American Eskimo Dog. Richard G. Beauchamp
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Pomeranians gained tremendous popularity, even among England’s commoners in the 1800s. The dogs weighed about 20 to 30 pounds and were said to be about 18 inches high at the shoulder. The size and color, incidentally, coincide approximately with those of the Standard variety of today’s American Eskimo Dog. Shortly we will see that the Miniature variety of the Eskie seems more apt to be tied to the Pomeranian as we know it today.
It would be Queen Victoria, however, who was to have the most profound and long-lasting influence on the character of what was referred to as the Pomeranian. After ascending to the British throne, Victoria and her entourage journeyed to Italy. In Florence, she came upon a red sable spitz that weighed only 12 pounds. She became enchanted by the little dog and brought him back to Great Britain with her. She called him Marco and he became her constant companion.
The Pomeranian is a close relative of the Eskie.
Victoria exhibited him at dog shows in London as a Pomeranian, even though he looked nothing like the larger white dogs that carried that name. Little Marco created a minor sensation, launching a demand for Pomeranians of his size and color. For a time, both the larger white and smaller colored dogs were shown simultaneously. Eventually, the smaller dogs gained such a foothold that the white dogs that had carried the name Pomeranian fell from favor and disappeared completely from the show scene. From that point on, the diminutive variety retained the name Pomeranian.
ARRIVAL AND ESTABLISHMENT IN AMERICA
Some of the larger white dogs had found their way to America by the turn of the 20th century and maintained some popularity under the name “Spitz.” They no doubt emigrated to the US with the early German settlers. Unfortunately, a good many of these early dogs were somewhat sharp in temperament and were not considered entirely trustworthy.
Early in the 1900s, Mr. and Mrs. James Hall became deeply involved in breeding the White Spitz, or what was popularly known at the time as the “American Spitz.” The Halls contacted the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1913 and negotiated to have their dogs registered with that organization.
The UKC had been founded by Chauncey Z. Bennett in 1898, just a few years after the AKC had opened its doors, and was primarily a registering source for working dogs. Why the Halls chose the UKC as the breed’s registering body has never been revealed, and how the breed became known as the American Eskimo Dog remains controversial. Some believe it was simply because the Halls did not like the German word spitz. They therefore opted for the name of their own kennel, which was “American Eskimo.” This name did in fact somewhat describe the breeds used by the Eskimos of the Arctic regions, but in reality had absolutely nothing to do with the spitz dogs that the Halls were breeding.
Considering the world’s political situation at the time that the Halls applied for recognition of the breed, there is another story told that may well be closer to the truth. American sentiments were dramatically anti-German at the time and, in fact, German Shepherds were referred to as Alsatians and Dachshunds as Badger Dogs. The American public wanted absolutely nothing to do with Germany or anything associated with that country. Certainly “American Eskimo” was a far more patriotic-sounding name than “German Spitz.”
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) painted “Pomeranian and Puppy” more than 250 years ago. The breed has changed considerably since then, but its relationship to the Eskie is very obvious.
The first known breed standard for the American Eskimo Dog is said to have been drafted by Dr. E. G. Fuhrman, who was then-president of the UKC. Although it basically described the breed as we know it today, his draft contained some significant errors. The most important incorrect statement made was that the Eskie was a miniaturized version of the Samoyed that had been painstakingly bred down in size through the years.
SPITZ BREED NAMES
The word spitz actually became an umbrella term in Germany in that some of the spitz-type dogs were named in respect to the area from which they came. For instance, the Mannheimer Spitz was developed in the area of Mannheim, Germany. Other varieties were given their names because of the work they performed. The dogs that worked as guardians for the wine-growers of Germany became known as the Weinberg or Vineyard Spitz.
German Kleinspitz.
From 1913, when the UKC first admitted the breed to its stud books, until 1970, the UKC accepted “single-dog registrations.” That is, a dog of obvious pure breeding could be registered without benefit of a pedigree. However, the stud books of the United Kennel Club have been closed to single-dog registrations of the American Eskimo Dog since 1970. While the single-dog registry may seem unusual, many kennel clubs of the world have resorted to the same procedure. When trying to establish foundation stock for a new breed or particularly to reestablish a breed decimated by war or genetic problems, this method has been resorted to in Europe and also in Great Britain.
The American Kennel Club resorted to this same method as recently as the end of the 20th century as a response to the request of American Basenji breeders, who needed an outcross to assist them in correcting genetic problems rampant in the breed. The Basenji parent club was permitted to single-register Basenjis that had been found in the tribal villages of Africa.
According to Nancy Hoffman and Cathy J. Flamholtz’s The American Eskimo, 43 fanciers from across the country gathered in DeSota, Missouri in November of 1969 to form the National American Eskimo Dog Association. Thomas Maxwell was elected president of the new organization. He became one of the breed’s staunchest supporters and remained in office for many years.
Mr. Maxwell’s female Standard Eskie, Maxwell’s Gidget, became the first UKC champion in the breed. Another dog of his breeding, Maxwell’s Zsa Zsa, was to become the first Miniature champion. Many champions were bred by Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell and the couple traveled extensively, showing and winning with their dogs throughout the US.
As the years progressed and the American Eskimo grew from strength to strength, many of the breed’s supporters felt that the breed deserved to be included among those breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. In order to support their efforts in that direction, fanciers met with Carolyn Jester in 1985 to form the American Eskimo Dog Club of America (AEDCA). Carolyn Jester was named president and stud book registrar of the new organization. She served as president until 1998 and maintained the AEDCA stud book from its inception to its final preparation and turnover to the AKC in the fall of 1993.
STONEHENGE ON THE SPITZ
J. H. Walsh, the English author who wrote under the pseudonym “Stonehenge” in the 1800s, is regarded as an eminent dog authority and historian to this day. In his book, Dogs of Great Britain, America and Other Countries, he wrote about the Pomeranian or Spitz dogs in this manner: “…he is always cheerful in the house, generally free from smell either of coat or breath, and readily taught to be cleanly in all his habits. He has not the fondness for game generally exhibited by the colley, and on that account is more suited to be a ladies’ pet, nor is he so pugnacious as that dog…”
The American Eskimo derives from dogs that came to us under the name White Spitz.
On April 13, 1993, the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club voted to accept the American Eskimo Dog into its stud book and over 1,750 dogs were registered as foundation stock. The breed was shown in the Miscellaneous Class at American Kennel Club shows until July 1, 1995, at which time the Eskie attained full breed recognition as a member of the Non-Sporting Group. The American Eskimo Dog Club of America was officially recognized by the AKC as the breed’s parent club.
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