Читать книгу Pomeranian - Juliette Cunliffe - Страница 9

Dogs of this kind were originally used mainly to control sheep and cattle, as well as to round up reindeer. They were known generally as Wolfspitz dogs and lie behind the Pomeranians, Schipperkes, German Spitzen, Samoyeds, Norwegian Elkhounds and Keeshonden we know today. Other names by which the breed’s ancestors were known were Fox-dog, Spitz-dog and Loup-Loup. Indeed one of the animals from which they offered protection for the flocks was the wolf, and it was said that such dogs never failed to attack with success!

The Deutscher Grossspitz, one of the largest of the German Spitz breeds, resembles the Pomeranian in coat and type but stands 16inches tall.

The Pomeranian’s popularity in the America and UK has precluded the advancement of the German Kleinspitz in those countries.

The Pomeranian not only was known in Western Europe but also was used in the cold wastelands of Russia and Siberia to pull sledges. Russia’s Laika, a dog known by many for its employ in space travel, also has similar ancestry to that of the Pomeranian. Indeed it is generally accepted that the Pomeranian derives from one of the northern Arctic spitz breeds. The Samoyed, found in Siberia along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and the large white Pomeranian found earlier in Britain bore many similarities.