Love2Chow: Chow chows

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Chow chows! Precious 鬆獅犬 (lion-dogs) from China

September 03, 2019

The chow chow is an ancient breed of dog, so beloved according to legend that it was allowed to lick up the little bits of blue sky that fell when the stars were placed.

Dignified in appearance, but not always in behavior, chow chows are extremely versatile dogs, having been used as imperial hunting dogs, guard dogs, sled or cart-pulling dogs, herd dogs, pointers or as sources of fur and even food. Chows come in 5 colors, red, black, silver-cinnamon, blue and cream. Blue chows in particular are believed to scare away evil spirits, and one monastery in China was famous for breeding blue chows. Many of the foo dog statues that appear at the entrances to temples and other buildings are likely modeled after the 鬆獅犬 (sōng shī quǎn) or 鬆獅狗 (sōng shī gǒu), which roughly translates to "lion-like dog."

Of course, chow chows are also very lovable dogs, and may have enjoyed a position as a companion dog not only in our modern society, but also at least as far back as the Tang dynasty 唐朝 (618-907). This scroll painting from the collections of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, clearly shows a blue chow pup in a scene of domestic tranquility.

My photo of the bottom left corner of the painting.

Through most of my married life, I have had the privilege of being loved by two chow chows at a time. Hence the double play on the name of this blog: Love2Chow(s). Our journey as devoted chow owners began because we were curious about what a "blue" dog could possibly look like, and came home with Aurora, followed in two years by little red Cedar.

Although we originally thought we would like adding a cream (red, white and blue chows) or trying a male, it seemed that fate intervened to steer us back to two more precious blue girls: Sierra and Melia. Sierra has the distinction of being the furriest of them all, and Melia has an unusual love of swimming. Most chow chows are waders and splashers, but dislike swimming. The red and cream chows we have known seem to like keeping their feet clean, but the blues don't mind a little mud!