The Pom is a compact dog with a soft undercoat and harsh long outer coat. He has a plumed tail that is upright with the end laying flat along the back. His demeanor is alert and curious. With his fox like appearance, the Pom has a short muzzle with rounded skull, small ears and almond shaped bright eyes. The Breed standard allows all colors. The AKC standard size for a Pom is 3 to 7 pounds.

With todays tiny Poms weighing in at around 5 pounds, it’s hard to picture that these little cuties once weighed over 30 pounds! Cousins of the Spitz type dogs, Pomeranians once were at home in the arctic along with Huskies and Malamutes.

These vivacious lap dogs get their name from the province “Pomerania” which was located where Eastern Germany is now. Originally brought to England in the 1700’s, by Prince George III’s new bride, this larger version of the toy dog would not become popular until the late 1800’s when Queen Victoria who brought home a 12 pound Pom from Italy.

The popularity of these tiny dogs spread quickly around the European upper class and the dog was soon bred down to it’s current size of about 5 pounds. Many of the famous favored the Pom including Michelangelo whose Pom would sit on a silk pillow while he painted the Sistine chapel, Martin Luther who mentioned his toy dog in his work, Mozart who dedicated and aria to his pet Pom and Chopin who wrote the Valse des Petits Chiens for his girlfriends Pom.

The Pom was recognized by The Kennel Club in Great Britain in 1870 and recognized in 1900 by the American Kennel Club.