THE CHOICE OF BREEDS 31 



of a lonely dame seeking a pet, or pets, and having no 

 preconceived prejudices. 



The Pom, then, is a little dog, hard to get good, but 

 really valuable when so secured. A good toy Pom 

 means one as small as possible, certainly under 8 Ibs., 

 and preferably under 6 Ibs., not long-legged and weedy, 

 but short-backed and compact ; with tiny erect e"ars, a 

 fine-pointed muzzle, small dark eyes, tail or plume, 

 as it should be called well over the exact median line 

 of the back ; small, fine, and delicate legs and feet, 

 covered with short hair ; and last, but far from least, a 

 profuse coat standing out well all over the body, and 

 amplified about the neck with the characteristic frill, 

 and at the backs of the hind legs with the criniere. 

 Bright brown and chocolate are very much more 

 common than they were a year or two ago, when either 

 was scarce and much desired, but blacks are always 

 favourites. Black-pointed sables (wolf-coloured Poms) 

 seldom have good stiff coats, and, like the beautiful 

 orange sables, are apt to be flat-coated, thus are not so 

 popular ; while parti-coloured dogs depend for attraction 

 upon their quality otherwise. Blues, which, unless large, 

 generally have hairless ears, are very charming, and carry 

 excellent coats, but are comparatively seldom seen. The 

 usual faults of toy Poms are " apple-headedness " a 

 term which explains itself scarcity of coat, coarseness 

 in head or leg, tails badly carried, big ears, or protuberant 

 eyes, legginess and weediness, or curliness. A wave in 

 the coat spoils some from a show point of view, and 

 though washing with borax and water, and combing 

 out with a comb dipped in a weak solution of gelatine, 

 will temporarily remedy the defect, it spoils the desirable 

 bushy look of a Pom to a great extent. 



Poms are capital little companions, faithful, exceed- 

 ingly sharp and intelligent, and generally devoted to 

 one person ; they are good with children if brought up 

 with them ; but they are fussy and excitable little 

 things, bark a great deal, and have nerves. I do not 

 consider the character some people give them of snap- 



