Chow Chow

The chow chow originated in China more than 2,000 years ago and served as a draft, guard, hunting, and flock dog. 

Chow Chow Pixiebay

Some dogs were raised expressly to be used as food by the Chinese, who fed them only grain; pelts were then made into clothing. Chou is the Chinese word for "edible," and many experts agree that is where the breed got its name.

It is believed that the Chow Chow is one of the native dogs used as the model for the Foo dog, the traditional stone guardians found in front of Buddhist temples and palaces.

One Chinese emperor during the Tang dynasty loved Chow Chows so much that he had over 5,000. He also had over 10,000 men employed to look after the dogs and hunt with them.

The Chinese also used Chows to pull dog sleds, and this was remarked upon by Marco Polo.

In 1879, a black colored Chow, named the Chinese Puzzle, was brought to England. The owner of the dog, W.K. Tauton, started exhibiting the dogs to the public the following year at the Crystal Palace.

Sigmund Freud had a Chow Chow named Jo-Fi who attended all of his therapy sessions because he felt that dogs had a special sense that allows them to judge a person's character accurately, and admitted he depended on Jo-Fi for an assessment of a patient's mental state.

President Calvin Coolidge and his wife owned a black Chow named Timmy.

While the vast majority of dog breeds have 42 teeth, the Chow Chow has 44 -

Sources Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc, The Scotsman, Wikipedia