POMERANIANS IN THE PHILLIPINES

by Basilo Yap [ Canton]

PH HOF AM CH Canton Gigolo	AM CH PH HOF Canton Curtain Call	PH HOF Canton Harry Potter

Pomeranians was introduced to the Philippines before 1977(before I got started in poms) but it was only about this time(1977) that the breed started to have a good impact in the show ring. At that time, our Jap Ch Secret Dandy of Azalea Saly did a lot of winning breaking all the records with the most Best in Shows. Competition then was practically nil with mostly Canton Pomeranians completing their Philippine Championships. Most winners were Japanese and English imports from the Hadleigh bloodline.

The late 80s was the start of US imports and they had their share of the winnings. Competition up to present remains minimal with Canton Pomeranians dominating the show ring with the most number of Philippine champions, Grand champions, and Hall of Fame. Just like in the past, the pomeranians continue to have Group and Best in Show wins.

Popularity is very high with lots of breedings from pet breeders. However, exhibitors remain elusive in the ring.

For those who have ventured in the show ring, majority eventually disappear from the show site. I suppose, the main reason for this is its economic viability....the small litter size is relations to the expenses of showing and breeding......further reasons....
is the small litter size of the pomeranians which make it difficult to have a continuous line up of show specimens to exhibit....and there are some who sell pet pups as show specimens when they are not thereby killing the potential entry of this new enthusiasts...............another reason, I suppose is the black skin. After all their efforts, it is really disheartening to see their prized pets lose their coat and have the semblance of a Chinese Crested.

Unlike in the US where people are more open about this, many breeders when asked are very secretive about this. When asked where such and such a dog is, they would reply that he has died when in fact that dog has been petted out somewhere to disappear. ........another reason for the low number of show exhibitors is.........people here want to win and if they don't, they fizzle out of the show scene.

Is there a Pomeranian Club /s in your country?

We have a Philippine Pomeranians Club who have tried to promote pomeranians with good sportmanship. Many fanciers choose to remain disinterested in promoting the breed and remain either as pet owners or puppy mills.

Can you tell us about the Judging system in your country?

We have both Philippine and foreign judges. Most of our foreign judges are
from Australia and Asian countries when airfare are less expensive. We
rarely have other foreign judges because of the limited budget of our clubs.

Is there a Pomeranian Club in the Philippines?

We have our mother club, the PCCI(Philippine Canine Club Inc) who is
affiliated with FCI(Federacion Cynolique Internationale) and AKU(Asian
Kennel Union) and recognized by most clubs in the world including American
Kennel Club who recognizes our dogs under primary preference,,,meaning our
dogs can be show and bred in the USA.

In turn, our mother club have encouraged many many affiliated clubs(such as
breed clubs like Philippine Pomeranian Club, group clubs, All Breed Clubs
in various locations) to assist in promoting purebreed dogs by licensing
their shows. As such, we have practically 2 Back to Back shows every
weekend around the country, one of which is a mother club show(PCCI). The
mother club shows, which is 12 shows a year is the basis of the Dog of the
Year.....exclusive of the Affiliated Club shows.

The show format is very much based on the American Kennel Club. Group
Classification is also based on the system of the American Kennel Club
which would classify Pomeranian under Toy Group. Starting this year, our
mother club shows will follow the FCI grouping system wherein
Pomeraninans would be classified and grouped under Spitz and Ancient
Breeds, which means poms have to compete against the Siberian Huskies, Chow
Chow, Basenji, etc. I just think this is too ridiculous! The show format
of the Affiliated Clubs is left to the discretion of respective clubs who
are mostly in favor of the AKC way.

We follow the AKC(American Kennel Club) breed standard and championship
system wherein you need 15 points with 2 majors to become a Philippine
Champion. The dog need another 25 points as a special to be a Grand
Champion...and another 75 points to be a Hall of Fame. Accordingly, there
is really no more point showing a dog after the Hall of Fame unless the
owner is targeting the Dog of the Year Award.

Are Pomeranians very popular in your country?

The pomeranians are extremely popular here and also the very much cheered
breed in the Groups and Best in Show competition.

The approximate number of Pomeranians exhibited at most shows?
Approximately how many Pomeranian fanciers in your country?

The number of registrations will be a good indicator for the pom fanciers
in the country. Based on club records,
registrations for the year 2005(2006 still unavailable), pomeranians had
1,205 registrations and ranked Number 15th out of 74 Breeds.
Considering their small litter size, that is a lot.

The exhibitors remain be usually about 2 to 3, one of which is usually
Canton Pomeranians. Very very seldom would we have more.

The number of exhibitors in relation to registrations is so distorted
because most of the others are pet breeders.

Photos of some of the winning pomeranians.

PH HOF Canton Braveheart	PH HOF Canton Baby Ruth	PH CH Canton White Bear
PH HOF Canton Britestar	PH CH Canton White Dew	PH HOF Canton Moneybox

What coloured Pomeranians are most popular?

The most popular color is the creams,oranges and reds. Whites are gaining
popularity. There is a strong resistance against blacks.
I have shown chocolates, blues and parti-color. Judges, I think, would
mentally scratch their heads when they see these less popular colors.

Many thanks to Basilo Yap of Canton Pomeranians, Philippines for this insight into Pomeranians in the Philippines.