Karen and I have always loved these little dogs. Our first one was Frisky, then Rusty, then Jazzy, Kira, and now, Dolly. We have always managed to acquire a "used" dog, which we prefer to do. We love the puppies, but being able to buy a dog someone else no longer wants gives us a chance to make the loving little creature know that someone does care for them and will love them.

We have had four of the most delightful little pets, and each one has returned to us more love than we could ever have given them. So here they are in order.

By the way, if you want to talk Pomeranians, e-mail Karen

We got Frisky in May of 1985. I had seen a little dog while Karen and I were out for a walk, and really missed having a dog around. So I put out the word, in the small town where we were living, that I was looking. A friend called and told me of a farm family that was getting rid of their Pom. When I drove out there to see him, Frisky looked so sad. The reason they were getting rid of him was because the other dog was beating up on him all the time. Why he was not kept away from the other dog was a mystery. At any rate, I bought him for $50. He was 3 years old. I will never forget that poor little guy, sitting on the far edge of the seat in the pickup, looking very apprehensive and forlorn. I had tried to make friends with him at the house, but he was too frightened. It was summer, and I had the window open. I patted my lap and called to him. Slowly he came across the seat and into my lap. Then he stood and put his two front paws on my arm which was resting in the window, heaved a big sigh and stuck his nose out into the moving air. Just like that - he became my dog and I became his master. When we finally got home he was as happy as a coot. Frisky lived to be 16 year of age. The last few years of his life were pretty tough for the little guy, because he had pancreatitis and later, diabetes. We were giving him two insulin shots a day for the last year of his life. He was not in pain, but his eyesight began to fail, and after that life was just not the same for him. Frisky was the first, and we still miss him.

Rusty was unquestionably a member of the family. He came to us in May of 1997 at the age of 6. He was with a family that concluded their children were allergic, so they gave him a scissors clip job. Before that he was with a family with small children and they cared enough to not treat his little leg when it was broken. His little paw on the left front was sideways most of the time. The picture on the left is how he looked after we had him clipped because that was the only way to get rid of clumps and hot spots and matted fur. The picture on the right is how he looked a couple of years later, beside my redwood vase. He had to get into the picture. Rusty is gone now. He developed a tumor in his sinuses and he died on April 11, 2003. He was a wonderful little pet who gave us so much love and affection. At least we were able to give him some real happiness, love and care, and that was much more than he had come to expect from humankind. He was a happy little dog.
What -- Me Bald??	Finally - Some Hair!
Lookin' for the Squirrel	Ahhhhh - Sleeeeeep...

When Rusty got sick we said, "we'll not get another dog for a long time." Yeah - right! A few weeks after Rusty was gone, the house seemed so empty and lonely without a furry critter that I called the Kennel Club and told them we were looking around for another Pomeranian. I called Karen one day and told her I had the name of a man who had a puppy for sale. I had called him and he said yes - he did have one. He also had a friend with a 3 year old female for sale. We decided to see the 3 year old first. Shiela's house was pandemonium when we rang the doorbell. Six little Poms, all tearing around, playing with stuffed animals, chasing a ball, on the lap, off the lap like ping pong balls. Cute little, energetic balls of fluff - all very happy and very, very friendly. The "boss bitch" female, Lacy, sat like a queen on her owner's lap, letting one and all know that she was the boss of the house. About 5 pounds, snow white and all business. We immediately fell for Jasmine, known as Jazzy (or "Meeno" from "Jasmino"). She's 7 pounds, exactly half the size of Rusty, and the most loveable Pomeranian you've ever seen. She will spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in your lap, preferably on her back. She was a bit more aloof than the others on our first visit and largely ignored us. But, when we came back a few days later to pick her up, she sensed immediately that we were HERS, and stuck to us like glue, letting any other dog that came close that these were HER people. When we got home with her, on May 17, 2003, she took over the place in a minute, and has been the "boss bitch" ever since. Our advice - if you lose a pet, replace it immediately. You still mourn your pet, but the new being fills that void in your life. Now it is November of 2011, and I have to conclude this furry little page of our lives. My eyes are full of tears as I add a few last photos of our little sweetheart to finish up with her tiny urn. We miss all of our Poms, but Jazzy left us too soon and too unexpectedly. She was only 10 and we had expected to have her for another 5 years at least. But she developed a very rapidly growing tumor, and it seemed before we could take a breath - she was gone. A 9 pound dog leaves a big hole in your life when she is gone. I hope that, right now, someone is rubbing her tummy in doggy heaven.
Just Lookin' Cute	Ahhhhh - Rub it, Rub it :))
Clean that face!	Just playin' with Doggitt
Protect your Teddy	Then - ATTACK!!
Sleeping With Mom	Gotta Hold on to my Toy!!!
Resting on the Couch	Taking Mom for a Walk
This is such a Comfortable Place	She's Not Paying Attention to Me!!
I Can Look Innocent, Too	Her Lap is Good Outside, Too!
My Cousin Wants my place on Mom's Lap	Well, She's Cute - Maybe I'll Share
The Sun is my Friend!	See - It Makes Me Look Good!!
Helping Doggit Go to Sleep	OK, so I Sleep a Lot - I'm Entitled!!
Outside is One of my Favorite Places	Up Close and Personal - Just how I Like It!!
Finding Earthworms in the Lawn is Fun!!	I don't really eat 'em. I just pretend
Bath Time is one of my Miseries	C'mon Mom. Aren't you almost finished?
Ice Cream off the Spoon is Good	OK - Headin' for the Bottom - Spoon's too Slow!
Oh, OK - Let me Just get this bit on the rim	All done, except for the bit on my nose
Just Veggin' in one of Dad's Salad Bowls	My final resting place in one of Dad's treasure boxes

Jazzy's sudden departure left us in misery. Karen and I moped about the empty house trying not to cry every time we saw her toys, found one of her hairs, looked at her little kennel, etc. EVERYTHING reminded us of the love, affection, entertainment and joy that we had with the little girl Pom. It was misery. We knew we wanted to have another dog and wrestled with the guilt of "replacing" her, for example - if we got another dog too soon would we be dishonoring Jazzy? We finally decided that it was a greater honor to consider that her loss left such a hole in our lives that we were compelled to try to find another little dog to help fill the void. We thought she would like that. A couple of things drove our search efforts. First of all, we tried to make contact with Shiela Lang, who had sold us Jazzy. We thought the best approach to getting the same kind of personality was to get a relative of Jazzy's, if we could. Shiela has long since left Winnipeg, but we eventually found her. She had not sold a dog since Jazzy and said she would not hesitate to give us one of her Poms if she had one. She did not have any that she was not showing. When we told her of our deep aversion to any kind support for "puppy mills" she understood immediately and would try to help us find a reputable source for a new dog. Quite a lot of time passed, and our search was fruitless. We had a couple of contacts but had trouble contacting them, and they all involved a long distance trip. Karen, unknown to me, had started to search Kijiji. She called me over to look at a little black Pom for sale about an hour's drive from here. There on the screen was a woebegone looking little dog sitting on a concrete floor. The explanation was that Kira was left alone most of the time since the young couple worked long hours, and Kira needed more attention than they could give her. They had taken in another Pom to keep her company but were now faced with two lonely dogs. My heart went out to the little creature, and after talking to the couple we found that Kira was not the product of a puppy mill but the offspring of their aunt's Pom. So, we drove out to see her. It was Sunday. The couple were home along with two of the young woman's little sisters. They carried around two little Poms. Kira wore a diaper because she was in heat. She was 16 months old. I took the tiny little 5 pound dog into my arms and she licked my face, gave a big sigh and promptly went to sleep, perfectly content. I carried her around awhile and then placed her on the floor. She tore across the floor, up onto the couch where one of the girls was lying watching TV, up on the girls chest and flipped onto her back for tummy rub. Everything she did reminded us of Jazzy's personality and we were sold. There was no way we were not going to give this little girl a chance to come and live with us. On the way home she sat in Karen's lap in a little dog bed of Jazzy's. She was a bit perplexed and anxious for about 5 miles. Then she leaned over to lick Karen's cheek, turned around and placed her little forepaws on the dashboard to watch things go by. Even if we had not decided - she had. It has been an adventure. After a few short months we have so many funny little stories about this extremely bright little dog. We had no idea how intelligent she was, and how effectively she could communicate with a few squeals, barks and little growls, along with her ears, eyes and body language. We hope to have this little bear cub look-alike for a long time. She has not filled the hole that Jazzy left, but she wasted no time in creating a space for herself in our house. She is extremely cuddly and craves human company, more so than any of our other dogs and we love every moment with her. So, here is the beginning of her gallery, and I hope to be adding photos for another 14 years at least. A sad addendum to the life of little Kira, which ended when we said our final goodbyes to the little sweetheart on February 15, 2021. About the middle of January she suddenly became very ill and we rushed her to emergency care where they determined her kidneys were failing but might be treatable with medications. But Kira was refusing to eat anything, even food specially prepared and brought to the hospital. And her medications required food. The vets recommended euthanization, and we signed the papers. But we changed our minds and decided to try to get her to eat at her own home, with us, where she was comfortable. At home, she suddenly began to eat and we prepared special meals for her and she got her meds. And we had a wonderful month with her. She seemed totally happy and normal. We were delighted, but then she suddenly took turn for the worse in mid-February and we knew the time had come. So now the sweet little girl lies in a tiny urn made just for her, and what remains are the memories and spirit of the beautiful little dog that made our lives so much better for the time she was with us.
My new backyard, on my new mom's lap	Just lookin' around
They have a box full of these balls for me!	Posin' for a Portrait
My black shows up good on the green lawn	The water shower is to fight with. I showed it!
My favorite place, while Dad figures out the challenge of photographing a black dog	My nose out the window on a drive
Dad getting tricky with the rear view mirror	I have lots and lots of toys - 17, I think
This is such a Comfortable Place	Life is Busy. A Girl needs her Rest
That other photo was for rest. This one is a beauty sleep!	Definitely Need more than one beauty Sleep
Me in my outfit - It's a Hoody!	Who said you could take my picture!!
Aha! That's what those things are for. Good Idea!!!	C'mon!! Tummy Rub Time!!!
Helping Dad Harvest Wood	I claim this chair as MINE!!
Take this Toy - I Dare you!	Nyna, nyna, nyna
The blow-dry is noisy!	Dogs like it when Mom reads the cookbook
Salad, anyone? Doggie flavored!	New haircut and new bandana - Texas style!
Home style bandana in my chair	Nothing beats Mom's lap in the summer
One of my last tours of the backyard	Just before I said good-bye

So, now a new chapter begins. The loss of Kira, our 4th Pomeranian in almost 40 years, was no easier than losing any of the others. As a matter of fact, right now, it feels harder and the sense of loss is still very raw. We loved that little dog, and she brought a lot of joy and entertainment into the house and her personality has soaked into the very structures of our home, just as the three that preceded her. Karen and I are getting on, and we don't move as fast as we used to, and Karen had declared, "When Kira goes there will not be another dog." I did not say anything to those declarations, because I know how much she enjoyed our Poms, and she might well change her mind. She did, and before long I noticed her quietly scouring the Internet looking at Pomeranian ads, and then responding to, "Herm, come and have a look at this." However, this is during the Covid era, and everyone in the country is buying dogs (which makes me wonder what will happen to all those little dogs when things eventually go back to normal). We were determined not to support puppy mills, and anything that smelled of a mill we immediately put aside. But, one little girl dog showed up and she was the only one we went to see. And there we found Dolly, a tiny 4 1/2 pound Pom who immediately seemed at home in our arms when we scooped her up off the floor. Tiny, cuddly, and 10 months old - the youngest dog we have ever had. The others were all mature dogs, but this one is basically still a puppy. So guess where she lives now? It only took an instant for us to fall in love with her, and she is quickly taking over the place. Although, as a puppy still needing some training, she is confined some of the time. But the energy levels of a puppy are considerably more than we are used to, and Dolly's curiosity about EVERYTHING is keeping us on our toes. But the entertainment value is priceless, and the cuteness and emerging personality is fun to watch. You may have trouble telling her apart from Jazzy. We did not choose Dolly because of that, but the resemblence is remarkable. Jazzy was larger, and I think Dolly will stay fairly small, but in looks the two are very close. In personality - well, that remains to be seen. So here are the photos of her life with us, and this will be added to as the months and years go by. But the start is now, and although our hearts break whenever we think of Kira, this little dynamo is now enjoying Kira's toys and starting to get into Kira's chair, and the little bit of black hairs in the vacuum bag have been replaced with a lot of blond puppy undercoat (which we know will gradually lessen). Stay tuned for updates.
Well -- Hello, Dolly!!! (Or is that "Miss Parton"?	It did not take long to find my new Mom's lap
Mom's lap makes me feel sleepy and makes my eyes droop	I like the blue fuzzy housecoat
I think life is going to be good here!	My - Mom's lap is just so cozy.
This is my den recliner. Very, very comfortable	It says this is the "Wild West" on my recliner. It does!
I love the new toy from Savannah and Auntie Jae. Thanks, guys!	Doesn't everyone lie on the floor like this?
Gettin' ready for a lap nap in the back yard. Eyes half mast	Waaaaait - who's back there?
Honest - I'm just smelling the flowers, not eating them	This is my getting ready for "bite fight" look! See the teeth?
What's better than an outing on Larry & Sue's boat?	Ah - sun, wind and lake spray!
New haircut - and I still have a smile on my face	Oh-Oh. Face Down in my food dish - yaawwn
I personalized my food dish that Dad made :)	Who can resist my eyes?
This is MY throne	Not even the queen can sleep on her throne
In the summertime the lawn is good	In the winter time, cuddling up with mom on the couch is good
You scream, I scream - We all scream for ice cream	See - screamin' helps
Hand fed - ice cream from a spoon. I'm almost human	Oh-Oh. The end for now