Maltese dog refers both to an ancient variety of dwarf, white-coated dog breed from Italy[1] and generally associated also with the island of Malta, and to a modern breed of similar dogs in the toy group, genetically related to the Bichon, Bolognese, and Havanese breeds.[2] The precise link, if any, between the modern and ancient breeds is not known. Nicholas Cutillo suggested that Maltese dogs might descend from spitz-type canines, and that the ancient variety probably was similar to the latter Pomeranian breeds with their short snout, pricked ears, and bulbous heads.[3][4] These two varieties, according to Stanley Coren, were perhaps the first dogs employed as human companions.[5]
The modern variety traditionally has a silky, pure-white coat, hanging ears and a tail that curves over its back, and weighs up to 3–4kg (7–9lb).[1] The Maltese does not shed.[6] The Maltese is kept for companionship, ornament, or competitive exhibition.
Maltese dogs in antiquity
The old variety of Maltese appears to have been the most common or favourite pet, or certainly household dog, in antiquity.[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] Dogs of various sizes and shapes are depicted on vases and amphorae.[7] On one Attic amphora from about 500BC, excavated at Vulci in the nineteenth century and now lost, an illustration of a small dog with a pointed muzzle is accompanied by the word μελιταῖε, melitaie.[8]
Numerous references to these dogs are found in Ancient Greek and Roman literature.[9] Ancient writers variously attribute its origin either to the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, called Melita in Latin, – a name which derives from the Carthaginian city of that name on the island, Melite – or to the Adriatic island of Mljet, near Corfu and off the Dalmatian coast of modern Croatia, also called Melita in Latin. The uncertainty continues, but recent scholarship generally supports the identification with Malta.[10]
In Greece in the classical period a variety of diminutive dog (νανούδιον/nanoúdion -"dwarf dog")[11] was called a Μελιταῖον κυνίδιον (Melitaion kunídion, "small dog from Melita"). In its unusual smallness it was variously likened to martens (ἴκτις/iktis) or pangolins.[lower-alpha 4] The word "Melita" in this adjectival form, attested in Aristotle,[lower-alpha 5] refers to the island of Malta, according to Busuttil.[11][lower-alpha 6] The Cynic philosopherDiogenes of Sinope, Aristotle's contemporary, according to the testimony of Diogenes Laertius, referred to himself as a "Maltese dog" (κύων.. Μελιταῖος/kúōn Melitaios).[13] A traditional story in Aesop's Fables contrasts the spoiling of a Maltese by his owner, compared to life of the toilsome neglect suffered by the master's ass. Envious of the spoiling attentions lavished on the pup, the ass tries to frolic and be winsome also, in order to enter his master's graces and be treated kindly, only to be beaten off and tethered to its manger.[11][lower-alpha 7]
Around 280BCE,[14] the learned Hellenistic poetCallimachus, according to Pliny the Elder writing in the Ist century CE, identified Melite – the home of this ancient dog variety – as the Adriatic island, rather than Malta.[lower-alpha 8] Conversely, the poem Alexandra ascribed to his equally erudite contemporary Lycophron, which is now thought to have been composed around 190BCE, also alludes to the island of Melite, but identified it as Malta.[lower-alpha 9][lower-alpha 10][lower-alpha 11]Strabo, writing in the early first century AD, attributed its origin to the island of Malta.[lower-alpha 12]
Aristotle's successor Theophrastus (371 – c. 287BC), in his sketch of moral types, Characters, has a chapter on a type of person who exercises a petty pride in pursuing a showy ambition to be particularly fastidious in his taste (Μικροφιλοτιμία/mikrophilotimía). One feature he identifies with this character type is that if his pet dog dies he will erect a memorial slab commemorating his "scion of Melita."[lower-alpha 13]Athenaeus, in his voluminous early 3rd century CE Deipnosophistae (12:518–519), states that it was a characteristic of the Sicilian Sybarites, notorious for the extreme punctiliousness of their refined tastes, to delight in the company of owl-faced jester-dwarfs and Melite lap-dogs (rather than in their fellow human beings), with the latter accompanying them even when they went to exercise in the gymnasia.[lower-alpha 14]
The Romans called them catuli melitaei. During the first century, the Roman poet Martial wrote descriptive verses to a lap dog named "Issa" owned by his friend Publius.[20][21][lower-alpha 15] It has been claimed that Issa was a Maltese dog, and that various sources link this Publius with the Roman Governor Publius of Malta,[22] but nothing is known of this Publius, other than that he was an unidentified friend of Paulus, a member of Martial's literary circle.[23]
The Maltese in modern times
Dog genomic experts state that despite the rich history of the ancient breed, the modern Maltese, like many other breeds, cannot be linked by pedigree to that ancient genealogy, but, rather, emerged in the Victorian era by regulating the crossing of existing varieties of dog to produce a type that could be registered as a distinct breed. The Maltese and similar breeds such as the Havanese, Bichon and Bolognese, are indeed related, perhaps through a common ancestor resulting from a severe bottleneck when a handful of petite canine varieties began to be selected for mating around two centuries ago.[2]
In his work Insulae Melitae Descriptio, the first history of its kind,[24]AbbéJean Quintin, Secretary to the Grand Master of the Knights of MaltaPhilippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, wrote in 1536 that, while classical authors wrote of Maltese dogs, which perhaps might formerly have been born there, the local Maltese people of his time were no longer familiar with the species.[lower-alpha 16]
John Caius, physician to Queen Elizabeth I, writing of women's chamber pets, canes delicati such as the Comforter or Spanish Gentle, stated that they were known as "Melitei" hailing from Malta,[26] though the species he describes were actually Spaniels,[27][28] perhaps of the recently imported King Charles Spaniel type. A variation of the latter was the Blenheim toy dog, bred by the Marlborough family, with its distinctive white and chestnut mantle.[29] Red and white mantled varieties of these toy pets, the King Charles or Oxfordshire Blenheim breeds, were all the fashion in the 17th.century, down through the early decades of the 19th.century.[29]
In 1837 Edwin Landseer painted The Lion Dog from Malta: The Last of his Tribe, a portrait of a dog named Quiz, a petite flossy white creature poised next to a huge Newfoundland dog, commissioned by Queen Victoria as a birthday present for her mother, the Duchess of Kent, whose dog it was.[30][31] According to John Henry Welsh, shortly after Landseer's canvases, the London fancy of toy dog enthusiasts took to importing exemplars of the Chinese spaniel, with their short faces and snub noses, and crossbred these with pugs and bulldogs to select for puppies with a longer "feather" or fleecing on their ears and limbs.[32] Some time later, the London market began to deal in what were called "Maltese" dogs. These had no known connection to that island, and one of the breeders, T. V. H. Lukey, associated with the English mastiff, stated that his own Maltese strain was imported from the Manilla Islands in 1841.[33]
A strain of this type was accepted as a distinct class at the Agricultural Hall Show in Islington in 1862, when a breeder, R. Mandeville, took first prize and continued to do so in subsequent years.[34] From 1869 to 1879, Mandeville swept the board of most shows in Birmingham, Islington, the Crystal Palace, and Cremorne Gardens, and his kennels were considered to have furnished the finest strain for subsequent Maltese breeding.[35] From the 19th. century onwards, the requirement emerged for the Maltese to have an exclusively white coat.[36] Despite the unknown provenance, by the close of the century, the dog-expert William Drury noted that nearly all English writers of that period associated the breed with Malta, without adducing any evidence for the claim.[27]
A white dog was shown as a "Maltese Lion Dog" at the first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City in 1877.[37] From that time they were occasionally crossed with poodles, and a stud book, based on the issue of two females, was established in 1901. By the 1950s, this registry counted roughly 50 dogs in its pedigree table.[2] The Maltese was recognised as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1888.[38] It was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale under the patronage of Italy in 1955.[1]
Characteristics
Maltese showing tear staining
The coat is dense, glossy, silky and shiny, falling heavily along the body without curls or an undercoat.[1] The colour is pure white, however a pale ivory tinge or light brown spotting is permitted.[1] Adult weight is usually 3–4kg (7–9lb).[1] Females are about 20–23cm (8–9in) tall, males slightly more.[1] They behave in a lively, calm, and affectionate manner.[1] The Maltese does not shed.[6] Like other white dogs, they may show tear-stains.[39][40]
The breed may be prone to health problems such as liver and heart issues, and Luxating patella. They should be checked for conditions like "Patent Ductus Arteriosus".[lower-alpha 17]
Of note, the breed is also highly recommended for those with dog allergies, as the breed is considered hypoallergenic. Hence, some people with dog allergies may be able to tolerate living with a Maltese as they shed less fur.[42]
A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.1 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.[45] A 2024 Italian study found a life expectancy of 11 years for the breed compared to 10 years overall.[46]
↑ "small dogs were also kept as household pets. The commonest of these seems to be an animal resembling the Maltese, an animal with small upright ears and long hair." (Trantalidou 2006, p.107)
↑ "the favourite pet dog of antiquity seems to have been the Maltese." (Gosling 1935, p.100)
↑ "The commonest pet was the small white long-coated Maltese dog represented on 5th-cent. BC Attic vases and gravestones." (White & Hornblower 2012, p.1118)
↑ Aelian in his treatise on animals (De Natura Animalium, 16:6) drew the latter comparison (Busuttil 1969, p.205).
↑ This lexical argument – that Μελιταῖος/Melitaîosis the proper adjective for Melite/Malta, whereas the adjective for Melite/Mljet must have been Μελιτήνος/Melitēnos has been challenged by the Maltese scholar Horatio Vella, who cites the adjectival form Melitēíos as an attested dialect form of Melitaîos defining a mountain in the Adriatic area near Corcyra (αἱ δ᾽ὄρεος κορυφὰς Μελιτηίου ἀμφενέμοντο: "others dwelt about the peaks of the Meliteian mountain") from the Argonautica (4.1150) of Apollonius of Rhodes.[12]
↑ "inter quam et Illyricum Melite, unde catulos Melitaeos appellari Callimachus auctor est": "(between Corcyra Melaena) and Illyricum is Meleda, from which according to Callimachus Maltese terriers get their name".[15][16]
↑ "The identity of this island called Melite has been much discussed, but the evident proximity to Cape Pachynos, the southern promontory of Sicily, clearly indicates Malta." (Hornblower 2015, p.375)
"Other wanderers shall dwell in the isle of Melita near Othronus, round which the Sicanian wave laps beside Pachynus, grazing the steep promontory that in after time shall bear the name of the son of Sisyphus, and the famous shrine of the maiden Longatis, where Helorus empties his chilly stream." (Lycophron 1921, pp.406–407).
↑ This confusion between Malta and Mljet also recurs in ancient references to the site of the shipwreck of St. Paul recounted in the Acts of the Apostles.
↑ πρόκειται δὲ τοῦ Παχύνου Μελίτη, ὅθεν τὰ κυνίδια ἃ καλοῦσι Μελιταῖα καὶ Γαῦδος, ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ μίλια τῆς ἄκρας ἀμφότεραι διέχουσαι: "Off Pachynus lies Melita, whence come the little dogs called Melitaean, and Gaudos, both eighty-eight miles distant from the Cape."[17]
↑ καὶ κυναρίου δὲ Μελιταίου τελευτήσαντος αὐτῷ μνῆμα ποιῆσαι καὶ στηλίδιον ποιήσας [10] ἐπιγράψαι ΚΛΑΔΟΣ ΜΕΛΙΤΑΙΟΣ: "Or if his little Melitean dog has died, he will put up a little memorial slab, with the inscription, a scion of Melita." Jebb, or his posthumous editor, Sandys, argued that the reference was to the Illyrian Melita, rather than Malta.[18]
↑ καὶ κυνάρια Μελιταῖα, ἅπερ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἕπεσθαι εἰς τὰ γυμνάσια; οἱ Συβαρῖται ἔχαιρον τοῖς Μελιταίοις κυνιδίοις καὶ ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἀνθρώποις: "also Melitê lap-dogs. Which accompany them even to the gymnasia..The Sybarites, on the contrary, took delight in Melitê puppies and human beings who were less than human."[19]
Issa's more full of sport and wanton play Than that pet sparrow by Catullus sung; Issa's more pure and cleanly in her way Than kisses from the amorous turtle's tongue, Issa more winsome is than any girl That ever yet entranced a lover's sight; Issa's more precious than the Indian pearl Issa's my Publius' favourite and delight. Her plaintive voice falls sad as one that weeps; Her master's cares and woes alike she shares; Softly reclined upon his neck she sleeps, And scarce to sigh or draw her breath she dares. Her, lest the day of fate should nothing leave, In pictured form my Publius has portrayed Where you so lifelike Issa might perceive. That not herself a better likeness made, Issa together with her portrait lay, Both real or both depicted you would say.
↑ "Huic insulae Strabo nobiles illos, adagio, non minus quam medicinis, canes adscribit, inde Melitaeos dictos, Plinio, & nunc etiam incolis ignotos, tunc forte nascebantur."[25]
↑ 'Maltese can develop luxating patellas, an inherited condition where one or both of the kneecaps pop in and out of place. Although patellar luxation is not generally considered a painful condition, it may cause the dog to favor one leg and can predispose them to other knee injuries (such as a cranial cruciate ligament tear) and arthritis. Depending on the severity of the luxating patella, surgery may be recommended to prevent further injury and improve your Maltese’s quality of life. Responsible Maltese breeders will screen their puppies for heart abnormalities such as patent ductus arteriosus. PDA is an inherited condition where the ductus arteriosus, the normal opening between the two major blood vessels in the heart that closes shortly after birth, does not close. This condition causes blood to flow improperly and forces the left side of the heart to work harder. This leads to eventual failure of that chamber. Depending on the size of the opening, dogs may show minimal symptoms to severe signs of heart failure.' [41]
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official forming of the AKC, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship. The AKC is a non-member partner with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The AKC recognizes 200 dog breeds, as of 2022.
The Shetland Sheepdog, also known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It was formally recognized by the Kennel Club in 1909. It was originally called the Shetland Collie, but this caused controversy amongst Rough Collie breeders of the time, so the name was changed. It is a small dog, clever, vocal, willing to please, and trustworthy.
The American Cocker Spaniel is a breed of sporting dog. It is a spaniel type dog that is closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel; the two breeds diverged during the 20th century due to differing breed standards in the US and the UK. In the United States, the breed is usually called a Cocker Spaniel, while elsewhere in the world, it is called an American Cocker Spaniel to distinguish it from its older English cousin. The word cocker is commonly held to stem from their use to hunt woodcock in England, while spaniel is thought to be derived from the breed's origins in Spain.
The Papillon, also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog, of the spaniel type. One of the oldest of the toy spaniels, it derives its name from its characteristic butterfly-like look of the long and fringed hair on the ears. A Papillon with dropped ears is called a Phalene.
The Clumber Spaniel is a breed of dog of the spaniel type, developed in the United Kingdom. It is the largest of the spaniels, and comes in predominantly white with either lemon or orange markings. The name of the breed is taken from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire where the breed was first developed in the nineteenth century. It is a gundog that specialises in hunting in heavy cover. They are gentle and loyal, and can act aloof with strangers. They have several habits which could be considered disadvantages, including a constant shedding of its coat and snoring.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) is a British breed of toy dog of spaniel type. Four colours are recognised: Blenheim, tricolour (black/white/tan), black and tan, and ruby; the coat is smooth and silky. The lifespan is usually between eight and twelve years.
The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than 3.2 kg (7 lb). It originated in the nineteenth century in the English county of Yorkshire, after which it is named. The coat is tan on the head and dark steel-grey on the body; no other colour is accepted by either The Kennel Club or the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
The Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of small dog of the Schnauzer type that originated in Germany in the mid-to-late 19th century. Miniature Schnauzers may have been developed from the smallest specimens of the Standard Schnauzer, or crosses between the standard and one or more smaller breeds such as the Affenpinscher, Miniature Pinscher, and Poodles, as farmers bred a small dog that was an efficient ratting dog. They are described as "spunky" but aloof dogs, with good guarding tendencies without some guard dogs' predisposition to bite. Miniature Schnauzers are recognized in four colors internationally: solid black, black and silver, salt and pepper, and white.
Cocker Spaniels are dogs belonging to two breeds of the spaniel dog type: the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel, both of which are commonly called simply Cocker Spaniel in their countries of origin. In the early 20th century, Cocker Spaniels also included small hunting spaniels.
The Poodle, called the Pudel in German and the Caniche in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is not universally recognised. They have a distinctive thick, curly coat that comes in many colors and patterns, with only solid colors recognized by breed registries. Poodles are active and intelligent, and are particularly able to learn from humans. Poodles tend to live 10–18 years, with smaller varieties tending to live longer than larger ones.
Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lap dogs.
A bichon is a distinct type of toy dog; it is typically kept as a companion dog. Believed to be descended from the Barbet, it is believed the bichon-type dates to at least the 11th century; it was relatively common in 14th-century France, where they were kept as pets of the royalty and aristocracy. From France, these dogs spread throughout the courts of Europe, with dogs of very similar form being seen in a number of portraits of the upper classes of Germany, Portugal and Spain; from Europe, the type also spread to colonies in Africa and South America. The name "bichon" is believed to be a contraction of "barbichon", which means "little barbet".
The Field Spaniel is a medium-sized dog breed of spaniel type. They were originally developed to be all-black show dogs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were unpopular for work as a hunting dog. However, during the mid-20th century they were redeveloped as a longer-legged dog that was more suitable to be used for field work. They are now considered to be a rare breed, and are registered as a Vulnerable Native Breed by The Kennel Club.
The King Charles Spaniel is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, The Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The other varieties merged into this breed were the Blenheim, Ruby and Prince Charles Spaniels, each of which contributed one of the four coat colours now seen in the breed.
The Sussex Spaniel is a breed of dog native to Sussex in southern England. It is a low, compact spaniel and is as old a breed as and similar in appearance to the Clumber Spaniel. They can be slow-paced, but can have a clownish and energetic temperament. They suffer from health conditions common to spaniels and some large dogs, as well as a specific range of heart conditions and spinal disc herniation.
The Norfolk Spaniel or Shropshire Spaniel is an extinct breed of dog since the early 20th century. It was originally thought to have originated from the work of one of the Dukes of Norfolk, but this theory was disproven after being in doubt during the later part of the 19th century. The term was used to designate springer type spaniels that were neither Sussex nor Clumber Spaniels, and attempts were made to use it to specify a breed that would later become known as the English Springer Spaniel.
The Picardy Spaniel is a breed of dog developed in France for use as a gundog. It is related to the Blue Picardy Spaniel, and still has many similarities, but the Picardy Spaniel is the older of the two breeds. It is thought to be one of the two oldest continental spaniel breeds and was favoured by the French nobility, remaining popular for hunting after the French Revolution due to its weather resistant coat that enabled it to hunt in a variety of conditions and terrain. However its popularity waned following the influx of English hunting breeds in the early 20th century. Slightly smaller than an English Setter but larger than most of its spaniel cousins, it has no major health issues although as with many breeds with pendulous ears, it can be prone to ear infections.
Dog types are broad categories of domestic dogs based on form, function, or style of work, lineage, or appearance. Some may be locally adapted dog types that may have the visual characteristics of a modern purebred dog. In contrast, modern dog breeds strictly adhere to long-established breed standards,[note 1] that began with documented foundation breeding stock sharing a common set of inheritable characteristics, developed by long-established, reputable kennel clubs that recognize the dog as a purebred.
Cultural depictions of dogs in art has become more elaborate as individual breeds evolved and the relationships between human and canine developed. Hunting scenes were popular in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, alertness, and love.
Melite or Melita (Latin) was an ancient city located on the site of present-day Mdina and Rabat, Malta. It started out as a Bronze Age settlement, which developed into a city called Ann under the Phoenicians and became the administrative centre of the island. The city fell to the Roman Republic in 218 BC, and it remained part of the Roman and later the Byzantine Empire until 870 AD, when it was captured and destroyed by the Aghlabids. The city was then rebuilt and renamed Medina, giving rise to the present name Mdina. It remained Malta's capital city until 1530.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
