The power of the dog/The Chow Chow
"For ways that are dark,
And for tricks that are vain,
The heathen Chinee is peculiar."
Bret Harte.
CHOW "Champion Papoose"
Owned by Mrs. Lionel Faudel Phillips
THE CHOW CHOW
"Beasts which Buff on never knew."
WE English are curiously eclectic in our tastes, canine as well as philosophical. Not content with what we have, we go on ransacking the world for something new, something strange, something that no one else has got, until in the process of time the variety we have acquired becomes so acclimatised that we almost think it our own. Among the strangers from the uttermost parts of the earth which have enriched the ranks of our domestic canidæ the Chow Chow holds high position, but, though he is with us, he never seems to be a part and parcel of our lives. Watch his demeanour. See him going through life occupied with his own concerns; rather, preoccupied, I should say, for he has a singular indifference to his surroundings. Is his mind in his old home in the far East?
"For the temple bells are callin', an' it's there that I would be." Perhaps, pondering the deeper mysteries of this world, he has arrived at Thoreau's conclusion that: "Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates his fate." The Chow gives one the impression of being a wise dog, who has inherited the impassive demeanour of his original Chinese masters. Mankind, as a whole, has no interest for him; he attaches himself to one person with great fidelity; to others, his demeanour, if not actually surly, is that of mere toleration. If you meet one with whom you have a bowing acquaintance, in the street, and speak to him, there is no responsive movement of the tightly-curled tail, no relaxation of the muscles of the grim face. You feel hopelessly snubbed, any overtures of friendship are summarily rejected. On reaching a new home, the Chow may be weeks before he is reconciled to his position, and you almost despair of the ill success of your efforts to establish cordial relations. Then comes the day on which he decides that you will do, and thence onward he is your liege man, offering you all the homage of which his nature is capable. In many respects he fulfils the nine conditions of Confucius's "superior man." In expression he is benign, in demeanour decorous, in duties respectful. I should not care to say, though, that in resentment he thinks of difficulties, for he will not take kindly to correction.
From these remarks it will be gathered, if I have made my meaning clear, that he is a dog who attaches himself devotedly to one person, while the rest of the world has no part in his existence. I know of no other dog with such strongly marked individuality, even in his tongue he elects to be eccentric, for that is of a deep black, instead of the ordinary flesh colour. There are other peculiarities about him which call for mention. For instance, if you are tired of him as a pet, certain parts of his body are regarded as delicacies fit to be served upon the table. The Chinese epicures, I believe, content themselves with his feet. As he lives mainly upon rice in his Oriental home, the idea of an edible Chow Chow is not quite so repulsive as if his subsistence were of a carnivorous kind.
Then the Chow has a more fully developed sense of locality than most dogs. He will return to his home with unerring instinct although he may have seen it but once before⸻even the intricacies of London streets present no difficulties to him. Some friends of mine once took their Chow to the sea, living in one house for a week and then moving into another. The first morning of their change of residence they lost the dog when out for a long walk, but he came back to the new place without the slightest hesitation. Nothing pleases a Chow more than the opportunity of wandering about as fancy pleases him. In his long and solitary rambles he will stroll round in apparently aimless manner, not so much as saying "good day" to another of his order who may happen to pass. Should, however, the stranger dog show a disposition towards belligerency, he may have reason to regret his temerity, for the Chow's jaws are powerful, and his dense coat is almost as effectual a protection to his flesh as a suit of mail. It is not usual for him to come off second best, and his nature bids him renew the conflict whenever occasion serves.
In appearance the Chow is distinctly favoured, his short cobby body, straight forelegs, and powerful hindquarters making him look compact and strong. The small pointed ears, carried stiffly erect and forward over the eyes, are a fitting completion to the head, which needs to be broad and flat. The expression should be scowling rather than benevolent. Individual taste may have much play in the choice of colours, as we may choose from all black, red, yellow, blue or white. At present the red seems to be the most in demand, although efforts are being made to popularise the blue. This is a very beautiful colour when we get it in purity and brilliancy, but so many blues have a rusty tinge which is by no means agreeable. The blacks, too, sometimes suffer under the same disability. Owners of blues and creams complain that it is of little use exhibiting them, however typical they may be, owing to the judicial preference for the reds. Well, I may be wrong, but I should always be disposed to put shape and type before colour, presuming of course, that the latter came within the standard. The head is one of the most characteristic features of the Chow, the blunt, broad muzzle having nothing of the Pomeranian or foxy style about it. 