turned her down. He was finally accepted and certified by Caring Canines earlier this year. He spent weeks in training to learn how to help hospital patients and others in need of some cheer. He and his owner have visited many elderly and sick children around the Lake County area.
Tiny Dancer is a frisky canine who quacks like a duck, lounges in a car seat and naps in a baby's playpen. Jenny has been offered large sums of money for the cute little pooch, including $5,000 from a man in her vet's office when he discovered that Dancer was an adult. Jenny turned down the offer. "No way," she says. "You don’t sell love." Jenny hopes to hear from the Guinness organization soon.