We share our home with an eclectic mix of dogs. My personal preferred breed are Chow Chows, one of the oldest known breed of dog. Documentation has been found in documentation dating back 2000 years, and is thought to have been developed much earlier than that, even. They originated in China, and were used to pull sleds, to as guard dogs, hunting dogs, companions, and (unfortunately) for meat.
ChowChows are a heavy boned dog in the 40 to 60 pound range, with individuals as small as 30 pounds and as large as 90 pounds. They are strong and sturdy, with catlike feet and ears, and small, deep-set eyes and a scowling expression. Their coat is thick and off-standing, with a thick mane or ruff similar to a lion. Their tail is held curled up over their back, and they have a unique stilted gait due to the straight angulation of their hocks. The hallmark of the breed is their blue/black tongue and mouth pigment. They look much like a cross between a bear and a lion.
Chows in general are aloof and independent. Perhaps this is why I love the breed so much, I think that could describe me. They are intensely devoted to their family, and suspicious of strangers. I have found that they tend to welcome regular visitors as one of the family, however. I feel that Chows are extremely intelligent dogs, although they tend to not do well on conventional canine intelligence testing. I do not believe this is due to intelligence, but to their independent nature. A chow will not find a toy under ablanket becaise you ask them too. They will do it if and when they want to. They tend to not be eager-to-please dogs, and have quite a mind of their own. You can't tell a chow, you have to convince him.
In addition to our lovely Chows, we also share our home with a rescued Austrialian Shephard mix, a Papillon, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. See, I told you it was an eclectic mix!
Cher was born in September of 1998. She was named Cher because she has lots of jet black hair, and of course, attitude. She was a pet store purchase, though I know better now, and have learned much about puppy mills since that time.
Cher looked like a tiny little bear cub as a puppy, and was the most adorable little puppy you ever did meet! Cher is a happy girl. She bounces and dances around when she's happy, I call her my "Dancin' Chow" or "Dancin' Bear" when she does this.
Shou-Lynn, or Shouey was born in December of 2002, and came to live with us shortly after Samantha, my first chow, passed. Shouey is a light-shaded red from Cherub Chows breeding in Oregon. Shouey is a big, sweet, stubborn doofus of a dog, but we still of course love her. One of her favorite past-times is snoring on the floor, and of course, the ever popular cat-chashing.
Shouey has what I believe is an elongated palate (thought I haven't had her diagnosed with it). She overheats easily in the warm weather (over 70F) and when she gets excited. So we need to be careful of her in this respect. We unfortunately can't take her too many places anymore, because she gets so excited she'll overheat even when the weather is quite cool.
When my daughter was just a little girl, she begged and begged for a dog of her own. She has always loved the animals, and wanted one of her very own. She insisted she wanted a little dog that she could sleep with, and carry around, and dress up. We waited for a few years, making sure that the desire continued, and it did. So when she was 6 years old , we set off looking for a small dog for her. It was not easy, because I also had a 2 year old. I could not find any dog rescue that would adopt a small dog into a household with any children at all.
I finally connected up with a breeder through my employer at the time, and she had one lone Papillon puppy, her very first litter. Panda was a mis-mark, and could not be shown, so she never was registered. The "mismark" is that she has white on her ears. We don't care about the white on her ears, she is still a great little dog. It was instant love, and my daughter and Panda have been inseparable since, and that was March of 2003.
Shortly after my husbands dog, Barney died suddenly, of apparent natural causes (he was pretty old), we found ourselves at Dog Days. Dog Days is a fundraising event for the local dog pound. It has grown over the years, with little events, games, and of course, the adoption wagons. We wandered by one of the wagons, and somehow ended up inside looking at the dogs that needed homes. My husand fell for Georgie, an Australian Shephard that was brougt up north from where else but, Georgia! That is how she got her name, it was Vera at the adoption place, and we really didn't like that name.
So, Georgie made her way home with us that day. We have since found that Georgie is food aggressive, and can be dog and people aggressive. She has quite a few issues, but she is a great dog with our family. She just likes her own space from other dogs and strangers, and gets overly protective. So we just manage her, she has a gigantic pen that she races around in during the day, and she comes in the house in the evenings and she lives in the kitchen, gaited off from the other dogs. She is happy this way, so that is what we do.
Last but not least, is Skippy, the little Corgi terror. Skippy was a Chistmas gift combined with a "Congratulations for sleeping in your own room, finally" gift for my son. He, also, was 6 years old. We wanted a dog that wouldn't be too large and overpowering for a small child, but one that also would have the energy to keep up with him, and be sturdy enough to handle rough play from a boy. And Skippy sure fits that bill! We couldn't have made a better choice, and my son just loves his dog, and thanks us almost daily.
Skippy is smart as a whip, and it took her no time at all to weasel her way into the pack, and rule it, too! Hmmm, sounds familiar.... much like her young person.
