CHAPTER LVIII 



CHINESE (PEKINESE) SPANIELS AND 

 PUGS 



THERE does not seem to be any valid reason why the first-named 

 variety should be called Pekinese. A far more appropriate name 

 would be Chinese Spaniels, as they are by no means confined to 

 Pekin, but are to be met with in many other parts of that interesting 

 celestial kingdom. Essentially a pet variety and not extensively 

 known as yet, the Chinese Spaniel is being taken up warmly by quite 

 a number of zealous fanciers. It is also included in the Club 

 recently formed for the benefit of some of the Asiatic toy varieties, 

 and has received recognition at the hands of the Kennel Club by 

 the granting of challenge certificates, all of which will tend to bring 

 it more to the front than heretofore. His Grace the Duke of 

 Richmond has kept the breed for a long time. Fig. 126 gives readers 

 a fair notion of the sort of animal that is known under the above 

 name. 



Chinese Spaniels have a little in common, so far as appearance 

 goes, with a rough-coated Pug, but are very short on the legs. They 

 have rather sturdy bodies covered with soft fluffy hair ; the fore legs 

 are slightly and the hind legs profusely feathered, as is the tail, which 

 is carried curved over the back. The eyes are large, dark, and 

 brilliant. The colours are usually shades of tawny fawn or drab, 

 but sometimes dark brown and even black. White markings 

 do not disqualify, but are very objectionable. Chinese Spaniels 

 have a comical, self-assertive look about them, quite different from 

 other varieties. The reason that until lately they have been in very 

 few hands is no doubt in a great measure due to the difficulty in 

 obtaining genuine specimens. 



At the present time the best-known owners of this variety are 

 Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, Lady Gooch, the Marquis of 

 Anglesey, Lord John Hay, Lady A. Gordon Lennox, Mrs. C. Austin, 

 Mrs. W. Ridler, Mrs. Browning, Mrs. H. B. Samuelson, Mrs. A. C. 

 Tomkins, and Mrs. Douglas Murray. Quite respectable entries of 

 Chinese Spaniels are seen at some of the larger shows when the 

 classification and judge are satisfactory. 



