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It’s hard to believe it, but the tiny Pomeranian descended from the Spitz sled dogs in Lapland and Greenland. Before the Pomeranian was bred down to a smaller size, the larger dogs worked as shepherds. Indeed, it is not difficult to imagine today’s Pomeranian yapping around the edges of a herd of sheep.

The region that comprises the south coast of the Baltic Sea, now known as Germany and Poland, was once known as Pomerania. The Spitz sled dogs were imported into Europe through Pomerania, where breeders worked through generations of dogs to reduce the thirty pound dogs closer to today’s Pomeranian, weighing well under ten pounds. The Kennel Club in England recognized the breed as we know it in 1870, calling it the “spitz dog.”

It took many generations of Pomeranians to reduce the twenty-pound dog of the 19th century to the four to six-pound standard of the breed today. The Kennel Club in England recognized the breed in 1870, calling it the “spitz dog.” Traces of the Pomeranian’s lineage can be seen in its coat and color, which are reminiscent of the wolf spitz breed.

The English royal family had then, and has now, a keen interest in breeding horses and dogs. Queen Victoria applied this enthusiasm for breeding to the Pomeranian, at one time keeping 35 Pomeranian dogs. The monarch is credited with further reducing the size of the Pomeranian through her efforts. Her show Pomeranians – Fluffy, Nino, Mino, Beppo, Gilda and Lulu, competed in many dog shows and won at least two championships. According to her biographers, in 1901, from her deathbed, the Queen asked for her pet Pomeranian Turi, who was brought to her and remained at her side until she died.

Besides royalty, other famous Pomeranian owners include a wide range of artists and celebrities, from Michelangelo, whose dog watched him paint the Sistine Chapel, to actress Kate Hudson, who is by now as well known as her mother, Goldie Hawn. Hudson’s Pomeranian is named Pom Clara Bo.

Besides royalty, other famous Pomeranian owners run the gamut from Michelangelo, who brought his dog to work when he painted the Sistine Chapel, to the actress Kate Hudson, who named her Pomeranian Clara Bo. Legend has it that Sir Isaac Newton’s Pomeranian, Diamond, drove him to madness when she knocked over a candle that burned some important papers, causing a nervous breakdown.

If you believe Sir Isaac Newton’s account of what caused his nervous breakdown, then you believe that a Pomeranian can drive a person mad. Newton’s Pomeranian, Diamond, upset a candle that burned some of Newton’s important work papers, and he had a nervous breakdown because of the stress.

The Pomeranian appeals to royalty and celebrities, but this delightful breed also makes a great pet for everyday people. Anyone who loves small, confident, intelligent dogs will love the Pomeranian.