Chinese Foo Dogs

[dogs4life]

Originally Posted by Cassiepeia

Where are you finding this information?
I know that Chow Chows were used as meat dogs (as well as hunting and guard dogs), could it be that people are talking about the Chow Chow instead?

I'll check....

ETA

Cannot find the original site I looked at but did find this one. Maybe this is lore, oral history or a lie. Don't know! I've read many articles and sites in last 2 days and I only found 2 references to eating foo dog. So looks like if we need more info it might be time to question people in China town, ask a Chinese Buddhism expert or talk to Chinese dog breed breeders and fanciers.
http://www.lesart.com/FooDogs.htm

Foo dogs or Lions of Fo are sacred temple dogs of Asia. Their original significance was that of a guardian presence in Buddhist temples. The Lions of Foo are often in pairs, the male playing with a ball symbolizing the Earth and the female holding a cub. These dogs were also popular as sacrifices to the shamanistic gods in praying for rain. Also it was believed that dog meat eaten during certain periods of the lunar year gave added health, virility and longevity.

Here is a book you might want to look at: The Lion-Dog Of Buddhist Asia. Rare Dog Book. by Elsie P. Mitchell. Breeds it covers: Shih Tzu, Pekingese & Lhasa Apso. 1991. First Edition.

When I was looking at foo dog art, maybe I was seeing lion-dog art from different dynasties and regions. This site makes me think that foo dog and fu dog are common names for all lion-dog forms in art for English speakers.

I found hoards of info on Chinese eating dog, dog farms, dog food markets and chow historically used as dog meat. I even found St. Bernards being bred for meat in China...but not pure Chow raised for meat. It seems like mostly hybrid dogs are used for meat, maybe wealthy people have different dog meat sources or breeds are not important to the people reporting on such practices. From what I understand, dog meat is expensive compared to other meat in China.

One interesting thing I read was that the Chow was saved from extinction by being smuggled out of China during the cultural revolution. Anyone know more about that? Maybe other Chinese dog breeds were killed to extinction or near extinction during that period.

[dogs4life]

Originally Posted by Camz

The person slipped up and said that Foo Dogs didn't have as many problems as pure bred dogs...I didn't skip a beat, or act surprised that this person had slipped up, I just continued on with my questions.

Wow, that was a mistake on his part. I wonder if many people notice what he said? I wonder if he noticed?

Originally Posted by Camz

I asked about pricing, and this person said that it varied alot. I was like, "OH really? How does that work?"

They said that it depended on what I was looking for in a dog. I thought to myself, "Huh? What does that mean?" The lady I got Orchid from asked the same price for all puppies in the litter, show prospect or not.

Very Fishy! I thought the whole litter was the same price too unless there is a major defect. If he is a mixed dog breeder this might be true due to the unpredictable nature of hybridizing dogs.

[Cassiepeia]

Foo dogs or Lions of Fo are sacred temple dogs of Asia. Their original significance was that of a guardian presence in Buddhist temples. The Lions of Foo are often in pairs, the male playing with a ball symbolizing the Earth and the female holding a cub. These dogs were also popular as sacrifices to the shamanistic gods in praying for rain. Also it was believed that dog meat eaten during certain periods of the lunar year gave added health, virility and longevity.

This quote refers to the statues, not to a dog breed. Which is what I've been trying to say. These 'foo dogs' are myth, not real animals. The dogs they're talking about eating here are just dogs in general.

When I mentioned Chow Chows being eaten, I didn't mean in modern times. I meant 'way back when'.

Originally Posted by http://www.barkbytes.com/history/chow.htm

First kept by fierce Mongolian tribes in China as a hunting and guard dog, the Chow was also used for their meat and fur.

The so called "Chinese Foo dog" that Camz found was suppose to be an ancient breed, so that's why I was referring to ancient times.
I think it's well known that mix breed dogs (well dogs in general) are used as a meat source in some asian countries.

I don't know much about the Chow Chow being saved from extinction. Perhaps that's a topic for another discussion? We actually did have a thread about Chow Chows on here. Might have to dig to find it though.

Cass.

[Camz]

I found a video online of these guys. You all are welcome to view it. IMHO, they look like smooth coated chow chow mixes to me.

(smooth coated chow chow)


And here is a link to foo dog puppies:

http://www.youtube.com/StockburyKennel
(this is a video)

Cass, I'm of a similar mind set. I think that "Foo Dog" is a catch all phrase for sacred dog in Chinese. I think it refers to any kind of a dog that ties into religion, because when you think about it, most dogs will guard your door (which may be how the door guardian chinese food dog statues came abou, anyway).

I'm sure that WAY back when, all of the asian dogs had some chow chow in them, giving them a certain look and attitude. This was perhaps before the refinement of the pekenese, pug, japanese chin, and chow chow as we see them today.

It is my opinion that the closest thing to a real chinese foo dog in modern times is the smooth coated chow chow.

will post more later. must go to work. LOL!

[dogs4life]

I'm not totally convinced the "Foo Dog" is 100% mythical. I would think it is highly possible that it is a lost breed though. That is why I brought up the Chow being saved from extinction bit. Since I do not read or speak Chinese, this is as far as I can go, looking at art and reading various descriptions of art along with origins of other chinese dog breeds. But I would be curious if "Chinese Foo Dog" ever existed and how it relates to all the other chinese breeds. Now that might just be the scientist in me, but I love looking at phylogentic trees and DNA test results, I'm just a geek like that

About the video...isn't that Brad Trom's Kennel...the guy who is promoting the Chow mixes as "Chinese Foo Dog" in the US and Europe. Very cute and very fluffy, I see why people would want one. That was a great ad.

[Cassiepeia]

Yeah, but the 'Foo Dog' isn't actually a dog, it's a lion. So how could it have really existed?

Cass.