The Pomeranian (often known as a Pom) is a breed of dog of the Spitz
type that is named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and
north-east Germany in Central Europe. Classed as a toy dog breed because
of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from larger Spitz-type
dogs, specifically the German Spitz. It has been determined by the
Fédération Cynologique Internationale to be part of the German Spitz
breed; and in many countries, they are known as the Zwergspitz ("Dwarf
Spitz").
The breed has been made popular by a number of royal owners since the
18th century. Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian and
consequently, the smaller variety became universally popular. During
Queen Victoria's lifetime alone, the size of the breed decreased by
half. Overall, the Pomeranian is a sturdy, healthy dog. The most common
health issues are luxating patella and tracheal collapse. More rarely,
the breed can have Alopecia X, a skin condition colloquially known as
"black skin disease". This is a genetic disease which causes the dog's
skin to turn black and lose all or most of its hair. As of 2013, in
terms of registration figures, since at least 1998, the breed has ranked
among the top fifty most popular breeds in the United States, and the
current fashion for small dogs has increased their popularity worldwide.