Short on legs, long on cute —
zOMG TINY ANIMALLLLZZZ! OK, just had to get that out of our systems. Now here's some science.
There are three kinds of dwarfism in dogs: Ateliotic dwarfism results in a miniature version of a larger dog; micromelic achondroplasia results in a dog with a normal-sized body and short legs; and brachycephalic achondroplasia results in a dog with shortened bones in either the snout and upper jaw or the lower jaw.
Asian dog breeds like the pug, the Shih Tzu and the Pekingese display all three kinds of dwarfism, so they are miniature and have short legs and squished-looking faces -- making them completely irresistible to their owners.
Click through the gallery to see other dwarf pets whose owners wouldn't have them any other way.