PAWS FOR EFFECT

By Lydia Slater

From Sunday Times (London), 11.26.2000

Normandie White has never made a secret of her desire to hear the patter of tiny feet. At long last, the new bride's dreams have been fulfilled. Little Sugar White now sleeps between the happy couple, but the moment he's house-trained, he will doubtless become a fixture on the international party circuit. We need no more proof to declare a chihuahua this year's essential accessory.

Madonna, as usual, was first with the trend, with Chiquita, Rosita and Evita. Chiquita's jewellery, notably a Pounds 5,000 collar from Tiffany's, is the stuff of legend. Now All Saints Nicole and Natalie Appleton have purchased matching chihuahua siblings, while Stephin Merrit, the frontman of hip band the Magnetic Fields, is rarely seen without Irving in tow.

Chihuahuas may lack obvious appeal, resembling as they do boggle-eyed rats, but the breed has obvious advantages. Weighing 2-6lb, chihuahuas fit into a Fendi croissant bag and can dine on a couple of sushi rolls. They require only short walks - the bar and back is quite enough - and as they stand 6in at the shoulder, their stride is short enough for one to keep up even in the highest heels. Best of all, they come in a range of colours and two fur options (deep pile or satin; satin is smarter).

Marilyn Monroe and Billie Holiday were famous chihuahua devotees, although their pets seemed tragically unable to handle the limelight: Monroe's was incontinent, while Holiday's liked to get drunk on neat gin out of a shot glass.

Today's chihuahuas are utterly professional: after all, they have film careers of their own to attend to. Small, like most actors, they've become Tinseltown's favourite on-screen pets. Most famous is Ping, the "face" of American fast food chain Taco Bell, who is now to star in his own film. Then there is Poppy, Tim Burton's pet, who, despite having no formal training, turned in a moving performance in Mars Attacks! ("We've worked with other chihuahuas before, but they weren't as good as Poppy," declared Burton's significant other, Lisa Marie. "She's very dramatic.")

And although the birth of Rocco Ritchie has forced Madonna to give Chiquita and Rosita away to a friend, Glenn Shadix, the change of ownership seems only to have boosted their careers: they appear in a new film, Fast Sofa, alongside Jake Busey and Julia Roberts's brother, Eric.

Alas, Bo Jack, the prized protege of Mickey Rourke, has had a career setback: he was refused a part in Luck of the Draw because the producers thought he would remind the audience of Ping. "If it had been a larger dog, maybe it would have worked," said a production executive, "but a chihuahua would look silly." Naturally, Rourke stormed off the set.