THE HISTORY OF THE POMERANIAN
by Cathy Driggers & Kelly D. Reimschiissel
reduce the risk of frostbite. The insulating undercoat that is more dense than the guard hairs to trap the warmth and protect them from the heat. At some point in time, the Spitz was transported into Europe, most com- monly along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. This particular Baltic region was called Pomerania, which now includes parts of present day Poland and Germany, and is where the Pomeranian name came from. Pommore or Pommern means “on the sea.” Canine historians also believe that this is the location that the breed was first downsized to about 30-40 lbs. More specifically Pomeranians are part of the German Spitzen group, a subgroup of the Spitz type, which is comprised of five different sizes of dogs. FCI and German historians consider the German Spitz to be the oldest breed of dog in Central Europe from which other breeds have been produced. This theory is substanti- ated by archaeological discoveries in Switzerland and throughout Ger- many. Pomeranians are the group’s smallest members. Prior to securing the breed name of Pomeranian, they were called by several other names: Fox Dog, Lulu, Pommer, Wolfsspitz German Spitz, Volpino and SpitzDog. An interesting fact—Germany did not accept the breed to be named Pomer- anians until 1974. All five sizes were generically called the German Spitz.
WITH MORE COAT THAN BODY, POMERA- NIANS HAVE QUITE AN INTERESTING HISTORY BEHIND THEM. The Pomeranian, as we know it today, descended originally from the Spitz family of dogs in the frozen Arctic region of Iceland. These Spitz dogs were much larger than the modern Pom as evidenced by their primary purpose of pulling sleds, hunting and guarding. In Italy they were used to watch over their owner’s items. The Pomeranians would alert their owner of someone coming or attempting to stealtheir valuables. Spitz breeds mean a type of dog that has several wolf-like characteris- tics. For instance, small ears to help
Toy Pomeranian with Child Greek tombstone from Alexandria, Egypt (about 3rd century B.C.)
T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2018 • 55
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