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Dog Articles
Past and Present: Chow, Chow Chow, Chow-Chow
Though
there are two types of Chow in China, the smooth type has never been
popular here nor in England, and may be ignored in this connection.
The rough or common Chow is a most attractive and distinctive dog of
medium size, always ‘whole’ colored; red, black, brown, blue, or
‘smoke’, cream or white. The red and ‘smoke’ are the favorites among
breeders and owners; the darker and purer the color the better.
Perhaps no
dog has more individuality, nor knows his own mind better than the
Chow. He is frisky, playful, intelligent, and willing to obey his
master implicitly; the rest of earth's population has no interest
for him whatever. Those the artist has known were entirely tolerant
of his presence, and even his caresses, in their own home or when
their master was with them elsewhere. Off the porch or on the street
they will not so much as notice a stranger, except that it is
impossible to put a hand on them , or elicit a glimmer of
recognition. Of all dogs they are the most consistently a ‘one-man’
type.
The Chow
has several real peculiarities, among which the most pronounced is
the purplish black interior of the mouth, including the tongue. He
is a very cobby dog, standing on four exceedingly straight legs. He
is straighter in the stifle than any other dog. The muzzle should be
short, the head square and massive, with a sort of scowl or frown
that is helped by the widely set eyes.
The fur is
very dense and deep, with a separate underfur like that of the
Eskimo or other Arctic dogs, from which the Chow is supposedly
derived. It also has the wide chops, small eye, and curly tail of
his congeners. The feet are small and catlike and the pointed
ears are held upright. The neck all round has very deep fur, forming
a sort of mane or ruff. All in all, he is about the most distinct
type of dog to be seen. He has plenty of courage, though he is
generally prudent and keeps out of trouble. With those he knows he
is extremely patient, being in this respect a fine dog to be among
children.
The Chow
is a common dog in China, but in this country he is regarded as an
aristocrat, which is not unreasonable considering his proud bearing
and ancient lineage.
Whether
black, red, yellow, blue, or white, he is a dog of striking
appearance and reminds one of an animated Chinese carving.
Source:
National Geographic 1919
Recommended Reading
Dog Training
Mastery - An Owners' Manual
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