36 
HO USE & GARDEN 
TOY DOGS OF ROYALTY 
Being a Glimpse at Pekinese, Spaniels and Chihuahuas and Other such Tiny Pets as 
were Given to Those Whom the King Desireth to Honor 
WILLIAM SHAYNES 
Author of “Practical Dog Keeping,” etc. 
Photographs by H. V. Furness 
GIFT fit for 
a king must 
be a very fine 
Christmas present, 
but a king’s gift, 
something a king 
has thought worthy 
to give, seems even 
better. Because a 
clog is the very per¬ 
sonification of the 
cardinal virtues of 
friendship — un¬ 
derstanding, love, 
good faith—he is a 
peculiarly appro¬ 
priate present to a 
friend, and dogs 
have very often 
been the gift of 
kings. Ever since 
the days of Ulys¬ 
ses, King of Itha¬ 
ca, hounds have 
figured as r o y a 1 
gifts; terriers have 
attained this dis¬ 
tinction more rare¬ 
ly, though King 
James IV of Scotland sent some “earth 
dogges fra’ Argile” to his friend and ally 
of France; but rare and valuable toy dogs 
have been, of all dogs, the favorite kingly 
present. In fact, two toy varieties are 
known as “royal breeds,” and have long 
been intimately associated with royalty— 
the English toy spaniels with the Stuart 
family, and the Pekinese with the Manchu 
dynasty in China. 
It is a far cry from Whitehall Palace, 
London, to the Imperial Palace, Pekin. The 
home of the Stuarts faces the street boldly 
and jostles its neighbor’s elbows, a little in¬ 
solently, perhaps, but very humanly. The 
palace of the Manchus, surrounded by 
great gardens and high walls, hides itself 
away in the Forbidden City. Whitehall 
Cavalier. He sug¬ 
gests dainty bou¬ 
doirs where milady 
sipped chocolate 
while her beaux 
bandied witticisms 
and retailed the 
latest choice tidbit 
of scandal from the 
Kitcat Club and 
the coffee houses. 
He calls to mind 
engravings 
by Faithorne and 
Virtue, delicate 
mezzotints by Mc- 
Ardell and Raphael 
Smith; massy plate 
from Sheffield; 
mahogany fresh 
from the hand of 
Hepplewhite and 
Chippendale. He 
is the English toy 
dog, and, like that 
clean cut thorough¬ 
bred, the English 
foxhound, and that 
saucy rascal, the 
fox terrier, his traditions are our traditions, 
his ancestors were the pets of our ances¬ 
tors. So, despite the whims of Mistress 
Fashion—and that fickle jade pampers a 
new toy dog almost every time she changes 
her hat—the toy spaniel is perennially pop¬ 
ular. His triumph over all fads and fancies 
is high tribute to him. If he were not a 
dog of character, with his own individual¬ 
ity and a pleasing disposition, he could 
never do it. 
The toy spaniel’s outstanding character¬ 
istic is his affection. He has been called 
“the most lovable of dogs,” and he returns 
love with compound interest. He is not, 
however, a moony suitor, but a lively gal¬ 
lant, and, if given half a chance, proves 
that, for his size, he is very much of a dog. 
Born of aristocratic associations of long standing, the royal Pekes are eminently suitable compan¬ 
ions for even the tiniest tot 
rang with the gay laughter of the wits and 
beauties that the “Merrie Monarch” gath¬ 
ered about himself, while through the long 
corridors of the Pekin Palace, where even 
the dancing girls dared not laugh aloud, 
grave Mandarins silently slipped. Yet in 
these very different palaces little toy dogs 
curiously alike in many ways, found their 
homes and became the royal favorites. 
The English Toy Spaniel 
Since the days of Charles Stuart, the 
English toy spaniel has been the pet in 
great mansions on Portland Square and in 
a hundred rambling manor houses. He has 
always been at home in the greatest draw¬ 
ing-rooms of England, and the air of 
Whitehall still clings to this merry little 
“Prince Ching," a chestnut-colored toy 
owned by Mrs. G. L. Heyward 
Direct from Mexico, these featherweight Chihuahuas might 
almost fit in milady’s handbag 
“Cottage Broadoak Sannie,” a Chinese 
toy of excellent quality 
