As featured in the October 2006 Pom Reader:

 written by Heather McKim.eople In Poms – Heather McKim and Ronald McKim

  I just sat down at my computer to write my People in Poms article, feeling totally honored even to be asked, when  I have to throw the lap top aside to chase after my nine year old Pom, Jaime. I see  him nawing away on something. I figured it was a hidden raw hide or other treat but because he is down to four teeth and h as a tendancy to swallow things he doesn’t want to share I figured I better get it away fast. What I found was no treat, at least not my idea of a chewy.  Ok, so within the past week my husband and I had discovered that we had an unwanted guest, a mouse. We set traps because poison is just not an option for fear of the dogs eating the pest after it dies. We started with live catch traps which have been empty and yesterday added a few old fashioned traps. I even thought about getting a cat which I am allergic to. We have been checking the traps religiously to no avail.  One even had the peanut butter eaten from it without setting it. This tiny creature was smarter then the big two legged people, but certainly not the nine year old toothless wonder.  I won’t mention the body part of the mouse that I found but  I will mention how yet again my poms have totally amazed me!  

I didn’t start out a Pom-lover or even  a dog lover as most people in the show world do. I certainly had my share of furry pets but the dogs I grew up with were my dad’s hunting dogs and were quite strong for a petite girl like myself. So I considered myself a devout cat person until I met my good friend, Diana, and her two Poms. I had never even heard of Pomeranians but when  I met Ginger and Amber I fell  in love and  couldn’t wait to get my own pom. About a week after moving out on my own I got a call from Diana that the breeder who gave her Ginger and Amber had a mother and daughter pair that she wanted to place together. What a wonderful pair they were!  Maggie was about five years and Annie was five month. They brought incredible joy to  my  fiancé (now my husband) Joe and me. Maggie was easy going and reserved with simple needs consisting of food and belly rubs. Annie being the energetic puppy decided that barking was her favorite pastime. I figured a little obedience class at the local pet store would help. Well, I learned very quickly how smart Poms were and how stubborn they could be. She soon became a very obedient barker.  I was encouraged by our instructor to keep going and that she would make a great obedience competition dog. I spent a couple years practicing  the exercises just for fun and we decided to get a pom from a local breeder to have another pet (enter Obie),  but I still was just into having loving furkids.  I didn’t get motivated to compete until I saw my first dog show. Not only did I want to compete in obedience but I fell in love with with “the ring” and couldn’t wait to show! After a couple trial and error’s I found my first show dog.  An exhibitor of miniature poodles that had dabbled in Pomeranians had  a male that she wanted  to go to a show home. I was so in love with this little man and entered him before I even went to pick him up. He pointed at his first show at six months old and no coat. After that it was a long road  but a huge learning  experience in so many ways. Micky Moose became Champion Ruffgaates Flicker  In Time at four years old handled by Mary K Dullinger and about a month and a half after finishing his Novice Jumpers Preferred title! This accomplished one of my first goals which was to dual title a dog.

 I had a few goals that I set when I started entering the competition world and  I  kept busy during those four years of showing Moose. One goal was to show the versatility of the breed.  I showed Annie in Novice obedience and qualified in four shows with only  one non-qualifying score. Our first show together tied us for first place! We had to compete in a run off and I had no clue what a run off even was! Well we didn’t win the run off but still went home with second place, which was very exciting for my very first show in any venue. I also have been dabbling in agility. Man, is that fun! I compete with both Obie and Moose when time allows. Obie, AKA Oh Behave Dobie Boy NJP, finished his title in three shows with the first two being in the pouring rain.  He also has  one leg for his Novice Standard Preferred. Talk about a shocker! I entered him in the regular standard course just for fun. He hadn’t done a collapsed tunnel in a while and I knew he would blow by it. But I figured it would be nice practice. Well the first day he refused the teeter but the wind caught the collapsed tunnel just as we approached so  he ran through. I guess that was all the practice he needed because he had no problem doing it on his own afterwards.  

After Annie retired from obedience she went to live  with my parents, Ronald and Karen McKim where she was spoiled continuously. After her passing, my parents were so lonely for another Pom that my  good friend, Basi (Barbara Krzewicki) stepped in and gave her a puppy she was  thinking of placing as a pet. She has been a great friend through the years, sharing her handler when I needed one or helping me show Moose when things got tight. She has also been a good mentor through out  the years. Not only did we spend many a night discussing color genetics or some such topic, we also would discuss turtles and other reptiles.

Well as my parents’ new puppy matured I started getting “I want to breed her” from  my dad. And being devout on not breeding without a purpose I told him point blank, “If you want to breed you need to show.”  So I started dragging my dad to shows. We showed Addy together for a little bit but as beautiful as she is she truly hates  leaving home for any reason and just did not have that show dog attitude. Even now when  getting ready to leave for a show when the others are fighting for  the  crate she runs outside  and  sits in  the dog  house until we leave.  She knows a good thing when she sees it.

 

Needing something to show, we knew that we would have to  breed a litter together and decided that since I still rented that I would keep the boys  and he would get the  girls. Besides, he was retired and could stay home with  the puppies. I on the other hand had taken my love of dogs to a new level becoming a professional groomer.

 

 Up to this  point I had only bred one litter of one  puppy that I placed with a woman, Carol. Ms. Hailey blossomed and  although I see Hailey quite regularly thanks to the friendship  that has grown with Carol, I constantly kicked myself for giving her up! She turned out gorgeous and thanks to Carol’s obedience expertise she is my first Rally titled offspring and is very soon will be competing in agility. I really wanted to repeat the breeding and see if I could do it again.

 

 

  I have also learned from breeding Pomeranians to be  careful what you ask for as they will always surprise you. The repeat gave me four puppies! Hailey and these puppies were sired by my chocolate parti,  Ursa Minor’s  Six In  A Series (AKA Jaime). And the mom that can do it all was my orange named  Wee Heart’s Silence Shattered (AKA Gracie).  We placed two  of the black puppies and  kept Esme’s O Sweet Spontanious (Sara - already pointed out of bred-by) and Esme’s Wee Cup O  Tea (Bonnie). 

 

 At the same time as our first official father-daughter team litter, we aquired Ursa Minor’s Easy Ramble, call named Clara but nick-named  “The Devil.”  She started out her show carrier with eight points and a major right off the bat before blowing her puppy  coat all shown by  professional handler Mary  K  Dullinger. As she started coating back up my dad took her out to get her ready to go back with the handler and finished in two weekends with my dad on  the end of the  lead! I was so proud but we couldn’t  fit his head through any doorways afterwards. It was hard not to steal the lead so I approached my good friend Cheryl Kerr to see if she  had  anything she wanted shown. Well, being bold I took on a challenge and have been handling a  parti patterned Pomeranian. Char’s Taboo to Rockin Parti took my breath away when I saw him move so I figured why not! At least I can get him started for her. I had handled oranges before for myself and  others with good success. I even won a four point major my first weekend in the ring but anyone who has one knows, there is nothing like a parti! I have had quite a few judges not even look at him as they pass us to point at oranges but have had equal as many tell me he is a great pom.  So far we have taken home six points and reserve to a major. I can’t thank Cheryl enough for giving me a chance to show him. 

 

 

Great friends is such a benefit in this breed. Spending the shows with friends  makes taking home no ribbons tolerable, and having friends like there to congratulate  you when you did win made it exhilarating. Let us not forget the importance of sharing both information and genetics in  a  community of hobbyist breeders. I know I can count on a stud if I need it and I am willing to share mine as well.  So far Ch Ruffgaates Flicker In  Time NJP has sired one pointed daughter for my friends, Johanna and Will, and they have a daughter from the repeat breeding that looks very promising. Also, when my dad joined me there were many good people there to give us pointers.  Jan and George were always there to help guide my dad and me through the toils of owner/handling. And then there was Helen. Helen Melucci, a retired handler of Poms and many other breeds, always had  her words of wisdom. If we didn’t know the answer we went to Helen.

 

My mom should get a big thank you for letting me drag her and dad to dog shows and  of course the biggest thanks goes to my  husband Joe, who according to my dad, will be nominated for sainthood for marrying me.  I don’t know about sainthood but at least he has been a great about all my dog show weekends.

 

So far the best year of being “Esme Poms” has been  the last one. Partly because of the goals that have been accomplished but  mostly because of the time I have spent with my dad.  Now that my dad and I  have a partnership there are new goals on the table for us. We both want to finish a champion out of  BBE, even if we have to argue over who takes the dog in the  ring.  I still  want  to owner/handle a special to a group placement and maybe eventually a Best In Show. My dad has had all the fun specialing “the Devil” including winning breed  over top specials but that has been an honor worth passing to him just to see the expression on his face when he won. A very important goal is to breed quality colors and patterns. I have always wanted a really nice chocolate and a really nice blue. I guess the last goal for both of us would be to enjoy each dog  and  the many  surprises that they bring in our lives, even if it involves a few mouse bits.