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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.

Pomeranians got their name because they were imported into Europe through Pomerania, a land on the southern Baltic coast where present day Germany and Poland now sit. In Pomerania, the dogs were bred down closer to their modern-day size. 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.

One of the best known Pomeranian owners in history was Queen Victoria of England, who ruled between 1819 and 1901. Queen Victoria first saw the dog as a girl, when her mother, Queen Charlotte kept one as a pet. Queen Victoria got Marco, a Pomeranian of her own, in 1888.

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 of these dogs. The monarch is credited with further reducing the size of the Pomeranian through her efforts. Her show Pomeranians â€“ 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 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.

Mozart and Chopin composed music for Pomeranians, and the great church leader Martin Luther mentions his Pomeranian named Belferlein in his written works. Actress Cindy Williams, also known as Shirley on "Laverne and Shirley," appeared in commercials for a weight loss program with her Pomeranian. And who can forget Chester, actress Fran Drescher's Pomeranian, whom she made her co-star in the hit TV show "The Nanny."

This breed is not just for royalty and celebrities. This delightful breed also loves to belong to everyday people like you and me.

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Rosie Allan is an expert on British royal dogs and lives in the countryside of London with two Pomeranians. The diminutive Pomeranian descended from the Spitz sled dogs of Lapland and Greenland. Europeans bred the dog to its smaller size and improved on its coat. Pomeranian information about history is fun and fascinating to owners of this delightful breed.

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