Ondra, a chihuahua from the Czech Republic, belonged to Miloslava Vasickova. He was in the Guinness Book of Records as world's smallest living dog for one year only, for 2000.

Alas, incompetent veterinarian Leos Vyhane mistakenly injected Ondra with cat medication which paralyzed the dog so that he had be euthenized in 2001.

Vasickova's chi had been on the cusp of worldwide recognition and lots of money for Ondra to be photographed with specific products, none of which came about. So the vet murdered not only a beloved pet, but a financial bonanza in the making. And so unexpectedly very few good photographs of Ondra can be had.

A court case initially went to Ondra's owner, but the settlement was overturned by a later court. Though it seems probable the vet really was maximumly at fault, one never knows how long such runts will live even in the best of cases. Wildly undersized chihuahuas are naturally unhealthy.

The council in the village of Trestina presented Ondra's owner with a granite tombstone for the momentarily world-famed dog. "Despite his small stature he had the nature of a leader," said Ms Vasickova, who put the tombstone by Ondra's grave in her garden.