Tiny dogs latest fashion statement

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The latest New York fashion accessory is a live dog small enough to fit into a handbag and to travel to bars, restaurants and boutiques with its mistress.

I think of them as a handbag with a heartbeat," Robin Bowden, real estate executive told the New York Times.

The Manhattan office where Bowden is a vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman is the daytime home of several lap or sleeve dogs.

"They have little beds and they scamper up and down," Bowden said. "I've seen brokers showing expensive SoHo lofts, turning up with these tiny puppy dogs in their designer bags."

Sleeve dogs got their name in the Middle Ages because they were small enough to be hidden in the voluminous sleeves of the time. Popular breeds now include Yorkshire terriers, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, French bulldogs and papillons.

Many of the New York dogs live pampered lives that include designer coats and Sunday brunch at restaurants -- in defiance of New York health ordinances.