I DO NOT recommend a novice to Malamutes/Sibs bringing a Pom into their home.   Or someone with only Toy Dog experience to get a Mal or Sib.  The only thing that a Mal, Sib & Pom have, in common, is that they are dogs.  Poms are as different from Mals/Sibs as night is from day.  Depending on your Mal, they could see this small- very fast- ball of fur as prey.  If you do get a Pom, please do not leave them alone and always protect the smaller Pom as their bones break very easily.

Over the last several years, I've received a surprising number of e-mails and interest in Mals & Poms together.  For this reason, I've written this page on my two amazing girls.

My experience, before Poms, was Siberians & Alaskan Malamutes since 1979.  I had never owned a Toy Breed before.

Kaitlyn came to our home when Kes was 10 years old (who was 24" and 80 lbs) and this was an educational experience for all of us. 

I have had seven spinal surgical procedures since 2002 and was no longer able to show my Mals.  One of my surgeons suggested that I "down-size" when I told him how much I missed it.  

Honestly, the thought had never occurred to me.  Mals were my "Breed".  After a lot of consideration, I decided that his idea had merit.  I really missed the show ring and the camaraderie of dog people.  I knew that I was a Northern Breed person, so that's where I focused my breed research.

I settled on Poms pretty quickly.  These guys I would be able to show, even with a cane, and I loved watching them in the ring.  So I started my Breed research.  The more I studied, the more I knew this is the path that my life was going to be taking.

Now came finding a "Line" I liked and then a breeder.  I started contacting breeders.  I'm afraid that I was unpleasantly surprised at the hostility some Pom breeders greeted me with (I was honest in my e-mails that I had Mals and gave them my experience with showing & obedience training (which I had started doing when I was 12)).  

Some breeders would never reply to my e-mails and others were very blunt that they would never place a Pom in my home and were unwilling to talk to me further.  It was, very, discouraging but I knew that I would eventually find someone who would be willing to take a chance on me.

However, I also found Pom breeders who were not only willing to talk to me but were an absolute fountain of knowledge.  I would like to take a moment to thank them for the hours of their time spent in helping, and most of all educating a newbie to the breed:

Linda Pelz ~ DreamWeaver, Diane Finch ~ Finch's, Trish Inman ~ Gemini, Christy Murphy ~ Beavercreek & Beverley Carter ~ Damascusroad.  You guys are a credit to the breed!!

I really liked Linda Pelz's girl 'Rosie' and I was second pick for a 'Rosie/Chad' daughter, but she had boys :(   A few days after 'Rosie' delivered, I got an e-mail that a 'Furby' daughter (Canada) was available and Kaitlyn came home a few weeks later.

I could not believe how little this girl was!!  She was a whopping 1lb, 14oz.  She was the same size as my Mal puppies were at a week of age!!  For the first week that she was home, she had to stay on the sofa, love seat or easy chair while the Mals got used to her.  She was only in the room with them when I was and she was only allowed to touch noses with them if I was holding her.  Every single time that I left the room, Kaitlyn either came with me or she went into her 4 x 4 puppy pen.

I could not BELIEVE how FAST this tiny puppy was.  Mals, at her age, are still figuring out their feet and Mals aren't bred for quickness anyway.  This little girl was like a bolt of lightening.  

What I did not expect to find was just how much of the Mal's rubbed off on her.  The joke, at my vet's, was she was my 'Mini-Mal'.  Other than the fact that Kait tiny and had amazing balance and loved to climb on the back of the furniture, she thought that she was a Mal.  I had to admit to being pleasantly surprised as I loved my Mals.  Now I had the best of both worlds, a Malamute in a tiny package :)

The Mals love to sing.  I loved to listen to each of them weave their voices together into an amazing harmony.  After a few weeks, my little Kaitlyn figured that she was a Mal too and emulated them whenever she could-- including the singing.  

For weeks she had listened to them, with her little head cocking from one side to the other.  When all of a sudden, one night, she threw her head back, closed her eyes, and let out this howl.  It was the highest pitched howl I'd ever heard in my life and the Mals shut up in a heart beat to stare at her.  It was the funniest thing that I had ever seen in my life!!!   But after that, every time they sang, she did (and still does, if I start her going :)

Kes was the only one that Kaitlyn 'lived' with.  But, as I said, they were never allowed alone together.  Kes would never, deliberately, hurt Kaitlyn but a slap of her paw could break bones in that little body.

I bred Kes and had her mom and dad since they were 8 weeks old and knew the dogs behind them for generations (Kes' great-grandma, Wowie, had an amazing temperament- but that's a story for another time).  Kes was my alpha bitch and as a true alpha, she ruled with body language alone and did not need to resort to physical follow up.  A look in her eye and the angle of her head would be enough to tell other dogs their place.

Kes immediately adopted Kaitlyn.  I have no idea what it was about this Pom puppy but something about her appealed to Kes, and she was very attentive and protective of Kaitlyn.

Kes' favorite place to sleep was stretched out with her back against the sofa.  One night Kaitlyn was on the sofa and suddenly leaned over to try to sniff Kes.  Unfortunately she over extended, lost her balance and fell onto Kes.  Kaitlyn froze.  Kes raised her head looked at Kaitlyn, standing on her ribs, looked over at me like "Really??" dropped her head back down and went back to sleep.  

Kaitlyn then figured out that this was a very nice warm, furry place to sleep, turned around a few times and laid down.  Sleeping on Kes turned out to be one of her favorite sleeping places and she climbed on her any time she felt like it.

I know some Pom breeders may have concerns at the photo's below, but please keep in mind that, at the time I got Kaitlyn, I had twenty-six years of experience with my dogs and knew their strengths, weaknesses and limitations.  Most importantly, I KNEW Kes and she would never harm a hair on Kaitlyn's head (Kes and her sire, Maverick, used to lay on the floor at PetSmart to let the puppies and toy dogs crawl over them).

The summer of 2006 I decided it was time for more professional pictures of the dogs.  At the Columbia Pom Club Specialty (in conjunction with Brush Prairie shows) I had some photo's taken of them by an amazing photographer, Family Tree Photography, which- sadly- no longer exists.  This man had talent, bar none.  

The following shots were not posed.  The dogs placed themselves in this position and the photographer took the shots as they moved together.  As I said, this man has talent.

The first shot, Kait (7 months old) climbed on the log to see what was going on........

The photographer decided to remove the log and when I put Kaitlyn back down, she ran over to Kes.  The next shot is when she first got to her side and Kes looked over at Kaitlyn, this shot was taken right before they touched noses.  I call this photo, The Kiss.

After they touched noses, Kes looked back at the photographer and Kaitlyn leaned into Kes and put her paw on Kes' foreleg.  I lost my breath at that and the photographer whispered DON'T MOVE while he got that shot.  This shot replaced my old kennel logo and became my new one and always be.  The trust that these two, very different, sized dogs shared shined through,

The neurological condition, that Kes had, accelerated, with blinding speed, after these photo's were taken.  She passed away, just four months later, only a month after her 11th birthday.  

Kaitlyn stayed with her the whole time.  She always knew when Kes was having a difficult day and would go over to where Kes was laying and- literally- give her a hug.  She would wrap her paws around Kes' muzzle and lay her check next to Kes'.  I was never able to get a photo of it as, when I moved, Kait would lift her head to see what I was doing.  So I had to stay absolutely still and they stayed that way for quite some time.  I had no idea that animals could show such compasion and it's a memory that I will always treasure.  They took care of each other better than most people do. 

Kaitlyn had a terrible time, after Kes passed, and kept running to the door- looking for her, or she would go and lay down in Kes' favorite spot, with her eyes glued to the door.  It broke my heart.  Luckily, Scarlet (another Mal) allowed her to bond, on a limited basis- but that, too, is a story for another time.

My last Malamute has passed away and now I have just the Poms.  I miss my Mals, every single day, but know that I made the right choice, to have these Mini-Mals in my life.

After a number of years of Poms, I have come to understand why Pom breeders were so hesitant to send one of their Pom kids to me.  They are so small and their bones are delicate (you can actually break their feet if you accidentally step on them).  Accident's can happen too fast and your Pom is injured, or worse, dead.

Spring of 2006 I got a drop-dead gorgeous show puppy from a very long time Mal breeder friend.  He was 9 weeks old and 25 lbs.  One night, five nights after he came, Kaitlyn was sleeping on the love seat and he was sleeping, in Kes' old place, up next to the sofa.

Suddenly he woke up and before I could stop him, ran across the living room, jumped on the love seat and grabbed Kaitlyn by her head- shaking for all he was worth.  I was only three feet away and he had her before I could intervene.  Had he been only one week older, his neck muscles would have been developed enough that he would have broken her neck before I could have stopped him.

Now, to him, Kaitlyn was prey and she would never be safe from him again.  As gorgeous as he was, he was I had no choice but to send him immediately back to his breeder.  I could not risk her life for anything-- even a beautiful boy like him.

As I write this, Kaitlyn is laying on the pillows behind me, with her beautiful head on my shoulder.  It was a real transition, at times, moving from big dogs to toys but- for me- it was worth it.

I hope that Kes & Kaitlyn's story will help those of you thinking of Mals and Poms together (or Sibs & Poms), make an informed decision- of the possibilities & the heart break- before making this commitment.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to drop me a line.

Sheila Koty ~ Inua Kennels