History
On a pot found in Athens
in the 10th century B.C. was a picture of a small white
dog that looked like an Egyptian dog. On the pot there
was a text according to which the dogs came from the island
of Melita, now known as Meleda in the Adrian Sea. Kallimachos
wrote the first known description of these dogs around
the year 230 B.C. In his list of dogs existing at the
time Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) mentions a breed of little
dogs to which he attributes the Latin name "canis melitenses".
That dog was known in Ancient Rome as favourite companion
of the matrons and was praised by Strabon, Latin poet
of the first century A.D.
Already before the Christian Era the
breed was wide spread among Mediterranian civilization.
The exact origin of the breed is however not known.
The name of the breed, Maltese dog, would indicate that
it's place of origin is Malta or the ancient island
of Melita. On the other hand the strongest belief is
that Maltese dog is from Italy. The adjective "Maltese"
-comes from the Semetic word "malat" which means refuge
or harbour; this Semetic root comes up again in a whole
series of names of maritime places, i.e. in the name
Adriatic island of Mé1éda, the Sicilian town of Melita
and also in that of the island of Malta. The ancestors
of this little dog however lived surely in the ports
and maritime cities of central Mediterranean, where
they hunted mice and rats which were found in profusion
in the harbour warehouses and in the hold of ships.
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Maltese dog won popularity in 15th century
France. It appears in a visible way in a famous piece
of tapestry "Woman and a Unicorn". There are
several opinions about how Maltese dog ended up in the
British Isles but presumably it was brought there while
crusaders returned home. By the end of the 16th century
Maltese dog had become a pet for the women. The late
Middle Ages reveal many depictions of Maltese dog from
France as well as Germany. Numerous painters have during
centuries portrayed these small dogs in salons of their
time at the side of beautiful ladies. Maltese dogs have
posed in paintings of Goya, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir
Edwin Landseer and Tizian. A Maltese dog is seen among
others beside King Frans I and dutchess of Alba. There
are descriptions of Maltese dog known from the period
of Renaissance written for instance by Gesner and Johannes
Cajus, Doctor to H.M. the Queen Elisabeth I. Cajus wrote
that women constantly carry them around in their arms
and even let dogs sleep in their beds. Cajus reiterated
Kallomacho but claimed that the breed origined in the
fishing village of Melita in Sicily. Changing of the
name Melita into Malta happened in England because Englishmen
had quite uncertain knowledge about world beyond their
own imperium. They did know Meleda but had no conception
about Melita. There are no known traces of Maltese dog
found on the island of Malta.
The breed was developed smaller in the
17th and 18th century when it was nearly destroyed.
Linné told these dogs to be the size of a squirrel.
Afterwards there were foreign materials mixed in the
breed - especially poodles and miniature spaniels. Also
East Asian miniature dogs that were brought to England
through Western India were mixed with Maltese dog. This
did save the Maltese dog but it made the breed so heterogenous
that several breeds had to be formed. Doctor Wallher
listed seven different breeds of Maltese dog in 1817
and Reichenbach nine in 1836. English breeders developed
the breed its present appearance.
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Maltese
in Finland
Maltese dog is nowadays spread all over
the world and high-standard breeding work is done in several
countries. In the year 1877 Maltese dog was first time
presented in a show in United States and in England in
1862. In Finland the first Maltese arrived in the beginning
of 20th century. The first Maltese dog Milka came from
St. Petersburg in Russia December 1st in 1912. A female
Maltese dog Flora was marked down in the pedigree of the
year 1920. She was known to be descended from the Russian
court. Later on the population grew with imports from
Germany and Sweden. Breeding work took on when Judith
Klingberg got a male from Sweden in 1954 to mend the shortage
in breeding dogs. In 1970s and 1980s the Maltese dog population
of Finland was strengthened primarily with dogs imported
from Sweden. A few dogs were brought from England. The
breeding foundation was however too small for several
decades. When Finland became a so called rabies country
new possibilities opened for bringing new blood from other
parts of Europe, too. Thus, since the late 1980s right
until these days Maltese dogs have been almost regularly
imported to Finland from several different countries annually.
Imports have come from Denmark, Germany, United States,
the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary and the latest import
country has been Italy.
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Maltese
in Statistics
Maltese dog female gives birth to one
to four puppies and there are less than a hundred puppies
born annually. According to the Finnish Kennel Club
statistics there were 71 puppies registered in the year
1996 and 57 puppies in 1997. Statistics in the years
1998 and 1999 took a deep dive. Thus, in 1999 there
were only 32 Maltese dogs registered of which even five
were imported. Demand for a Maltese puppy is usually
greater than and the supply and the price of a puppy
varies depending on the breeder, up or down from 5.000
FIM.
Character
Maltese dog is a lively and intelligent
dog that needs a lot of tenderness and care. It doesn't
feel at home in a pen and is not an appropriate breed
to be bred in big kennels. This dog is also not an appropriate
playmate for quite young children.
Maltese dog needs exercise like any living
creature but it isn't an actual jogging dog. It does
like to scamper next to its owner on a walk but doesn't
mind being carried in owner's arms once in a while.
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Coat
The coat of Maltese dog is its beautification
and thanks to it Maltese dog looks totally different
compared to other Bichons. Coat should be silky, straight
and come down to the ground. The colour should be pure
white. The coat of a Maltese dog should be daily combed
because it tangles and gets dirty easily. The dog is
washed as the need arises - even weekly if needed. Maltese
dog doesn't have the undercoat typical to dogs and that
is why it doesn't shed.
Health
Maltese dog is a healthy and long-living
dog. It is not rare to celebrate 15-year-birthday parties
in a Maltese family. According to present knowledge there
are no hereditary diseases in the breed.
Maltese
- a Lovely Little Toy Dog
