Its peculiar appearance and the legends surrounding its origin make the Chow Chow one of the most curious dogs among dog scholars. His character is reserved and mysterious, and among his most striking characteristics is his abundant mane. There are many curiosities typical of this breed; we tell you some of them.
To begin with, the birth of Chow Chow is full of doubts. It is said to come from the Spitz and that its name refers to the mandarin inscription "diverse merchandise", which could be read on the boxes that transported this dog from China to England from 1780. There it was considered for the first time as a pet, since in the Asian country they were used as food. In fact, the vulgar word to indicate that something is edible is "chow."
However, it was not until 1840 when this breed was recorded in Great Britain, when a newspaper spoke about the presence of several specimens in the London Zoological Park. They referred to them as "The wild dog of China".
Other theories claim that this dog has its ancestors in the bear, based on its wild appearance and the fact that, Like the black bear, the Chow Chow has a blue tongue; the Shar Pei is the only breed other than this one that shares this characteristic. Although over the years this belief loses more and more strength.
The figure of the marchioness Lady Huntley, who founded his own kennel in the late XNUMXth century from a male imported from China named Peridot. His daughter, Peridot II, was sold to Lady Granville Gordon, who would become the most influential breeder in the country. Together with his mother he raised Blue Blood, the first champion Chow Chow bred in England.
As a last curiosity, this breed you are prone to an eye irritation called entropion, due to a natural abnormality that they have in the eyelids. This can be solved by surgical intervention.