THREE CHEERS FOR THE POM POMS

Loyal, playful, and affectionate, Pomeranians burst with personality. Because of their fun and friendly nature, Pomeranians are great for families, and their size makes them suitable for city dwellers

Till some years ago, a white and fluffy dog that wasn’t the regular brown-black, shorthaired ones roaming the streets was called an “English kutta” or Pomeranian, or just Pom. It was the number one dog in popularity in our country so much so that even pavement dwellers had realised that the natural alertness, territoriality and shrill bark of the breed made them good at guarding household goods left out in the open. It was not uncommon to see the small dogs tied up close to their piles of possessions on Mumbai streets. It was a reversion to their distant origins in northern Europe, as guard and cattle dogs. They became popular at a time when many other breeds weren’t easily available in India. They had been brought by the British and, strictly speaking, the Pomeranian name is misleading. Purists prefer the term Indian spitz (plural spitzen), one of a large family of dogs that originated from working dogs that show signs of their relatively recent EaD descent from wolves in their pointed muzzles and pricked-up ears. some kind of Poms must have been brought to India, but were unlikely to have done well until a form was developed with a shorter coat – though still bushier than that of regular Indian dogs – that could survive the heat. Poms were very popular with politicians. Jayalalitha had one named Julie, but the politician most associated with Poms is Sitaram Kesri, who was genuinely fond of the dogs, especially one named Ruchi.