742 The Dog Book 



Pekinese can be bought in Philadelphia with pedigrees extending to 1875 

 and with them a history that takes them still farther back to a race of wild 

 dof^s with strange characteristics, but long muzzled and weak faced small 

 dogs are not necessarily Pekinese dogs because the seller says they are. Of 

 late years they have increased in encouraging numbers and there is every 

 evidence that they will shortly become one of the favourite toy breeds. They 

 possess a quaintness all their own and if only the English fanciers will not 

 undertake to Anglicise them with ideas of their own, which we are bound to 

 copy, these oddities will be preserved. Our judges must also learn what is 

 required and not follow the methods of one who has better acquaintance 

 with terriers than with Pekinese and put back all that to the judicial mind 

 were bad fronted, in other words penalise those that were best from a 

 Pekinese point of view. 



In addition to their quaintness of appearance the Pekinese have quali- 

 ties of temperament which appeal to a great many. They seem to be im- 

 bued with curiosity to an abnormal extent and must know about everything 

 that is going on. Another thing is their courage. Mrs. Guyer is almost 

 persuaded that they are kin to the bulldog on account of the determination 

 with which they assert themselves. She writes: "My Pekinese are the 

 most combative little animals with strange dogs. No matter what the size 

 of the stranger may be, fight is the first thought they seem to have, and at 

 times I have felt that mine would be killed before the combatants could be 

 separated. Even if mine must limp off from the fray it is with head and tail 

 up as though there was but one champion." With the exception of this 

 aggressiveness with strange dogs which may perhaps be jealousy to some 

 extent, they are most bidable and endearing little pets and are steadfast 

 in their affections. 



It will be noted from the illustrations we give that the Pekinese is rather 

 low on the leg and somewhat long in the back, the forelegs are set out at the 

 elbows and the heavy muscle on the outside of the foreleg give it a bowed 

 appearance such as we see in bulldogs at times. There is, of course, good 

 width of brisket. The head is large and has not the pushed in appearance 

 we see in Japanese or English toy spaniels, and we hope it never will have. 

 The face is short, but the main characteristic is its bulk. There must be no 

 pinching at the nose, but plenty of face, cut off square. A pug's foreface as 

 compared with toy spaniels. Another difference from the toy spaniel is that 

 while the skull is prominent and heavy it does not run up to the cupola 



