You may think you know this breed, but some of you might be surprised, especially since this is a “trick” photograph. More on that in a bit.

Some of you may think this dog a Pomeranian, and you’d be forgiven for the mistake because the Volpino Italiano, which this dog is, does share similarity to the Pom. Differences, however, can be seen in the head shape, as well as in size – the Volpinos is slightly larger – and the two breeds have no relationship to each other. Indeed, it’s said that the Volpino is Italy’s contribution to the Spitz family of dogs, while the Pomeranian was developed in the area currently divided between Germany and Poland,  traditionally a German region known as Pomeranian.

Of the two breeds, the Volpino Italiano is a much rarer breed with only about 3,000 or so existing in the world. Most of them are in Italy, but some Scandinavian, British and American fanciers are breeding them. A 2006 survey of kennel clubs found an average of 120 puppies registered annually in Italy, with 200-300 puppies registered in Sweden, Norway and Finland each.

The sable dog in the photograph is rarer still (hence, our “trick” photograph) because the Volpino is usually pure white:

Photo found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information

Sable (red), champagne, and black Volpinos also exist, but they’re considered quite rare.

At one time, the Volpino was a popular breed, but 1965, the last five Volpinos were registered in the Italian breed book, and the ENCI (Italian Kennel Club) launched a project to save the breed from extinction. In what was good fortune, purebred Vilpinos were found on farms, rural areas, and tiny villages, and it was these dogs that helped resurrect the breed. 

Image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information