THE HISTORY OF THE MALTESE By Denise Hunter & Tammy Simon
T he Maltese dog, once called “The Jewels of Women,” is an ancient breed thought to be over 2,000 years old. The breed is generally believed to be from the island ofMalta in the Mediterranean Sea, but the ex- act origin is uncertain. Called “Ye An- cient Dogge of Malta,” Maltese have adorned the laps of royalty through- out the ages. Images depicting the dog have been found on ancient Greek and Roman pottery and mentioned in the writings of philosophers of the time. During the time of the Apostle Paul, the Roman governor, Publius, owned a Maltese named Issa, and the poet, Martial, wrote this epigramof the dog: Issa is naughtier than Catullus’ sparrow Issa is purer than a Dove’s kiss Issa is more coaxing than any maid Issa is more precious than Indian pearls, The Maltese came to America, pri- marily from Europe, during the latter part of the 1800s, with the first entry of a Maltese at Westminster in 1877. And, in 1894, according to the West- minster website, Famous American journalist Nellie Bly enters her Mal- tese at Westminster, some four years after she made a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes, racing the record of Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days. The AKC Stud Books show the first Maltese entry, in 1888, were two bitches; Topsy, an import, and Snips, origin unknown. While owners of Maltese exhibited during the latter part of that century are known, the breeders and pedigrees are unfortunately lost. Issa is Publius’ darling lap dog If she whines, you’ll think she is speaking, she feels sadness and joy.
Fast forward to the 1930s, adistemper outbreak all but eradicated the breed from the US. A few very dedicated Maltese breeders worked to bring the breed back from near extinction here in America. One of these breeders, Dr. Vincenzo Calvaresi of Villa Malta Kennels, imported dogs from Ireland and Italy. The Italian dogs, Int. Am. Ch. Electa Brio, Italian Ch. Electa Laila, and Italian Ch. Electa Pampi, are in many of the American Maltese pedigrees today. Up until the time Dr. Calvaresi began to exhibit, Maltese were shown in an unkempt manner as many of the photographs of the time show. He started grooming the coats and tying the hair into rudimentary topknots. Dr. Calvaresi was famous for showing four-dog braces and, at the 1952 Westminster show, Villa Malta won their 18th Best Brace in Show. The Maltese of this era, and for several decades to come, looked more coarse and less refined than the Maltese of today. In the early 1960s, there were two National Maltese clubs; the Maltese Dog Club of America and the Mal- tese Dog Fanciers of America. These two clubs merged in 1962 and formed the AKC-recognized parent club, the American Maltese Association. The ‘60s also ushered in the decade of the Maltese at Westminster, with a Maltese winning for the first time in the club’s history in 1964, and again in 1966. A force to be reckoned with during the 1960s was Ch. Aennchen’s Poona Dancer, bred by Aennchen and Tony Antonelli and owned by Larry Ward and Frank Oberstar. Poona broke all previous Maltese records and amassed 38 BIS, two American Maltese Association National Spe- cialty BISS, and she won the Group at Westminster in 1966. In addition to being a Top 10 Toy in 1966 and 1967,
and a Top 10 All-Breed in 1967 and 1968, she was named the official mas- cot of the Navy’s U.S.S. Lenawee. The 1970s was also a good decade for Maltese. Ch. Joanne-Chen’s Maya Dancer won the Toy Group at West- minster in 1972 and ‘73 and was the National Specialty winner in 1972. Maya was bred by Joanne Hesse, owned byMamie Gregory, and shown by the late, and much beloved, Peggy Hogg. Maya went on to beat Poona’s record and won an impressive 43 BIS and 134Group Firsts. He was the top- winning Toy Group winner for 1972 and ‘73. In the late ‘70s, a Maya grandson hit the scene and broke the Group- winning record of Poona and Maya. Ch. Joanne-Chen’s Mino Maya Dancer went on to break Group- winning records for Maltese with 150 Group Firsts and 34 BIS. Mino was owned by Blanche Tenerowicz and handled by Daryl Martin. He won the National Specialty in 1980 and 1981, and was the top Toy in 1980. Mino can be found in many Maltese pedigrees today. Other Maltese of that decade that left their imprint were Ch. Pendleton’s Jewel who won the National Special- ty three years in a row. Ch. Malone’s Snowy Roxann who won 51 BIS and 52 Group Firsts in her short career. And Ch. Oakridge Country Charmer who ended the decade with two Na- tional Specialty wins and 23 BIS. Charmer proved to be prepotent and produced numerous champion get and a multi-BIS daughter. During the 1980s, the look became more polished and elegant as the grooming style changed. Many of the top Maltese in the past had “the look” of a bouffant hairdo, with the hair standing out like an “A-Frame.” This was due, in large part, to the
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