Official Maltese Standard
NOTE: ARTICLE, SOURCE: CKC (CANADIAN KENNEL CLUB). THE MALTESE IS THE OLDEST European toy breed; his likeness has been depicted on art objects dating back 3000 years. In 200 B.C. the breed was described in writings under the Latin name Canis Melitueus from which, obviously, the breed name was derived. Whether Melitaeus referred to the Island of Malta (which was once called Melita), or to the town of Melita in Sicily, continues to be in question. From earliest times the breed appears to have been well known throughout Europe, where it was enjoyed for its beauty and companionship, especially by the ladies. It is assumed that the reason the little breed became so widespread was that it was used as an object of barter in exchange for goods. Thus it was left behind at many points along the trade routes. Wherever it travelled, the Maltese seems to have attracted the interest of artists because down through the ages the little breed has had its portrait painted sitting on the laps of gentle ladies. The breed was already well known in Britain at the time of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). There are two theories as to how the Maltese came to be there. One is that returning Crusaders brought the little dogs home with them as gifts for their ladies. The other places the breed's arrival in Britain much earlier than this, claiming that the Maltese was brought in at the time of the Roman invasion. It is reported that during the 17th and 18th centuries the breed faced near disaster when attempts were made to miniaturize it even more. Crosses to other toy breeds were used to restore vigour. The breed was first shown in Britain in 1862 and made its first appearance at an American show at the Westminster Kennel Club event held in 1877, when one imported dog by the name of Leo was shown under the breed name of the Maltese Lion Dog. It was in strange company. One of the entries in the Miscellaneous Group in which the Maltese was included was a dog, aged two years, of uncertain breed that had been born with only two legs. Happily the Maltese has come up in the world since that time and accounts for a beautiful entry in the Toy Group wherever dog shows are held. The first Maltese registration in
Canada was recorded in The Canadian Kennel Club Stud Book for the years
1901-1902.
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