With todays small Pomeranians weighing in at about 5 pounds, its hard to picture that these small dogs once weighed over 30 pounds! Cousins of the Spitz type dogs, Pomeranians once were at home in the ice cold arctic along with Huskies and Malamutes.
These amazing lap dogs get their name from the province “Pomerania” which was located where Eastern Germany is now. The Pom was originally brought to England in the mid 1700s, by Prince George IIIs new bride, this larger version of the toy dog would not become popular until the late 1800s when Queen Victoria who brought home a 12 pound Pomeranian from the country of Italy.
The popularity of these tiny dogs soared quickly around the wealthy European upper class and the dog was soon bred down to its current size of about 5 pounds. Many famous people of the time favored the Pomeranian including Michelangelo whose Pomeranian who was known to sit on a silk pillow while he painted the Sistine chapel, Martin Luther who mentioned his toy dog in his work, Mozart, and Chopin who wrote the Valse des Petits Chiens for his girlfriends Pomeranian.
The Pomeranian was recognized by The Kennel Club in Great Britain in 1870 and recognized in 1900 by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
