The romantic tales surrounding the origin of the beautiful and temperamentally unique Chow Chow are countless. The somewhat blurred origins and unusual looks of this breed have led to legendary and fanciful links to all kinds of animals outside the canine world. Not the least of these legends is the one that claims it is the bear rather than the wolf from which the Chow descends.

There is nothing to substantiate the Chow’s relationship to the bear, but those who choose to believe this cite many characteristics that the breed shares with no other animal but the bear. Supporters of this theory claim that a form of primitive wild animal, which is now extinct, is the ancestor of the Chow.

All other dogs are known to have descended from the progenitors of the wolf. This, according to the bear theorists, explains why most other dogs either look away from the Chow Chow at first meeting or immediately prepare themselves to attack.

When one stops to consider the bear’s independent nature, its blue tongue and the stilted manner in which it walks—all characteristics of the Chow Chow—it becomes understandable how the theory took root. There is also the remarkable resemblance of the bear cub to the Chow. If nothing else, all this makes one wonder if Mother Nature just might have lent some ironic twist to the evolution of the Chow.

Although China embraces the Chow Chow as one of its own, historical documents originating in China consistently refer to the breed as “the foreign Chow.” This substantiates the more scientific research that reveals the Chow was of Arctic origin, migrating to China with the barbarian tribes that frequently invaded China in the 11th century BC.

These barbarian invaders had dogs of formidable size that were described as having black tongues and being so fierce that they could easily bring down humans as if they were straws. These warrior dogs sometimes resembled lions in color as well as in their head characteristics. They also had long claws and shaggy manes that covered their necks.

Though the Chow’s long existence in China can be traced through its image on bronzes and in paintings, much of the breed’s documented history was destroyed by the Emperor Chin Shih, who wantonly destroyed most of China’s literature in 225 BC. The records that did survive add some interesting details to the earlier descriptions of the warrior dogs.

These writings describe the dogs as being completely different from other breeds of dog with large broad heads, short muzzles and small eyes. The lips are described as not overlapping but just touching, giving them a unique aloof expression.

It appears that although these warrior dogs were devoted to their keepers, they were extremely hostile to strangers. Their fierce natures made them ideal candidates for their roles as war dogs. It is interesting to note that these same dogs proved to be excellent hunters and herding dogs.

As centuries passed, the breed’s fierce nature mellowed and the dogs could be assigned duties of a more domestic nature: draft dog, hunter, herder, guardian of the home and, unfortunately for the dogs, as food for the family as well.

The Chinese (and subsequent English) slang word for something edible is “chow.” The dogs kept for this purpose were considered a great delicacy. Thus, dog meat was sold and eaten throughout China and Korea until it was prohibited by law in China in 1915.

Chinese legend gives us purely practical reasons for two of the Chow’s most distinguishing characteristics: the straighter the hind leg, the more abundant the meat; and the bluer the tongue, the more tender and delicious the meat.

WEST MEETS EAST

There can be no doubt that as the first clipper ships entered Chinese harbors, British sailors were fascinated by the multitude of curiosities this strange country afforded. Certainly not the least of these oddities was this dog that was more bear- or