Article written/researched by Vivienne Peterson BA - First published July 2007 - Copyright Protected
Ch Mars was the first orange Pomeranian to become a UK champion. He was born on the 25th August 1906. His registered co-breeders were Mrs Tinsley and Mrs E. Parker. His litter brother was Sirius, registered as a light orange but also referred to as a cream. Sirius was sold for a big sum to America. Mars first appeared in the KC Stud Books after a Limit win in Edinburgh, 1907. Many wins soon followed.
‘Mars action’ came to mean a Pom with outstanding movement. This quality, along with other exceptional assets, was inherited from his dam Yellow Aster. Her coat was rich orange shading to white. Yellow Aster’s sire was the golden brown Milnshaw Masher who was reportedly exported to the States and became a US champion.
Mars’ sire St Antony was a grandson of the well known blue Ch Boy Blue owned by Miss Ives, who wrote that his grand-dam was a warm cream or light orange ‘hence the frequent appearance of sable and orange dogs in his progeny.... sons and grandsons.’
Therefore, Mars had orange coloured ancestors in both his sire and dam’s lineage.
His nose was brown and not the desired black but this did not affect his career or desirability as a stud dog.
He was by no means the first orange Pomeranian but he will always be the most famous!
PEDIGREE INFORMATION
My research has uncovered 176 ancestors of Mars. However, between the 7-13 th generations, 32 Pomeranians appear 132 times. Mr Lender’s Pom, an imported black named Fritz (winning first places by 1874) is found a total of 13 times between the 8th – 13th generations. Canon Dutton’s imported white Pom named Fritz appears 12 times in the 7th – 12th generations.
The colours are stated where known, and, in a few cases I have speculated at a colour and in these cases it will say ‘possibly’ or ‘probably’ to indicate an element of uncertainty as this is my opinion only.
The early official records sometimes vary. One of the most confusing names is that of a very important bitch born in 1887 – her name is all of the following in KC records – Hiyya, Huzza, Huya, Hizza, Hizbja, Hayya and Hisza. Sometimes her KC number is given and sometimes because of a spelling variation it is not given so her ancestry is stated and of course it is the same as the original Hiyya recorded in the 1890 book. Liebling is sometimes recorded (not by the KC) as being the sire of Ch Black Boy but the KC always record his sire as Puck. Both Puck and Liebling are by Blue Boy and Hiyya – so were they one and the same?
The Complete Pomeranian (Ricketts) gives the wrong sire for Yellow Aster attributing this honour to Little Nipper when in fact it was Milnshaw Masher who is recorded as the sire in both the KC records and Mrs Parker’s own book (p23).
I have read that Miss Hamilton’s Koh-I-Noor is behind Lady Crystal (6th gen.) who was by Tip and Gyp. Unfortunately, I’ve still found no hard evidence of this.
MARS’s ANCESTORS AND COLOURS
1st Generation
St Antony – shaded sable, but called ‘a curious orange’ by Mrs Parker
Yellow Aster – Parker’s description is ‘rich orange shading to white’
2nd Generation
Bit of Blue – blue (right)
Shadow – Parker’s description ‘warm beaver’
Milnshaw Masher – Termed a ‘golden brown’ by Mrs Parker
Dollie unr. – colour unknown – no further pedigree details
3rd Generation
Ch Boy Blue – blue (right photo)
Whitby Queen unr. – colour unknown
Little Nipper – a rusty black
Niger Nina unr. – colour unknown
Brown Bobs – brown
Milnshaw Brownie – brown
4th Generation
Prince Victory – colour unknown - dam light orange or cream?
Princess Zulie or Zulu – colour unknown - dam light orange or cream?
Blue Jacket – blue (right photo)
Cleopatra – unknown colour
Ch Hatcham Nip – black
Penny – colour unknown (sire black, dam white)
Aigburth Prince – chocolate
Prairie Belle – colour unknown
5th Generation
Merry Boy – black – in two different lines in this generation
Anstey Queen unr. – colour unknown
Spitz II – colour unknown but usually produced blues
Cello – black (right)
Young Crystal – white
Bayswater Swell- black (below)
Aigburth Queen – black
6th Generation
Ch Black Boy – black – found three times in this generation (right)
Judy – black – found twice in this generation
Black Prince – black
Willow Floss unr. – colour unknown
Herr Graf Of Rozelle- black
Tootie – chocolate
Edelman of Rozelle – white
Lady Crystal – white
Nubian King – black
Hiyya/Hizza – black
Kitsey – black and white (mismarked black not a parti -colour)
