PEKINGESE: The Breed Created by Buddha

The Pekingese is a breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by royalty of the Chinese Imperial court as a companion dog, and its name refers to the city of Peking where the Forbidden City is located. According to a Chinese legend, the Pekingese was created by the Buddha, in his attempt to shrink a lion down to dog size. And, many would say that he had succeeded. The Peke was likely bred down to toy size from a larger dog, probably not a lion, and probably not by the Buddha, himself, but by his earthly servants.

For many centuries, Chinese nobles were preoccupied with the breeding of these flat-faced lapdogs. The Peke, Pug, and Shih Tzu are surviving samples of their handiwork. The Pekingese's flat face and large eyes are some of the breed's most obvious characteristics. Unlike other breeds, it could only be owned by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace. By the late 1890s, Pekes had arrived in America, and were registered by the AKC in 1906.

Courtesy of AKC Archives

Courtesy of AKC Archives

Six years later, the breed made headlines when a Pekingese was one of only three dogs to survive the sinking of the Titanic. Three dogs survived the sinking ship: two Pomeranians and one Pekinese by the name of Sun Yat Sen.

A British soldier, Captain John Hart Dunne came acr oss a lone pekingese, which he brought back to England. It was the first of the br eed to survive the voyage. He presented her to Queen Victoria, who named it Looty

Around the turn of the century, Pekingese dogs beca me popular in Western countries. They were owned by such arbiters of fashion as Alex andra of Denmark, wife of Edward VII, and Elsie de Wolfe, popular American interior decorator. Later, they were owned by Rumer Godden, who wrote in her autobiography that " I do not like dogs except very large ones and one or two with such character that they cannot be denied; Pekingese are not dogs but something more" and by Auberon Wau gh, who on one occasion fancifully boasted that one of his dogs shared his love of The Daily Telegraph and hatred for The Sunday Times.

In 2021 a Pekingese named Wasabi won the Westminste r dog show, the fourth time a Pekingese won Best in Show at Westminster.

Courtesy of AKC Archives