World War 2 was very hard on dog breeds.Many were left to survive on their own. These dogs interbred over those 6 years and some were adopted by American soldiers to keep them company and be a reminder of home. The Kromfohrlander is the only breed of dog descended from a beloved US military troop mascot. The foundation dog "Peter" (also called "Original Peter"), a scruffy farm dog, was found by US ground soldiers as a stray in northern France.Peter was the likely product of terriers, hounds and herding type dogs. He was taken across the border into Germany at war's end and was again a stray. He was rescued by Ilse Shleifenbaum in Seigen, Germany in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In 1945, when Peter bred with a local black & white fox terrier named 'Fifi,' the puppies, 'Shaggy' and 'Witch,' were identical in type, size, coat and pattern and looked and acted like their father. Ilse was inspired to develop a companion-only breed from these remarkable puppies. (West) Germany would be proud to claim this nice, sweet, loyal companion dog as its own. Ilse named the breed for the local landscape ‘krom fohr’ ('crooked furrow').She was committed to creating a quality companion breed of consistency, long life, good health and fine temperament. She worked diligently for this goal for 10 years with her friend Otto Borner, who helped restructure the German kennel Club (VDH/Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen). The international federation of dog breed clubs, Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), rewarded their hard work with full approval of the breed in August 1955. 

The Kromi was founded in Finland in the late 1960's and Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Norway followed. Some were imported to France in the late 2000's. The first Kromi in the USA (a smooth) was imported in 1998 but not continued until December 2012 with 2 male puppy imports from Denmark.