Exploring the Wonderful World of Dogs
Chinese Lion Dog c 1700-1800 AD
This section examines the Asian Toy breeds which served no other function than live as Companion Dogs for the wealthy aristocracy. So they enjoyed privileged lives! Among the earliest Companion Dogs were the "short legged" and "short-headed" "Pai" dogs known to exist in China more than three thousand years BC.
Labelled 'Chinese' because the Chinese Crested Dog was first identified during a Chinese Dynasty which existed more than two thousand years ago. This Toy breed is best known as a smooth hairless dog except for hair on its head, crest of neck, feet and tail. But the Chinese Crested also comes in a 'Powder Puff' double-coated variety which has an ... »» Read more...
The Tibetan Spaniel is a small toy dog developed by eunuchs who ran the day-to-day affairs of the Emperors' Palaces in Tibet. They became constant companions of the Dalai Lama. The exchange of these small dogs as gifts between the Emperors of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet and Peking, the capital of China meant they played an important part in ... »» Read more...
The Pug is one of the most popular breeds and quite unique in the Toy Group.This early dog pictured, a 'Chinese Happa Dog' named 'Hah-Bah', was exported from Peking in 1906 and preserved, mounted and on display at the British Museum of Natural History at Tring, UK[6]. »» Read more...
Among many pictures painted on the Summer Palace colonnade in Beijing (formerly Peking) is this pair of Asian Toy Spaniels, precursors of what we know today as the Pekingese. Some sources claim small dogs similar to these date back to when they were called 'sleeve dogs' decades BC before the development of the spirit lion-dog of Buddhism. »» Read more...
Originally called the 'Japanese Pug', this little dog is a born aristocrat who has been carefully watched over by the Imperial Palace of Japan for centuries. Today he is a small dainty Toy breed, characterized both by his unique expression which is called 'a look of astonishment', and his high stepping front action. »» Read more...