Everybody who is in pomeranians should know who is Parker, aka Am Ch Pufpride Sweet Dreams(1).  He is the Number 1 Top Winning and Number 1 Top Producing Pomeranian in US Breed History.  A lot of attention has been given to his handler and present owner but not much credit has been given to his breeder,  Virginia Dimick.  Please refer to my earlier Blog 11 on Parker and Mikee.

About three years ago, I met Virginia and Warren Dimick of Pufpride Pomeranians thru Mary Allan of Allayn Pomeranians.  At that time, I was exploring outcrossing to another line that I could merge with my breeding program. One of the dogs that I tried was Ph Ch Pufpride Cash Attraction(2).  Cash, as he was called was similarly bred to Parker.  Cash’s sire is Mikee, aka Ch Pufpride Million Dollar Baby and who is also a half brother of the dam of Parker; and, Cash’s dam is the littermate of the sire of Parker…more that 75% like the Parker pedigree.  I understand, this was the first Pufpride dog that was went outside the United States.

About this time, I also sent one of my champion bitch, Ph Ch Canton Gambling Fame to be bred to Parker.  This breeding produced a boy named Ph Gr Ch Canton Dreamer at Allayn(3)  and a girl named Canton Daydream at Allayn.  Today, one of my most successful stud dogs is Dreamer, whose puppies are just fabulous, with loads of coat.  Over this weekend, I finished two of his daughters namely, Ph Ch Canton Bridget Jones(4), who is going to Italy, and Ph  Ch Canton Judith(5).

More recently, Virginia and I agreed to partner on our breeding program.  I would lease Ph Ch Canton Classic Star(6) her and she would lease Pufpride Mystical Clipper(7) to me.  Clipper, I am told is an FCI International Champion, but some work has to be done consolidating all those CACIB certificates and submitting them to FCI for confirmation.

Classic Star goes back to my Gigolo as the great grandfather three times and had a Windmist maternal grandfather who is basically Chriscendo and therefore is founded on Ch Chriscendo Calvin Klein.  Gigolo himself is by Valentino, whose grandfather is Ch Chriscendo Calvin Klein. The rest of the bloodline is Maxamillion, Hadleigh and Janshar breeding.  So, I thought, amongst all my dogs, he would tie in nicely with Virginia’s line since most of her dogs goes back to  Ch Pufpride Cloudbreaker, a grandson of Ch Chriscendo Calvin Klein; and as some of you may not know, both Parker and Mikee are grandsons of Cloudbreaker. 

Clipper is the sire of Ch Pufpride Somewhere in Time, who is the Number 4 Pom in the US.  He is by Ch Pufpride Million Dollar Baby(Mikee) just like Cash.  He is also a half brother half sister breeding of Ch Pufpride Cloudbreaker.  He is Crown Prince at Pufpride and their main stud dog.   To me, everything about him is just fabulous.  I am very excited to see what he will do in my breeding program.

Also arriving the other day with Clipper is Tiki, aka,  Am Ch CJ Peep Tequilla Sunrise(8). He is a Parker son from a Finch bitch that is by a Chriscendo dog bred to a Travis daughter.  His pedigree and his looks just makes me so hopeful that Tiki will do well with my Canton bitches.  Thank you Susan and Julia for this wonderful boy.

And so, with a lot from Parker and Mikee in my breeding program, there will be more exciting things to come at Canton Pomeranians.

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Gigolo passed away peacefully in his sleep on May 23, 2009, at the age of 12. 

Before I ever became involved in dogs, whenever I see a dog obituary, I would wonder and even comment of the pettiness of doing such a thing.  But now, after being involved in Pomeranians for 32 years, and now that my Gigolo has  passed away, I somehow want to talk about him and his contribution to the Pomeranian breed.

In the late mid 90s,  I have been mixing the Hadleigh bloodline(mainly the sons and grandson of Eng Ch Derronill Maxamillion)  with the American lines(mainly Janshar, majority of which came to me) with a lot of success. This served as my own  foundation strain. But somehow, I wanted that movement of Ch Finch He Walks on Water…that front drive and at the same time, maintain and hopefully improve on that balanced profile that I already had.  I have been asking various pom people for information on  any exciting Pomeranian that gave them goose bumps – so that I could breed to them.  I would say my focus was on movement and profile. To this day, this is my focus.   Several names were mentioned, and I tried a few.  Most of them were good decisions but the best thing that I ever did was flying my bitch, Canton Sparkling Coral all the way from the Philippines to be bred to Am Ch Valcopy Wakham Valentino.  That produced my Gigolo.

When Gigolo was born, he was my first black dog.  He did not look like any of the beautiful puppies that I was used to producing.  In fact, I thought he was rather ugly and his structure seemed to be falling into pieces as he grew.  I tried to sell him but nobody wanted to buy him.  After a month or so, without any takers, I decided to keep him instead based on the rationale that since I spent so much money producing him, I might as well just wait and see what happens.  It was a long wait but at 18 months, he became a totally different dog.  Somehow, his face changed for the better to a pretty chowey face, not really my type of headpiece, but nevertheless, quite nice; very nice for those who like this style.  His body straightened up, his legs became better and somehow he became a shorter compact dog….it was as if, his chest opened up and it absorbed part of the torso, making his body super compact. Being an up on leg pom, his short back made a magnificent  silhouette.  He then started exhibiting a breath-taking side movement and profile. With his triple AAA personality, he was magic.   I recall, when he strutted in show ring, there would seem always be a change from a noisy dog show venue with people talking around the ring to an always noticeable dead silence as if people watching were in awe of him.  He then had big wins, Best in Show wins….and lots of fans. 

He went to the United States for his American title.  Jackie Rayner was very pleased with him winning Group/Group Placements and he finished very quickly.  When he came back home, he continued his Specials career  in the Philippines.  Perhaps, the climax of his show career was winning 2 Best in Show(All Breed) in the daytime of December 7, 2002, followed by another BIS win at the first Philippine Battle of the Champions in the evening of that  same day.  The Battle of the Champions was by invitation only to the top dogs of various breeds adjudicated by 6 judges from different countries.  Each competing dog was evaluated by all these judges according to various criteria and all these step to step evaluation was reflected in a huge screen to be seen by everybody.  All this hype made the occasion more exciting for everybody. All the way, Gigolo was rated excellent.  The others would falter is some criteria, thus,  making Gigolo the unanimous Best in Show winner.  O, what a day!

Gigolo was also a good stud dog too.  His puppies were quite different from what I was used to.  Their bodies were chunkier, like solid rock.  He stabilized my shrinking sizes giving my breeding program a future.  Otherwise, by this time, all my bitches would have been tinies, too small to breed or expect anything from them. Now, his body structure is stamped in our breeding program.   He produced  20 champions locally, making him by far the Number 1 Top Producing Pomeranian in Philippine history.  He also produced 2 American champions during his limited stay at Janshar Pomeranians.

1. Ph HOF Canton Braveheart
2. Ph Ch Canton Light My Fire
3. Ph Ch Canton Black Pearl
4. Ph Ch Canton Buttons and Ribbons
5. Ph Ch Canton Black Walnut
6. Ph Ch Canton Little Man
7. Ph Ch Canton Beautiful Star
8. Ph Ch Canton Beau Geste
9. Ph Ch Canton Black Sassy
10. Ph Ch Canton Black King
11. Ph Ch Canton Black Silk
12. Ph Ch Canton Black Saracen
13. Ph Ch Canton Black Rasberry
14. Ph Ch Canton Lolita
15. Ph Ch Canton Legally Black
16. Ph Ch Canton Legal Wife
17. Ph Ch Canton Legitimately Black
18. Ph Ch Canton Black Ice
19. Ph Ch Canton Black Playgirl
20. Ph Ch Canton Fame and Fortune
21. Am Ch Janshars Raven
22. Am Ch Janshars Bedazzled 

His grandchildren and great-grandchildren are all scattered around the world in 5 continents:  US, Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa.  Worthy of mention are:  Australian Grand Champion Canton Country Classic who was the Number 1 Pomeranian in Australia;  South African Champion Canton Black Charmer of Shemaur, Russian Grand Champion Canton Red Fire,  Indian Champion Canton Black Gladiator, and many others.

Today, most, if not all of Canton Pomeranians will go back to Gigolo, one way or another.  Though he has passed away, we will see him again thru his descendants….and he will live on…

Left:      Ph HOF Canton Braveheart, our best surviving son of Gigolo;

Center:  Ph HOF Am Tha Ch Canton Bravestar, a double grandson of Gigolo and the new   

              flag carrier of Canton Pomeranians;

Right:    Ph Ch Canton Classic Star, a triple grandson of Gigolo, now going to the US on

              lease to Pufpride Virginia Dimmick.

May 29, 2009 

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Everyone in the Pomeranian fancy is in the race to own better and better Pomeranians in pursuit of perfection.  Like arts and culture, the walls of differences and prejudices are supposed to break down because of common human interests.  I recall during the time of US President Nixon, the China-US relationship became better because of sports.

***

The Bible says that if people are united, they can do anything.  I am amazed to the point of envy, to see how pom people can be united and work together for their common good.  There is the global sharing of their best dogs rotating around the world.  Congratulations to John and Chris Heartz(Chriscendo-Canada), Chaivat Toby Tangkaravakun(Tokie-Thailand), Judy Green(Razzle Dazzle-Canada) and Elizabeth Heckert(Silhouette-US) for this commendable cooperation.

John and Chris Heartz has now with them for stud service:  

      (1)Am Tha Tokie the Legend Continues  (who goes back to their line) ...on lease

      (2)Can Ch Silhouette Speak It Right(who was sired by their dog) ...owned by them

Tokie Pomeranians has now with them on lease:

      (3)Am Ch Razzle Dazzle Hat Dance(from Judy Green)

      (4)Am Ch Silhouette's Speakeasy

I wish I could do something like this with top breeders around the world.  That could be quite exciting.

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The Pomeranian has been painstakingly developed to be a totally different in size and construction from its original ancestors to become a toy dog.  Accordingly, I am in perfect agreement with the AKC and the KC with regards to its classification of the Pomeranian in the TOY Group.  The FCI, however, classifies them under the Spitz Group based on its origins.  This, I do not agree with because as explained earlier, the construction of the Pomeranian has been man-made to be no longer the same as its original ancestors…and therefore, a totally different animal.

A few years back, all our shows in the Philippines would group the Pomeranians under TOYS.  Today, most of our shows continue to classify them as TOYS, but for our monthly mother club PCCI shows, which are the bigger, the pomeranians are classified under SPITZ.  Such classification, I fear, has affected the breed evolution in many FCI countries…. and I am guarding my breeding program against this!

A dog is judged in the breed according to its breed standard.  As a dog wins in the breed and graduates to compete in the Group, the judge would always put in mind how that dog would fit in to the Group…what that Group stands for.  The Pomeranian as a TOY dog must be small, pretty…simply a nice toy; though movement is important as well, foremost it must be a toy first.  With the Pomeranian in the  SPITZ  group, it  has to compete with the fabulous moving Siberian Huskies…they do not have to be a small, pretty toys…they should move.  Though I am a movement freak, breed type should come first and foremost.  With movement as the focus, it would seem to me that its former grouping as a small pretty toy is being  played second fiddle, thus, sacrificing the breed type which has been so painfully infused over the years.

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My brother Benjamin and I  used to own the best of the best of the Japanese Hadleighs, since we were Kazu Igarashi’s biggest client in the late 70s.   At that time, he has not developed his Taiwan market, so we really did not have competition when we bought these dogs..   They were the most beautiful Pomeranians I saw in my life. They had countless Best in Shows.   Breed type, I do not think, any Pomeranian can compare.  But that was many many many years ago.

Today, we see a totally different Japanese Hadleigh Pomeranian.  They still have those fabulous beautiful faces.  An exaggerated tall up on leg Pomeranian that has been bred to have that side movement comparable to the Siberian Huskies.  I suppose, this is what the English would call, “overdone.”   I have not been to Japan for many years and I have only seen pictures in magazines and books…and listen what some judges tell me.  I am told, that their focus is on the headpiece and side-movement.  Coming and going seem to have been forgotten.  They no longer do the kind of winning they used to do.  I wonder if all this has anything to do with the Pomeranian Breed being classified under the SPITZ Group.

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Since the Pomeranian continue to be classified as TOY in the AKC grouping, it only seems to me to be consistent that their breed standard allows all colors.  You want your toys to be in different colors and since the Pomeranian is a TOY dog, then hurrah to have all these colors.

Accordingly, over the years, you see the resurrection of the almost dead colors like the partis, brindles, whites, chocolates, blues…You have American champions in most of these colors, many of which need a fast tract development compared to their orange and red  counterpart.

Then, more recently, the growing controversy on the merles.  The attacks has been so severe that a lynch mob who has convinced a big strata of the APC membership to kill the merles …try to have the merles disallowed from registering with the AKC…try to impose a marking in the pedigree name to tickler a merle gene Pomeranian, something like the classic novel Scarlett Letter where a woman of ill repute was branded in the face to raise the red flag against her…try to have the merles disallowed from being allowed in the show ring….in short, have the rules changed!

First, they say that the general health of the Pomeranian is threatened if the merles are allowed.  This is a self serving and ill-informed statement causing people to be confused.  Sheltland Sheepdogs, and other breeds have merles too and with judicious responsible breeding, they have managed to keep their breed healthy. You will always have irresponsible breeders in all breeds and it only makes it emphatic that you should get your stock only  from reputable breeders.

Second, they say that the origins of the Pomeranians does not have merles and that the merle gene is in not in the historic background of Pomeranians.  Accordingly, it is not a purebred Pomeranian.  It has even been alleged that some 30 years ago, somebody cheated mixing the Sheltie merle to the Pomeranian.  It is all an allegation and it is a pity that they did not have DNA then, and it is impossible to trace the dead cadavers of those merle Pomeranians to their earlier ancestors.  But the point of the matter is, it has been allowed and it is too late in the ball game to disallow them.  Furthermore, it has been so many generations since then.

I recall many pure breeds had to be crossed with other breeds for some reasons…

…for example, the American Shetland Sheepdogs are not identical as the English Shetland Sheepdogs because the Americans wanted the Shelties to look more like a miniature Collie; thus, they did a cross once making them more glamorous and attractive to what it is today.

…another example, the English Pekingese, because of its limited gene pool was mixed with the Shih Tzu to give it the hybrid vigor that it was losing and which was not available in the limited stock available.

The American Shetland Sheepdog and the English Pekingese are certainly considered purebred dogs and no one would dare say otherwise.  I wonder why they cannot say the same for the merle Pomeranians….considering that it has been years and years ago.

……….and, considering this is a man-made dog, why not allow this man-made color???

In the final analysis, I see this all as JEALOUSY.  I overheard one top breeder/exhibitor saying that he is totally amazed how these pet merle breeders could sell their puppies at the same prices of his show prospect puppies…. and after all the work that he did, how can these merle breeders get away with it!  I wonder if this is just plain jealousy.

I would like to pose this challenge to anti-merle Pomeranian people.  If you really believe that merles are trash, why are you so afraid for it to be competing with their supposedly superior orange relatives?  Afraid they would win?  I can only say that if these merles are not good enough, they should self destruct in the ring and you need not lift a finger against it.  But since we have worked so hard to improve on them, no matter what is said about them, can we ask you guys to allow us to show you what we have done?...in the ring, of course!

Pictured above are our merle pups: Melinda, Michelle, Lorelei, Cassanova; below is Canton Blue Calico as a puppy and at 9 1/2 months. 

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The Pomeranian is Man-made Toy Dog.  Man-made  because:

***its size has been shrunk to be a toy dog; KC Standard(English) stipulating the show size to be 4- 4 ½ lbs for males and 4 ½- 5 ½ lbs for females;  FCI (European/Asian/other countries) requires a height range from 18-22 cm from the withers…which size-wise is quite close to the KC Standard;  AKC(US) relaxes the range from 3-7 lbs, ideally 4-5 lbs, but more recently I am seeing more of  the heavier range in the US show ring.

***its anatomy or physical construction has also been changed significantly, making it quite different from its natural ancestors, the spitz.

 

From the above, you see Ch Konig of Rozelle(born 1891), an earlier Pomeranian Champion very much unchanged in body construction  from its original natural ancestor.  On the center, is Eng Ch Lady Fair of Hadleigh(1959) and on the right, is Am Ch Pufpride Sweet Dreams, said to be the record holder for show wins and champion producer in US history.  You see a dramatic change is size and construction.  The dramatic change is construction are as follows:

***from the headpiece, you see smaller ears, smaller almond shaped eyes, shorter muzzles, a more pronounced stop, a prettier and sweeter expression.  The KC stardard specifices a wedge- shaped muzzle, something like a short V whilst the American Pomeranians tend to be more of a short U which they call Baby doll faces.

***the head placement of the modern Pomeranian, with its neck set up high like a cobra, what Pat Hastings term as a Ewe neck…very un-natural and weak…but so proud and  beautiful!

***the body is much shorter, as termed to be a short coupled dog.  The more recent American standard calls for a shorter than square construction.  Personally, I believe that it should call for a square construction such that when measured the point of shoulder to the point of buttock should be equivalent to its distance to the ground; thus, square.  A body shorter than square would have a tendency to ruin movement…so short a body would make the Pomeranian move like a crab.  In canine anatomy and movement, crabbing is incorrect and a faulty movement.  Ironically, I do not see this fault being heavily penalized by judges.  Another consequence of this shorter than short requirement is for the rear legs to have less angulation, since a good angulation will tend to give the optical illusion of a longer dog.  Thus, you have more  patella problems; ie, patella luxation.  There is also less drive on the rear.

***the original spitz had a good shapely tuck up whilst the newer poms tend to be more barrel shaped with a much lesser tuck up.

***the earlier construction had legs quite closer in the front and wider at the back whilst there is a later trend, specially in the US, which calls for the distance of the fronts and rears to be the same.  As such, the movement has shifted from the original single track movement to the newer two track movement, making the modern construction in the Pomeranian a completely a different animal.

***coats today are far far more profuse.  All the standards requires a harsh coat and the AKC standard specifies a soft coat as a major fault. A harsh coat is required because a soft coat would not be enough to keep them warm in their winter habitat; they will simply die otherwise….and yet, I still a lot of judges favoring(instead of penalizing)the softer coats which oftentimes are more glamorously attractive compared to their harsh coat counterpart.

***the resurrection of new colors which popularity over the ages has killed; then there is the emergence of totally new colors, said to be not in the historical gene make-up of the true Pomeranian. (More of this in the next blog or so)

***there is a growing expectation for really high tailsets today…so high, that it is unnatural and perhaps may have negative implications on reproduction….again, they look nice, so why not?

***the legs of the present Pomeranians should have that tip-toe look, like that of a ballet dancer…to be otherwise, would mean a down at the pastern, which is a major fault in the AKC Standard.  How different they are from their earlier Pomeranians and their natural spitz ancestors!

All these, makes the Pomeranian today a man-made toy dog.  A toy has to be beautiful, pretty and cute!...something so beautiful you would like to play with…like a toy…like a doll!  It has no other reason to exist except to be a toy!

May 5, 2009 

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