Wednesday Cute: Our Favorite Toy Dog Breeds

Today’s Wednesday Cute was written by editorial intern Perry, who fell into a cute coma while researching this.

Earlier this week, the Westminster Dog Show was held, with thousands of dogs and their breeders coming to prove themselves the best of the best. To commemorate this event, we thought it would be fun to showcase some of our favorite breeds in the toy category (in no particular order).

Affenpinscher

This German breed was originally created to work as ratters, keeping kitchens and farms free of rodents. In 2013, a dog named Banana Joe (no, we’re not joking) was named Best in Show at Westminster.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

These cuties were named for King Charles II of England, who famously loved these dogs so much that he decreed they be allowed in every public place, including the House of Parliament. They are one of the most popular breeds in America.

Havanese

The Havanese is the national dog of Cuba, where they were once used as chicken herders! I dare you not to giggle at the image of this little guy rounding up hens.

Italian Greyhound

This is one of the derpier-looking dogs on our list. Seriously, just take a look at these guys in sweaters. However, back in the day, Italian Greyhounds were very popular amongst royalty and were featured in many paintings. In fact, artistic renderings of dogs looking very similar to Italian Greyhounds have been found in Pompeii!

Papillon

This dog gets its pretty name, which is french for butterfly, from its unusual ears. Another variety of the Papillon has dropped ears and is called the Phalène, which means moth.

Pug

Pugs (who are also derpy-looking) originated in China and became very popular in the European courts. During the French Revolution, Joséphine de Beauharnais (who would later become Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife) was imprisoned and used her pet pug to send secret messages to her family, as he was the only one granted visitation rights!

Pomeranian

Queen Victoria loved these little powder puffs and actually significantly affected the way they look today! Pomeranian used to be a lot bigger, but Queen Victoria had a puppy that was usually small. Once she showed off her cute little dog, small Pomeranians became very popular and breeders had to meet demand. As a result, during Queen Victoria’s life, Pomeranians as a breed shrunk to half of their original size.

And because we just can’t resist, here is a bonus puppy, the teacup Pomeranian: