The Chow Chow - Smart and Sassy
The Chow Chow is a breed that has a very long and fluffy coat that requires constant brushing on a daily basis. Originally, from China, these dogs have a particularly long history and confirmed to be one of the first and oldest existing breeds that evolved from its ancestor, the wolf.
Chow's are wonderful companions to have in your home because of the close bond they build with their humans. However, the presence of an unfamiliar person can cause this lovable and passive breed to become a bit more aggressive, seeing as these dogs were originally bred to be hunting dogs. Over the centuries, in addition to hunting, the Chow became more evolved and used for herding, pulling and most of all, a guardian. It is actually thought that the stone guardians used to protect temples and palaces in China, were modeled after the Chow.
Some may also question the name of the breed. The name "Chow Chow" is actually a term that means "miscellaneous merchandise", which is the type of labeling that the holds on 18th century ships were marked with that carried the dogs. Thinking that the "contents" of these holds contained "Chow Chow's", for which they were marked, instantly renaming the breed from its proper Chinese name of "Songshi Quan". The name Songshi Quan actually means "puffy lion dog", due to the obvious lion like characteristics and predominant color the Chow is usually found to be. Other more common colors you can acquire a Chow Chow in, is black or a chocolate color tone.
In a multi-animal environment, the Chow tends to get along best with its opposite sex counterpart than other Chows of the same gender. Nevertheless, many chows do happily co-exist with furry family members of both sexes as well as other animals such as cats. When raised from a young age with other chows and animals, the chow will accept them as part of the family.
Show your love of this breed by wearing a snazzy t-shirt that reads, "Property of an Extremely Spoiled Chow". It will let everyone that sees your shirt know who your favorite dogs are! There are also mousepads and other t-shirts available to show your chow pride.
|
