In This Chapter
The next time you’re stuck in
traffic and stuck for conversation, how about a little Pomeranian trivia?
Memorize this chapter and voila! Instant conversation!
Living in the Lap of Luxury: Royal Poms
Pomeranians have been favored by
royalty around the world, but nowhere as much as in England. Consider the
following members of royalty and their Poms:
- Pomeranians were the first royal dogs to live with Queen Charlotte in Buckingham Palace in 1761, and Queen Charlotte is credited with introducing Pomeranians to England.
- Queen Victoria, granddaughter of Charlotte, is credited with popularizing Pomeranians. A great lover of dogs, she raised and showed at least 15 different breeds during her lifetime, focusing on Pomeranians in her later years.
- Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon, is said to have owned several Poms.
- In 1875, while still the Prince of Wales, King Edward took his Pomeranian, Fozzy, to India.
- In the late 1800s, the Maharajah of Kapurthala kept Pomeranians and Pekingese.
Famous Pomeranian People Back in the Day
Pomeranians weren’t just popular
among royalty. These beauties have been hobnobbing with beautiful people for
centuries.
- Michelangelo owned a Pomeranian that lounged on a silk cushion while his owner painted the Sistine Chapel.
- Mozart owned a female Pom named Pimperl and dedicated one of his works, an aria, to her.
- Chopin didn’t have a Pom of his own, but his lady friend’s Pomeranian was so amusing that Chopin was inspired to write his Valse des Petits Chiens (Waltz of the Little Dog).
- Isaac Newton’s favorite companion was a Pomeranian named Diamond.
- Martin Luther (not to be confused with Martin Luther King) often mentioned his Pom, Belferlein, in his writings.
20th-Century Celebrities and Their Poms
Something about Pomeranians seems
to make celebrities want to be seen in their presence. Some actors and singers
and their Poms are
- Fran Drescher: Chester and Esther
- Hilary Duff: Macy, Bentley, and Griffin
- David Hasselhoff: Jenny and Killer
- Kate Hudson: Clara
- Sharon Osbourne: Minnie
- Nicole Richie: Foxxy Cleopatra
- LeAnn Rimes: Joey and Raven
- Britney Spears: Izzy
- Tammy Wynette: Killer
Poms on the Big Screen
Poms have graced the following
movies:
- To Die For: A woman loves her dog more than her husband.
- Harlem Nights: A Pom is the constant companion of the main character.
- Cadillac Man: A Pom named Chester steals the show.
- Enemy of the State: Will Smith’s character has a white Pom.
- Blade: Trinity: The movie has a vampire-Pom named Pac-Man.
- Superman Returns: The villainess adopts a Pom.
- Titanic: The elderly Rose has a Pom.
Poms in Paintings
Many artistic works feature Poms,
among them works by Francis Fairman (Pomeranians, which shows four black
Poms), Maud Earl (Pomeranians with Apple and Pomeranians in a Park),
Wright Parker (Roy, which shows a chocolate Pom), and Henry Crowther (Pomeranian,
which shows a red Pom). Queen Victoria’s Pom, Marco, was painted by Reuben
Cole in 1890 and by Charles Burton Barger in 1892. Of special note are the
Pomeranian portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, which include Pomeranian Bitch and
Puppy and Perdita.
Titanic Survivors
Two Pomeranians survived the
sinking of the Titanic. The first escaped in lifeboat number 7 with her single
young owner, Margaret Hays. The other was traveling with Elizabeth Barrett
Rothschild and her husband, Martin Rothschild, the leather magnate. Martin went
down with the ship, but Elizabeth and her Pom escaped.
The Pom in The Pie and the Patty Pan
Beatrix Potter is best known for
writing and illustrating the Peter Rabbit books, but she also wrote a
story about a black Pomeranian named Duchess in The Pie and The Patty Pan in
the Beatrix Potter book series. (By the way, if you ever spot a Beswick
figurine of a little black Pom holding flowers, it’s modeled after Duchess and is
a collector’s item!)
DNA Test for Color
You can see what color your Pom
is on the outside, but do you know what colors she might produce in a litter?
If you knew whether she and her proposed mate carried certain recessive genes,
you’d have a good idea of the outcome. A DNA test now can predict nose color as
well as some coat colors by determining whether a dog carries BB, Bb, or bb at
one color location on the chromosome, and EE, Ee, or ee at another. Consider
these possibilities:
- BBEE: Black with black nose; no hidden colors
- BbEE: Black with black nose; hidden brown
- bbEE: Brown with brown nose; no hidden colors
- BBEe: Black with black nose; hidden red/cream coat color
Check out www.healthgene.com for
more information.
Pomeranian Paparazzi
Many Poms have made a name for
themselves not because of who owned them but also because of their own
achievements.
- Dick: Dick was the first AKC registered Pom, back in 1888.
- Ch. Great Elms Prince Charming II: Weighing in at 41⁄2 pounds, Prince won Best in Show at America’s most prestigious dog show, Westminster, in 1988.
- Teddy Bear: When an intruder broke into the home of this 15-pound Pom’s mistress, Teddy Bear clamped onto the bad guy’s hand and wouldn’t let go, allowing his owner to run for help.
- Ch. Pufpride Sweet Dreams: It’s every show dog owner’s dream to win a Best in Show. This Pom called Parker won an amazing 42 of them — a record for the breed!
A Pom by Any Other Name . . .
In the United States, the
American Kennel Club is the major canine organization, but worldwide, the
Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) rules. The AKC places the
Pomeranian in the Toy group, but the FCI places Poms in the Spitz and Primitive
Types group.
This group is subdivided into
several sections, with the Pomeranian in the European Spitz section. This
section includes the Volpino Italiano, Deutscher Spitz (German Spitz),
Wolfspitz (Keeshond), Grossspitz (Giant Spitz), Mittelspitz (Medium Spitz), Kleinspitz
(Miniature Spitz), and Zwergspitz (Pomeranian). The Pomeranian is still known
as the Zwergspitz (dwarf Spitz) in its native Germany.
by D.Caroline Coile,Ph.D.
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