Fit for function – What was the function of a Pom?
Poms have been employed for hundreds of years in some kind of watching activity! Early European authors noted larger sized Poms were favoured for watching work by colour. In Germany (by 1817) white was preferred around mills, black in farmyards and small villages, red in larger towns and cities. Wolf sable Poms were common along the river Rhine and often worked on boats & barges. Medium and smaller Poms (yes – they had 7-12lb Spitz as early as 1785 in Germany) were suitable for individual homes & gardens. They have a long association of ‘minding’ the carts of merchants and this applied to the Italian variety as well. Black Poms also guarded vineyards in SW Germany. White Poms often accompanied mail coaches in Germany and England. Larger black and white Poms/Spitz dogs were selectively bred to be sharp – not only keen observers but to take appropriate action when necessary to protect the goods and chattels of their owners. In 1898 German breed expert Herr Kull had this to say of the bre
