COUNTRY: China
WEIGHT: 6 pounds, 6-8 pounds, and 8-14 pounds
COAT: Long, straight, harsh and profuse; heavy feathering and abundant undercoat
COLOR: All colors allowed: red, fawn, black, black/tan, sable, brindle, white and particolor (two colors evenly broken all over body); black masks and spectacles around the eyes and lines to the ears are desirable
OTHER NAMES: Peking Palasthund
GROUP: Herding
The Pekingese may be the ultimately dwarfed version of the hairy dogs from Tibet. Or, like the Pug, it may contain some miniature versions of the brachycephalic mastiff dogs. A combination of these two sources could have resulted in this unique canine creation. Whatever the origin, similar miniature dogs have been known in China since the T'ang dynasty of the eighth century. In ancient superstitious times, the "terrifying" lionlike appearance of these dogs, and the "Fo Dog" idols that represented them, were supposed to frighten away evil spirits. The Peke was known by a variety of names: Lion Dog, like his close relatives the Lhasa and Shin Tzu; Sun Dog, for the prized golden color; or Sleeve Dog, when he was small enough to be carried around in a voluminous Chinese sleeve.
The Chinese emperor Ming Ti converted to Buddhism hi the first century AD, and the leonine connection to Buddha was bestowed on the Pekingese, as well as others, to be protectors of the faith. As the centuries passed, the popularity of these and other types of small pet dogs among the wealthy ebbed and flowed. By the beginning of the 19th century, dogs of the Pekingese type had become the darlings of the Chinese imperial court and the next several decades saw them reach their zenith. There were thousands of them around the various imperial palaces, and 4,000 eunuchs were housed and employed in Peking solely for the purpose of breeding, raising and caring for the Pekingese dogs. Slave girls wet-nursed the imperial puppies after their own expendable daughters were slain. No one out- side of the nobility was allowed to own one, and the dogs knew nothing but pampering and gentle care. Two little Pekes announced the appearance of the emperor with short, sharp barks; two more followed daintily carrying the hem of his imperial robe. Stealing one was punishable by death.
When Peking was sacked by the British in 1860, the imperial family gave instructions to destroy all the dogs so that none would fall into the hands of the "foreign devils." Nevertheless, soldiers found four guarding the body of the emperor's aunt, who had taken her own life. These small dogs (all "sleeves" under 6 pounds) were transported back to England where one was given to Queen Victoria who, with grim humor, called her "Looty." Others were soon obtained from Peking through more normal channels, and before long the breed became fashionable and quickly rose to the esteemed position where it has remained. At the end of the 1800s, the regent dowager Empress T'zu Hsi presented a Pekingese to an American artist, Miss Carl, in return for a painting of her favorite dog. She also presented a dog to Alice Roosevelt upon her visit to Peking. J.P. Morgan was another admirer of these dogs and brought a pair home to America. The Peke was accepted by the AKC in 1909 and in England the following year. The Dowager Empress is also credited with the following instructions concerning the little royal dog: it was to be fed sharks' fins and curlews' livers, breasts of quails, tea or milk of antelopes, broth made from the nests of sea swallows; if ill it was to be ". . . anointed with the clarified fat of the leg of a sacred leopard and give it to drink a throstle's egg shell—full of the juice of the custard apple in which has been dis-solved three pinches of shredded rhinoceros horn. , . " Her full description of the Pekingese included an ideal that "its forelegs be bent so that it shall not desire to wander far or leave the Imperial precincts."
In rural northern China today, a very small version of the Pekingese is still bred. This min-iscule canine, under one pound, is considered good luck. Always in the piebald pattern, their spotted coats are "read" like tea leaves. The Pekingese does have rather distinctive physical characteristics that, while pleasing to some, may not be appealing to others. The extremely shortened muzzle puts the nose directly between the eyes, creating a wide "smiling" mouth and a very flat face. This same characteristic causes them to suffer on hot, humid days. Pekingese eyes are prominent and prone to injury. The head is wide and flat, the neck short with relatively massive shoulders and chest, and front legs are short and crooked. Combined with a long body, short stature and rather narrow hips, the breed characteristically moves with a bit of a roll.
Pekingese do have marvelous personalities, exhibiting confidence, charm and a bit of stubborn independence. They are fearless but never aggressive, and their sole purpose in life is to give comfort and companionship to their owners.
WEIGHT: 6 pounds, 6-8 pounds, and 8-14 pounds
COAT: Long, straight, harsh and profuse; heavy feathering and abundant undercoat
COLOR: All colors allowed: red, fawn, black, black/tan, sable, brindle, white and particolor (two colors evenly broken all over body); black masks and spectacles around the eyes and lines to the ears are desirable
OTHER NAMES: Peking Palasthund
GROUP: Herding
The Pekingese may be the ultimately dwarfed version of the hairy dogs from Tibet. Or, like the Pug, it may contain some miniature versions of the brachycephalic mastiff dogs. A combination of these two sources could have resulted in this unique canine creation. Whatever the origin, similar miniature dogs have been known in China since the T'ang dynasty of the eighth century. In ancient superstitious times, the "terrifying" lionlike appearance of these dogs, and the "Fo Dog" idols that represented them, were supposed to frighten away evil spirits. The Peke was known by a variety of names: Lion Dog, like his close relatives the Lhasa and Shin Tzu; Sun Dog, for the prized golden color; or Sleeve Dog, when he was small enough to be carried around in a voluminous Chinese sleeve.
The Chinese emperor Ming Ti converted to Buddhism hi the first century AD, and the leonine connection to Buddha was bestowed on the Pekingese, as well as others, to be protectors of the faith. As the centuries passed, the popularity of these and other types of small pet dogs among the wealthy ebbed and flowed. By the beginning of the 19th century, dogs of the Pekingese type had become the darlings of the Chinese imperial court and the next several decades saw them reach their zenith. There were thousands of them around the various imperial palaces, and 4,000 eunuchs were housed and employed in Peking solely for the purpose of breeding, raising and caring for the Pekingese dogs. Slave girls wet-nursed the imperial puppies after their own expendable daughters were slain. No one out- side of the nobility was allowed to own one, and the dogs knew nothing but pampering and gentle care. Two little Pekes announced the appearance of the emperor with short, sharp barks; two more followed daintily carrying the hem of his imperial robe. Stealing one was punishable by death.
When Peking was sacked by the British in 1860, the imperial family gave instructions to destroy all the dogs so that none would fall into the hands of the "foreign devils." Nevertheless, soldiers found four guarding the body of the emperor's aunt, who had taken her own life. These small dogs (all "sleeves" under 6 pounds) were transported back to England where one was given to Queen Victoria who, with grim humor, called her "Looty." Others were soon obtained from Peking through more normal channels, and before long the breed became fashionable and quickly rose to the esteemed position where it has remained. At the end of the 1800s, the regent dowager Empress T'zu Hsi presented a Pekingese to an American artist, Miss Carl, in return for a painting of her favorite dog. She also presented a dog to Alice Roosevelt upon her visit to Peking. J.P. Morgan was another admirer of these dogs and brought a pair home to America. The Peke was accepted by the AKC in 1909 and in England the following year. The Dowager Empress is also credited with the following instructions concerning the little royal dog: it was to be fed sharks' fins and curlews' livers, breasts of quails, tea or milk of antelopes, broth made from the nests of sea swallows; if ill it was to be ". . . anointed with the clarified fat of the leg of a sacred leopard and give it to drink a throstle's egg shell—full of the juice of the custard apple in which has been dis-solved three pinches of shredded rhinoceros horn. , . " Her full description of the Pekingese included an ideal that "its forelegs be bent so that it shall not desire to wander far or leave the Imperial precincts."
In rural northern China today, a very small version of the Pekingese is still bred. This min-iscule canine, under one pound, is considered good luck. Always in the piebald pattern, their spotted coats are "read" like tea leaves. The Pekingese does have rather distinctive physical characteristics that, while pleasing to some, may not be appealing to others. The extremely shortened muzzle puts the nose directly between the eyes, creating a wide "smiling" mouth and a very flat face. This same characteristic causes them to suffer on hot, humid days. Pekingese eyes are prominent and prone to injury. The head is wide and flat, the neck short with relatively massive shoulders and chest, and front legs are short and crooked. Combined with a long body, short stature and rather narrow hips, the breed characteristically moves with a bit of a roll.
Pekingese do have marvelous personalities, exhibiting confidence, charm and a bit of stubborn independence. They are fearless but never aggressive, and their sole purpose in life is to give comfort and companionship to their owners.