History and Origins
Country of Origin: Germany
Unlikely as it may seem, Pomeranians (or 'Poms') are almost certainly descended from the sledge-pulling dogs of the Arctic and are probably related to the Keeshond, Norwegian Elkhound and the Samoyed. This small pet dog was intentionally bred through progressive size reduction although when they arrived in the UK with German-born Queen Charlotte they were very different from the Poms we know today – being white and much larger (9-14kgs). They soon became popular, especially with royalty, so when Queen Victoria visited Florence and saw much smaller various of the breed there, she brought them home with her. The Queen went on to breed them and showed them at Crufts in 1891 where (not surprisingly!) she won best of breed. In the years that followed her death in 1901, selective breeding for a smaller size continued until the tiny dog we know today was developed and the larger sizes vanished entirely from the UK.
