HOUSE AND GARDEN 
October, 
1914 
203 
he shares with no other dogs. 
His coat is not hair; it is fur. 
His hocks, the joints in the 
hind leg, are not bent; they 
are straight. His tongue is 
not pink ; it is blue. Any one of 
these very distinctive features 
would point to an origin dis¬ 
tinct from that of the Euro¬ 
pean breed of dogs, and since 
the blue tongue is unknown 
in any canine, wild or domes¬ 
ticated, this is possibly a 
“fancy point” developed by 
long and careful breeding. If 
so, how many, many times 
nimble yellow fingers must 
have pried open the mouths of 
new-born puppies and anxious 
almond eyes peeped in to see 
what degree of blueness had 
been attained! 
The chow is a very compact 
dog of medium size. Heavy 
bone, a short back, deep, 
broad chest and powerful loins and quarters are all prime requis¬ 
ites, since a leggy, “shelly” dog is an abomination. A chow’s 
head is large, the skull flat, the muzzle deep and rather broad, 
avoiding any suggestion of the pointed, fox-like head of the pom- 
eranian. The ears must be small and prick, carried tilted a little 
forward, giving the dog the much desired scowl so typical of this 
breed. The correct eyes are 
small, very bright and black 
in color (in the blue variety 
light eyes are allowed). The 
tail must be carried tightly 
curled over the back. This, 
tail carriage, so very different 
from the sweeping droop of 
the wolf and fox, has, like the 
blue tongue, been a puzzle that 
scientists and breeders have in 
vain tried to solve. The chow 
is always self-colored. Red, 
black and blue are all common, 
but cream and white are also 
admitted bv the standard. 
Personally, I think the deep, 
warm red is the prettiest 
shade. A coal black is very 
showy, but many black dogs 
are rusty looking. I have 
never fancied a blue; but dif¬ 
ferent men: different tastes. 
Whatever the color, it should 
be solid and even, and, though 
many dogs are markedly lighter on the under part of the tail 
and down the backs of the thighs, this is not desirable. The fur¬ 
like coat comes in both the rough and smooth variety, but the 
latter has never been widely popular in America. 
The chow may be summed up as a bright, up-standing, cobby 
dog of wolfish appearance, but without the least suggestion of 
A bright, up-standing, powerful dog of wolfish appearance, without the wolf’s slink 
or hang-dog look 
A true Oriental, he absorbs his environment and remains 
always a chow 
He has a forbidding scowl that has become 
famous 
A compact, medium-sized dog; heavy bone, short back and 
deep, broad chest 
Fur, not hair, is his coat — one of the points shared with no 
other dog 
He has a disconcerting way of sur¬ 
veying you critically 
Other points proving his Asiatic origin are his straight hocks and 
blue tongue 
