History's Clues in Images:
The Miniature Pinscher Breed:
Clues about the Miniature Pinscher's evolution are sparse, although, "it is noteworthy that as early as 1640, a small cat- sized red dog, fine boned and with prick ears, is depicted in a painting of a peasant family. Later, paintings from the 1800's include dogs of distinctly Miniature Pinscher type", (Coile, 1996).
In the same way, intellectuals have noted the stark resemblance of the Miniature Pinscher to the Egyptian icons of Anubis, a god who guarded the temples of dead pharaohs. This is speculation, but it makes you wonder if the Miniature Pinscher could possibly descend from the Egyptian dog.
The Miniature Pinscher is not a Miniature Doberman Pinscher. In actuality, the Miniature Pinscher is the elder of the two breeds. While the two breeds resemble each other outwardly, that similarity probably occurs in part from their common relation to the German Pinscher , which originated in Germany. There, Miniature Pinschers are known as the "Reh Pinscher", due to their resemblance to a small red deer.
In Germany, these feisty little dogs were bred to exterminate vermin. However, emphasis upon breeding the tiniest Miniature Pinscher during the late 1800's threatened to produce a race of minuscule cripples with bulging eyes. Fortunately, this trend was reversed and selected cross-breeding of the German Pinscher , the Dachshund and the Italian Greyhound during the same period resulted in the Miniature Pinscher we now have.
Doberman Pinscher German Pinscher Italian Greyhound Dachsund
Though Germany is its native land, the Miniature Pinscher has also been bred in the Scandinavian countries for quite a long time. Affectionately known as "the King of Toys", this breed is friendly, faithful, flashy and flamboyant. The Min Pin is more like a big dog in a small package, and its size makes it ideal as a house pet.
The smooth, straight and lustrous coat comes in solid clear red; stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs); black with rust-red or tan markings; chocolate with rust-red or tan markings, blue or fawn with rust-red or tan markings.*
MIN PINS IN POSTCARDS:
By viewing vintage artwork and photos, we can piece together the history of the Minature Pinscher breed. These clues can be most valuable when tracing the progress of the breed from the past to the present.
For all those who have been ask to contribute images of old Min Pin
Photos or postcards, This is where they will be placed on the page, along
with aknowledgement of who contributed them or granted permission to use
them.
(We can't begin to thank you enough, for your generous contribution in sharing
these pictures with us, so all may enjoy these gems of Miniature Pinscher history!)
For those of you with websites featuring a Min Pin old photos or postcard collection,
your link (webpage url address) will go here. Expect even more visitors, than ever!