Breed History
The Chow Chow is a Chinese breed with an ancient history....
Artifacts from the Han Dynasty, including sculptures and pottery marked with clearly discernible Chow Chow engravings, serve as evidence that the Chow Chow existed in China between 206 BC and 22 AD. Originally, the Chow Chow is believed to have been kept as a hunting and guard dog by warring Mongolian tribes, however the breed was also used as a source of food and fur when necessary. The source of the breeds name is a subject of much controversy. In Chinese, Chow, or Chou, has a slang meaning of edible, and some authors such as Will Judy (author of The Chow Chow) have written that the name is in fact the edible dog of China. An 1878 investigation by British officials revealed that 24 restaurants provided Chow Chow meat in the city of Canton alone. Legally, however, any consumption of the Chow Chow was put to a stop in 1915 when a Chinese law prohibited the sale or purchase of dog meat. A popular, alternative hypothesis regarding the origins of the breeds name is perhaps less dramatic. On clipper ships sailing between China and England, the cargo hold was referred to as the Chow Chow. In the 1830s, when the breed first arrived in Britain, the English may have referred to the dogs as Chow Chows because they had literally been transported in the ships Chow Chow. This unique breed spread quickly and in 1903 the Chow Chow was officially recognized by the AKC. The genetic lineage of the Chow Chow remains uncertain, although some experts suggest the breed is a descendant of ancient Mastiffs cross-bred with Spitz breeds.