The Chinese Foo Dog – A Dog Loved By Buddhists

Chinese Foo Dog

The Chinese Foo Dog is said to be a descendant of the Lhasa Apso breed and has its origins from China yet the exact history of this breed is unclear. Buddhist priests from Tibet showed the dog a special consideration because of religious similarity with a lion which was an animal sacred to them ( the Shih-Tzu name in Chinese means “lion”).

Foo Dogs are the ancient sacred dogs of Asia who guard Buddhist temples.  The association between these dogs and Buddha is one of great significance.  Foo Dogs have the appearance of a lion.  The lion in Buddhist religion is seen as sacred, and has sometimes been offered to Buddha as a sacrifice.  The name given to these guardians originates from China.  The Chinese word for Buddha is Fo, which led to the original title– “Dog of Fo”.  There have been other theories that the name developed from the city of Foochow; however, there is no actual proof of this.  Another name given to the beast is “Lion of Korea”.  This, of course, is due to the creatures close appearance to a Lion.

It is said that they might have existed in China since the Tang Dinasty time in the third century or to have arrived in the tenth century. This breed is well represented in Chinese art, in sculpture and embroidery. Lhasa Apso dogs were kind of gifts made by Chinese emperors to Dalai Lama of Tibet. Their number was increased only by royalty. Precisely because of this association, many dogs were killed during the Chinese Revolution.

The Chinese Foo Dog is small, strong, balanced, vigorous and longer than wide. It has a massive head and round skull which is wide between the eyes with a square muzzle, short, flat and black nose. The head is covered with rich hair forming whiskers and a beard. The hair that grows on the nose is pointed up by giving him the look like the chrysanthemum flower. The eyes are large, round, dark. The large ears are tightly bonded to the head and covered with hair so often that seems to unite with the hair on his neck. The tail is carried high in long hair ran over the back. It has a double coat with a long outer hair, although it is all curled and feather soft in the interior. It can be any color or combination of colors with a white stripe on the forehead and a little white tail tip. The Chinese Foo Dog has a height of 20 to 27 centimeters and a weight of 4 to 7 kilograms.

The Chinese Foo Dog is an intelligent dog, cheerful, gentle, active, proud, dignified, alert, somewhat stubborn and makes friends with everyone. It is affectionate and devoted to the master, friendly and sociable with children and careful with strangers. It gets along well with other dogs and other animals in the household. It is a dog that is does very well in an apartment near a master that is loving and caring. It has a low activity content with short walks. He needs socialization and training.

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