Doggies in teacups: Cute trend or terrible cruelty to animals?

Berlin - With some, you can only tell at second glance that they are not stuffed animals, but real living creatures. With others, you can't tell the difference even at third glance: Teacup dogs, or Teacups for short.

These dogs are so small that they fit in a teacup, are no more than 23 centimetres tall, weigh around one and a half kilograms, cost more than a scooter and sometimes have hundreds of thousands of subscribers on Instagram and Facebook.

However, animal rights activists are critical of the breeding of these cute status symbols, which are often presented as fashion accessories or toys: the animals are often degenerate and particularly susceptible to disease.

There are not many breeders of such miniature dogs in Germany, says hobby breeder Ivonne Winter from Hanau, who specializes exclusively in Teacup Poodles. The demand is significantly higher than the supply.

"Everyone wants a Teacup dog now, but you don't have them sitting on the shelves." The work is time-consuming and cost-intensive. The puppies in particular need a lot of attention. "You have to feed them every two hours, day and night," says Winter.

But how are the tiny puppies bred in the first place? "The weakest and smallest animals are selected from a breed in order to breed with them again," explains Daniela Schrudde, Head of Content at the World Animal Protection Society.

The typically large eyes, large back of the head and small nose donot correspond to the anatomy of a healthy dog.

"This doesn't happen if you do it carefully and mate pure teacup dogs with each other," replies Ivonne Winter. The mother dog, for example, must be at least 20 to 23 centimetres tall, and the male dog must also match her in size. "There may well be smaller puppies, but they are not suitable for breeding."

Her mini poodles are just as healthy dogs as any small or large poodle, says Winter.

Lisa Hoth, pet specialist at the German Animal Welfare Association, on the other hand, reports that animals often shiver because their body temperature is too low.

Another problem is hypoglycemia: this can be caused by a missed meal and, in the worst case, can lead to death. Malformations of the head, for example as a result of hereditary bone fissures that do not grow together, can also be observed.

In any case, the bones are very fragile, the eyes are disproportionately large and therefore more susceptible to injury and milk teeth often cannot be removed without external help.

"That's absolute nonsense," says Ivonne Winter. "Large eyes are not the breeding goal in Germany and come from America and Asia, just like the round apple heads and short muzzles." The fact that her animals occasionally have to have a tooth pulled is not a problem specific to Teacup Poodles , but to Poodles in general.

She has also never had a puppy with an open fontanel. She herself only breeds animals that are around 20 centimetres tall. "Even if many people say on the phone that they want a Teacup Poodle that is only 15 to 16 centimetres tall, then they are wrong with me and can just buy a stuffed animal."

Legally, the matter seems clear at first: according to the Animal Welfare Act, so-called torture breeding is prohibited in Germany. This means that it is not permitted to breed animals if they lack body parts or organs for their species-appropriate use or are deformed - resulting in pain, suffering or harm. "If you look at the Teacup dogs, they all have this," says Daniela Schrudde.

However, the practical implementation of the so-called torture breeding paragraph is encountering problems, as Lisa Hoth explains. "So far, there have only been rulings on individual breeds." However, certain breeding traits such as short-headedness are already known and have been scientifically investigated, says Hoth.

There are numerous pages on the online portal Instagram that regularly present photos and short videos of the tiny four-legged friends: Sometimes they are wrapped up in colorful costumes, sometimes they poke their little heads out of a beach chair.

Nothing is left to chance, everything seems to be meticulously staged, from the perfectly groomed fur to the choice of picture props.

It is striking that it is mainly the pages of professional retailers that reach a particularly large number of users.

The Instagram page of the provider"Rolly Teacup Puppies", for example, had 740,000 subscribers at the beginning of June; the retailer sends the tiny animals, which cost the equivalent of up to 8640 euros, all over the world. According to the site, the animals are in perfect health, which is also backed up by a health certificate.

However, the mere fact that the dogs are sent all over the world without knowing the future owners in detail speaks against the seriousness of the offer, says Daniela Schrudde.

Even the certificates are no guarantee that the animals are doing well. "There are always vets who issue certificates that are then worth nothing."

Teacup dogs are not covered by the breed standards of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). Associations of dog breeders and owners from all over the world are united under this umbrella organization. The smallest dog breed recognized by the FCI standards is the Chihuahua, whose weight is specified as a minimum of one and a maximum of three kilograms.