Lap Dog - Extinct Lapdog Breeds

Extinct Lapdog Breeds

The Russian Lapdog and the Mexican Lapdog' were not breeds in the modern sense, but were types of small dogs from Russia and Mexico respectively. The individuals shown here are juveniles and are shown with a Griffon Bruxellois to indicate scale. The immature Mexican Lapdog specimen is approximately the size of a golden hamster. Adult specimens are not on display. During the 19th century it was fashionable to mount immature specimens to look like adults, giving a false impression of adult size.

From: The Illustrated Natural History (Mammalia) by the Rev John George Wood, 1853

The very tiniest of the Dog family is the Mexican Lapdog, a creature so very minute in its dimensions as to appear almost fabulous to those who have not seen this animal itself. One of these little canine pets is to be seen in the British Museum, and always attracts much attention from the visitors. Indeed, if it were not in so dignified a locality, it would be generally classed with the mermaid, the flying serpent, and the Tartar lamb, as an admirable example of clever workmanship. It is precisely like those white woollen toy Dogs which sit upon a pair of bellows, and when pressed give forth a nondescript sound, intended to do duty for the legitimate canine bark. To say that it is no larger than these toys would be hardly true, for I have seen in the shop windows many a toy Dog which exceeded in size the veritable Mexican Lapdog.