Of Cavaliers, Chow Chows and Japanese Chins

Chow Chow, or Chow, is a breed of dog that was first developed in Mongolia about 4,000 years ago and was later introduced into China, where it is referred to as Songshi Quan, which literally means "puffy-lion dog." It is believed that the Chow Chow is one of the models for the Foo dog, the traditional stone guardian found in front of Buddhist temples and palaces.

Today the Chow Chow is most commonly kept as a companion dog. Its keen sense of territory over its home paired with a sometimes disconcertingly serious approach to strangers can be off-putting to those unfamiliar with the breed. However, displays of timidity and aggression are uncharacteristic of well-bred and well-socialized specimens.

The Chow is thought to be one of the oldest recognizable dog breeds and recent DNA analysis confirms this. Research indicates it is one of the first primitive breeds to evolve from the wolf. A Chinese bas-relief from 150 BC shows a hunting dog similar in appearance to the Chow. Later Chow Chows were bred as general-purpose working dogs for herding, hunting, pulling and guarding.

The Chow Chow was a very popular pet among the rich and famous during the Roaring Twenties. President Calvin Coolidge and his wife owned a black Chow named Timmy. Chow Chows were also popular in the 1930s and 1980s.

Japanese Chins have straight, silky, profuse long hair that is most often Black and White, with other acceptable colorations being Red and White (which includes Lemon and White), Sable and White and, rarely, Black and White with Tan points, or tri-colored. They have heavily feathered tails that curl up over their backs with the long hair cascading down one side, often reaching the floor; the chest, neck and shoulder area is also heavily coated, with the hair springing away from the body creating the appearance of a thick ruff.

The true origin of the Chin remains a matter of controversy. It is widely agreed that these dogs originated in China. Some maintain the ancestors of these dogs first appeared in Japan around the year 732, as gifts from the rulers of Korea, while others think that they were given as gifts to the Empress of Japan as early as the mid-6th century to 7th century, and even some saying they came to Japan as recently as around the year 1000.

The King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a breed of small dog of the Spaniel type. The similar King Charles Spaniel is a different breed. The Cavalier is more closely related to Cocker Spaniels in appearance, while the King Charles Spaniel is more closely related to the Pug.

Toy spaniels were a favorite pet lap dog in Europe, with each family having its favorite. King Charles II of England (1630 to 1685) was very fond of this type of dog, which is why the dogs of today carry his name, although there is no evidence that today's breed descended from his particular dogs. With the expansion of trade in the 17th and 18th centuries, pugs and other dogs arrived from other parts of the world, and became popular pets; this led to breeding with the spaniel lap dogs. The ancestry of the pug is seen in the shorter muzzle of the King Charles Spaniel. The King Charles Spaniel was recognized in North America as the English Toy Spaniel, apparently in order to prevent confusion with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.