Top of the pups

The tiny pup, who is a nine days old, was named Miracle after she was the only one in the litter of five to survive.

Such is Miracle’s size that she is fed special baby dog milk through a syringe by 10-year-old owner Kayley-May Coles because a baby’s bottle is bigger than her.

Kayley-May, of Castle View Road, Chiseldon, said the family are hand-rearing Miracle because her mother, Lucky, will not feed her.

“Unfortunately Lucky won’t let her have milk so we have had to buy her special milk,” she said.

“My mum wakes up three times a night to feed her – she needs her bottle lukewarm.

“My older sister is so protective of her, she makes sure she spends half an hour playing with her before work and she calls us three times a day to make sure Miracle is okay.

“I expected her to be quite small but not this small.

“Everyone thinks she is absolutely beautiful. My friend Courtney came round to see her and absolutely loves her. And my teacher thought she might be the smallest dog ever to be born. She is just perfect.”

Miracle weighed just an ounce and a half and was three inches long when she was born.

Kayley-May’s dad James said the family couldn’t believe their eyes when the puppies were born while the family was out.

Unfortunately, four of the puppies had died by the time the family returned but Miracle proved she was going to live up to her name, and after a check-up at the vets, all seems to be well.

James said: “Everyone that has seen her says she must be the smallest dog ever born. We just never dreamed she would be this small, she doesn’t even seem like a real dog.

“Kayley-May named her Miracle, and it really is a miracle that she is alive. We really didn’t think she would make it but she has grown quite a bit already and is so much more alert than she was.

“We are keeping her to ourselves now. There is no money in the world that could buy her.”