A miniscule chihuahua has stolen the unofficial title of the tiniest dog in Britain - measuring smaller than the previous champion Daisy.
Bardo the 20-month-old chihuahua is just under 8in tall and 2in wide - which is around the average size of a banana - and weighs 1.35g.
John Mallon, 61, from North London, co-owns Bardo with his younger sister Ann, and the pair absolutely adore their "unusual looking" pet.
John told The Mirror: "He is so small that he gets attention wherever he goes. Lots of people often think he's a pet hamster or rat, not a dog."
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John welcomed the white chihuahua puppy into his home in December 2020, when he was nine-weeks old.
"He's always been so tiny and he's barely grown," John said.
"I've had strangers come up to me and say 'I've never seen a dog in my life as small as him."
John was reading an article online about the smallest dog in Britain in May and realised Bardo was a half-inch shorter than the title holder, four-year-old Daisy.
"We measured him to check and confirmed he was just under 8in tall," he said.
Bardo lives with John's two cats, Ava and Moon, and despite being a quarter of their size, he is "the boss around the house".
The pint-sized pup is a fussy eater and likes tuna and sardines mixed into his canine biscuits.
"If he doesn't want to eat his food, he gets mad and makes a weird sound," John said.
Ann describes Bardo as sweet, calm and says he rarely barks, unlike a typical chihuahua breed.
"He has an unusual appearance and looks like something out of Star Wars or Alien - but we think he's so gorgeous," she said.
"He's got these big eyes and loves to kiss everybody.
"Bardo is lovely with children and adults - they all say they've never seen anything so tiny and cute."
Talking about how his size restricts him, Ann said: "We've got to be careful around other dogs as they could do a lot of harm.
"We took him to a dog show at Primrose Hill recently and because he's so small, the judges didn't even notice him."
Bardo's petite frame means Ann cannot find a dog harness to fit his neck, and has resorted to buying an XS cat harness - which is still slightly roomy.
"He gets into small gaps that other dogs can't, like down the side of the sofa, and sometimes we think he's gone missing," she said.
"He'll disappear for a while and I'll wonder where he is - then I'll find him tucked away."
Do you have a dog tinier than Bardo? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
