The Royal History of the Pomeranian Breed
A favorite of Royalty, Artists and Celebrities!

omeranians were eventually brought into Europe in Pomerania. This region, bordered on the north by the Baltic Sea, has been under the control of Wendish Slavs, Poles, Swedes, Danes, Prussians and Germans, at various times, and most recently Poles again. This region extends from the west of the Rügen Island to the Vistula River. The name Pomorze or Pommern comes from Slavic "along the sea". Breeders in Pomerania improved the coat and bred the dogs down for city living, but they were still 20 pounds or more when they reached England.

English breeders, through trial and error and Mendelean theories, are credited for reducing the dog's size and developing the many colors. The Pomeranian of today is small due to selective breeding, but the breed still retains the hardy disposition and thick coat typical of dogs in cold climates.

Queen Charlotte introduced the Pomeranian to English nobility; however, the Pom gained international popularity when her granddaughter Victoria returned from vacation in Florence, Italy with a Pomeranian named Marco.

The dogs owned by Queen Charlotte & Queen Victoria were much larger German Spitz and a Volpino Italiano. The same is true of any other historical Pom from before the 20th century.

The FCI classifies the German Spitz as one family consisting of the Dwarf (Pomeranian), Small and Standard (American Eskimo Dog), and Wolfsspitz (Keeshond). Additional close relatives of the Pomeranian are the Norwegian Elkhound, the Schipperke, and possibly the Samoyed.The pomeranian eventualy came to the U.S.A. in 1901.

For much more information on the Pomeranian breed, go to the Wikipedia page here.