Chinese Foos are considered to be a rare breed, but with their excellent temperaments, they probably won't be rare for very long! Devoted to their families, very good with children, wary but accepting of strangers and highly intelligent are just some of the ways that Chinese Foos have been praised by their fanciers. While they are not currently eligible for registration with the larger kennel clubs, such as the American Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club, fanciers of the breed hope that this will change one day.
Dogs that very much resemble today's Chinese Foos have been represented in Chinese Art for thousands of years. Examples of statues resembling Chinese Foos can still be seen today as guardians outside of temples and homes of the elite in China and other countries in Asia. These fierce looking statues were said to warn away evil spirits as well as people that wished to do harm. Here are some more interesting facts about Chinese Foos:
According to the Chinese Foo Dog of America, the Chinese Foo is known by several names, including the Sacred Dog of Sinkiang, the Chinese Choo Hunting Dog, the Happiness Dog or the Chinese Celestial Dog.
Fanciers of the breed claim that modern Chinese Foos are the descendants of the Foo dogs of China, who were considered to be sacred guardians of Buddha temples, private homes and estates, government buildings and even family tombs.
Chinese Foos are said to have originated in the city of Foochow, called Minchow today, in southeast China. It is said that they worked as hunting dogs, herding dogs, and sled dogs as well as guard dogs.
Chinese Foos come in three different sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard.
Toy Chinese Foos should be under ten inches in height and weigh twenty pounds or less.
Miniature Chinese Foos are between ten and fifteen inches in high and should weigh between twenty-one and fifty pounds.
Standard Chinese Foos, the largest of the breed, are over fifteen inches in height and weight fifty-one pounds or more.
Chinese Foos have a double coat, consisting of a cottony undercoat and straight outer coat. This outer coat is called Plush when it is naturally shorter and Rough when it is naturally longer.
Chinese Foos are said to make excellent guard dogs, as they are devoted to their family as well as their possessions.
Chinese Foos come in a wide variety of colors, including combinations of black, black and tan, blue, brown and blue, fawn, cream and sable, orange, red, sable, and wolf gray. They may also have limited white markings.
Chinese Foos are rare, but their characteristics make them shine with owners. From guard dogs to family dogs, this breed excels in a number of arenas.
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