August 4, 2024, 8:28 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Large heads, round, wide-set eyes, tiny muzzles: Adorable photos and videos of so-called teacup dogs are clickbait on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Below, PETBOOK provides an overview of these extremely small dogs and explains why animal rights activists view them as products of cruel breeding practices.
They are so small that, at first glance, it is hard to believe they are real animals. So-called teacup dogs are said to be as small as teacups. Elaborately staged photos of these little dogs abound on social networks. For example, they wear “funny” costumes or are placed in teacups. However, these are not puppies but adult dogs. PETBOOK reveals why teacup dogs are problematic breeds.
What are teacup dogs?
Teacup dogs are not a particular breed. Instead, they are particularly small versions of various breeds, including Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers, Chihuahuas, and Miniature Spitz. Therefore, it is impossible to say how big – or rather small – a teacup dog will be.
Dogs with the suffix “toy” in their breed name are generally even smaller than “dwarf” versions of the animals. These miniature versions sometimes only reach a shoulder height of 18 to 23 centimeters when fully grown and weigh a maximum of two to 2.5 kilograms.
All animals in these weight and size categories are “toy” variants. However, some breeders breed the animals even smaller. Chihuahuas, Poodles, and Pointers, in particular, are often even smaller animals – and this breeding is highly controversial among animal rights activists and dog lovers.
There are no healthy teacup dogs!
Extreme dwarfism is associated with a host of severe health problems. For example, many minis suffer from “hydrocephalus.” In this clinical case, the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid is disturbed, which can lead to coordination and vision problems, among other things—and often as early as puppyhood.
Other consequences of problematic breeding can include eye infections, intervertebral disc problems, breathing difficulties, and dental disease. Many Teacup dogs also shiver noticeably because they have difficulty maintaining their body temperature.
Are teacup dogs allowed in Germany?
The German Kennel Club (VDH) rejects the breeding of teacup dogs. According to the breeding regulations, only animals that weigh at least two kilograms may be bred together. However, dubious breeders deliberately select the smallest and weakest animals in a litter, so-called runts, to breed ever-tinier dogs.
Since the VDH distances itself from this practice, breeders of teacup dogs are not officially organized. In other words, there is no regulated teacup dog breeding in Germany.
In addition, the German Animal Welfare Act prohibits the breeding of animals if their offspring can only be kept in pain or avoidable suffering or if their breeding leads to harm (see Animal Welfare Act § 11b). Many animal lovers consider teacup dogs to fulfill this torturous breeding criterion.
Nevertheless, their breeding is rarely prosecuted, and teacup dog breeders have hardly had to fear any consequences. This is why questionable sales offers for such minis keep popping up, especially in the classified ads.
How long does a teacup dog live?
In principle, even a deliberately small-bred dog can reach the average life expectancy of its breed. It is, therefore, possible for a teacup dog to live to be 15 years old.
In reality, however, the numerous health problems often lead to the premature death of these minis. For example, even a light blow to the head can kill the puppy. This is because the gap in the skull bone, the fontanel, in many teacup dogs, does not close properly. The brain is located directly under the skin at this point – which is why even a slight knock can be fatal.
Conclusion
Understandably, many people find teacup dogs cute. The animals fit the childlike mold, making us want to take care of these cute creatures. But for the dogs concerned, their cute appearance is fatal. Many suffer from the consequences of extreme dwarfism for the rest of their (short) lives and are in pain every day. True animal lovers should not support this – not even through likes on Insta and Co.
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Sources
- welttierschutz.org, „Qualzucht im Fokus: Teacup-Hunde“ (accessed on 01/22/2024)
- ardalpha.de, „Mini-Modehunde sind Tierquälerei“ (accessed on 01/22/2024)
- peta.de, „Teacup-Hunde: Warum Sie die Qualzuchten nicht kaufen sollten“ (accessed on 01/22/2024)
- vet-thieme.de, „Miniaturformat: Toy- und Teacup-Hunde süß und krank?!“ (accessed on 01/22/2024)