My fascination with little dogs began the day I took a picture of a 3-pound chihuahua chasing neighbor kids in my front yard. Until that point, I was a confirmed yappy-dog hater.

But that one picture, taken at a fast shutter speed and a low angle, captured an athlete. The concentration on his face was intense. The muscle definition, albeit on a tiny scale, was remarkable. Suddenly, the dog I’d spent years belittling as phoo phoo, was a jock. His athleticism was Olympian. I haven’t looked at little dogs the same since.

When my wife brought home a Yorkie puppy, I didn’t protest. I saw that same fire in his eyes. I knew there was an athlete hiding there. He didn’t disappoint. Later, I acquired a 10-year-old Yorkie rescue to be the first one’s buddy. I wasn’t expecting him to live up to the athlete reputation, but he did just that. He’s 4 pounds of 100 percent stud. Pound for pound, as tough as a pit bull.

The pictures and videos on this site are my way of saying thanks to little dogs. Maybe someone will see them and be motivated to take their little dogs out of their purse and let them be dogs. You won’t regret it. And they’ll love you for it even more.