By Natalie Austin -- Daily Staff Writer

STRASBURG -- Many passersby have probably noticed the curious, little dog peering from a grand Victorian window on one of the town's side streets.

She is, in a word, precious, dwarfed by the turreted, stately residence.

It wasn't hard for owners Diane and Leon Smith to settle on Precious as a name for this little dog, which, in today's nomenclature, is classified as a "designer or hybrid."

To the couple, and many like them, designer dogs represent the best of both ends of the crossbreeding — a world filled with progenies such as Labradoodles (Labrador retriever x poodle), Chugs (Chihuahua x pug) and Malkies (Maltese x Yorkshire terrier).

The American Canine Hybrid Club, an online registry, lists 467 of these purebred crosses. The names, Chiweenie (Chihuahua x dachshund), are as zany as some of the results of the couplings, as revealed by photographs on the registry's Web site.

Pup-toting celebrities, such as Paris Hilton, who seems to need a dog small enough to fit in her latest Chanel handbag, have furthered the popularity.

Many fans of these breeds, however, just want some of one, a little of another.

That's how the Smiths came across Precious, their Yorkie-Poo (Poodle x Yorkshire terrier).

They owned a Yorkie before, but Mrs. Smith's husband thought the breed was a little hyper and small (they are about 7 pounds at adulthood).

So, like most people these days, they went online for an answer. They took a pooch compatibility test and, much to the Smiths' chagrin, the answer kept coming up poodle.

"I didn't want a poodle and Leon didn't want a Yorkie because they are too little, so we met in the middle," Mrs. Smith says, smiling.

While scanning the pet for sale ads in The Washington Post, they came across Yorkie-Poos, traveled to Baltimore, fell in love with Precious and shelled out $400.

"This is a good combination," says Mrs. Smith, adding that the 13-pound dog still looks more Yorkie than poodle.

And, that's just fine with them.

With her little eyebrows, furry face and terrier tenacity — a black rubber rat is Precious' nemesis on a recent morning — the hybrid is still more lap dog than anything, positioning herself on the sofa beside her mother. She has a special pillow for bed, sleeping between the Smiths and going nearly everywhere they go.

Across town, a white, furry little dust mop of a dog, Opus, is a tougher cross to call.

To his owners, Richard and Mary Ruth Follett, however, the little dog with the Latin name — Opus means "to work" — represents the best a Maltese and Pekingese have to offer.

A Maltinese, Opus' silky, white coat is all Maltese, but his rolling gate and underbite are telling of his Pekingese parent.

The Folletts, also of Strasburg, also did their fair share of online research before settling on a dog from Scott's Puppy Palace, scottspuppypalace.com, after numerous telephone conversations with the Arkansas breeders. Selling puppies from $1,200 to $1,400, the breeders have a client list that includes Erik Estrada, Ponch from the '70s television show "Chips."

"I was Googling for small dogs and they [Scott's Puppy Palace] came up," says Mrs. Follett. "I was impressed by their Web site and the way they responded."

Still in the research phase, Mrs. Follett says they were not really planning on getting a dog at that time. Time logged on the laptop at six months, there didn't seem to be any hurry.

"I called her bluff," says Follett, a teacher and professional actor, laughing. "I handed her my credit card."

Opus, named for the 1996 movie, "Mr. Holland's Opus," starring Richard Dreyfuss, landed June 12 at Washington Dulles International Airport via American Airlines. He was 4 months old.

"When we received him, we didn't know what to expect. He was shipped by air in his kennel," says Follett.

Although "a little subdued" from his flight, Opus showed no lasting damage and has been a healthy pup.

Rolling on the floor with a bone, barking and grunting, despite his name, Opus appears to be all about fun.

Jumping on the arm of the chair beside Mrs. Follett, Opus heads for a plate of treats, but is stopped short by a verbal command.

"He's a wonderful pup," says Mrs. Follett, who takes him to work at her salon, A Touch of Class in Strasburg. The little dog, wearing a red bandana on a recent morning, is a hit there, she says, with treat-bearing customers disappointed when Opus is absent.

Follett asks Opus if he wants his squeaky frog. The dog seems to understand and appears excited.

"I didn't expect to bond with him the way I have," he says. "I was smitten with Opus the second I saw him, and I've always been a cat person."

His wife picks up a set of keys and asks Opus if he is ready to go to work. The 9-pound puppy jumps and appears to be ready to live up to his name.

"He's like a dust mop with batteries," says Follett, laughing.

Follett says he is aware that stars seem to use small dogs as accessory items these days, but defends getting the right dog with the right temperament for the owners' lifestyle. He says "the proof is in the pudding," referring to his full-time obligations and his wife's ability to take the dog to work.

The American Kennel Club, the bastion of the purebred dog, founded in 1884 and recognizing 155 breeds, isn't as enthusiastic.

All of this dog mixing began in 1988 in Australia with the Labradoodle, says Lisa Peterson, an AKC spokeswoman. The crossbreeding was an experiment, she says, to create a hypoallergenic guide dog for the blind, by mixing the poodles' coat with the Labs' proven guide ability. The problem, however, was the close, curly poodle coat was not a sure thing.

From there, the breeding frenzy continued, she says, with many unscrupulous breeders coming up with cutsie names and marketing their puppies as designer.

"Responsible breeders are very alarmed with this trend," says Peterson.

There is no guarantee which breed characteristics a puppy will inherit, says Peterson. If a prospective owner wants a Puggle (Pug x beagle) and expects a dog under 20 pounds, she says, the dog may actually grow to 35 and be more like a beagle, bred for hunting not long stays on someone's lap.

"People get frustrated and they don't know what to do," she says.

Admittedly, crossbreeding for characteristics, however, is nothing new. It has been done for centuries, to get the best gun dog, the best nose.

The AKC requires that a breed demonstrate at least three generations, however, true to type, by AKC standards, before it is recognized by the organization. It's a long process, says Peterson, which requires a written standards, a parent club, at least 300 dogs to a registry and most of all, predictability. Two of the AKC's newest recognized breeds are the Swedish valhund and Beauceron, the latter of which is from France, and both of which have been around for hundreds of years, she says.

"It's a crapshoot every time," says Peterson of the designer pups. "There is no guarantee they you will get the best of both dogs."

The Smiths and Folletts aren't planning a trip to Madison Square Garden, however, for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Pedigrees and papers aren't as important as finding the right little dog to love, they agree. In fact, a trip to KFC is more in line for the Smiths, whose little Precious loves a bite of chicken from time to time.

Both couples agree they got the best.

"I can't think of any other traits I would like to see in Precious," says Smith. "She is marvelous."

Follett is transformed.

"I'm ready to sign on the dotted line as a dog lover now that we have Opus," he says.

Contact Natalie Austin at naustin@nvdaily.com