Photos
Click and hold to move pictures around. Double click to enlarge.
About Yang
We adopted Yang from the Happy Tails Rescue in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was about 7 years old and a perfect little Pekingese boy.
Yang had a tough time before he came into the rescue. He and his disabled brother were neglected. Yang had a broken jaw and needed several teeth removed. His brother didn't make it. He was fostered by a wonderful lady for almost a year when we found him on Petfinder.
He was a lap dog and loved people, nose rubs and rolling on his back in the bed and getting a good tummy rub while he's squirming all over the place and grunting. He loved to grab his toys and bring them back to his bed to play with, especially his squeaky rubber chicken.
We were devasted to lose Yang after a short illness. He was the best and while we are so thankful for the 3 years we did have with him we just wish it were more.
About Lilly
After having Yang in our family for a few months we saw another little Peke on Petfinder. She was surrended by a backyard breeder to the SPCA. We decided to go out and meet her where she was being fostered about 2 1/2 hours from our home. Her foster mom brought her out in a carrier and opened the door. Yang walked right up to her with his tail wagging and she came out to meet him with her tail wagging. With both of them sniffing and greeting each other so friendly, we decided she was going to fit in our family beautifully. Yang and Lilly were adorable together. Yang even shared his doggy bed, toys and treats with her.
She is a happy go lucky doggy, always good natured and wagging her tail.
Yin and Yang
Yin was Yang's brother and they were very close. Yin crossed the rainbow bridge before we adopted Yang. We wished we could have met Yin, I'm sure we would have adopted him also.
About Magan and Preska
The whole family had a really hard time after Yang crossed the rainbow bridge. Then I discovered that a pair of Pekes in Quebec were looking for a home. These girls are both champion show dogs, having won best in show and are CKC registered (we did not ask for papers as they are pets for us). The breeder could no longer breed them and thankfully she gave them to us rather than put them down. They are wonderful dogs and they have definately brightened our home. Magan is a goofball, she loves to rub her face in the couch, roll around and cuddle. Preska is a true family dog. She is always with us and both follow me everywhere (partly because I give them treats constantly but they're too cute!). They loved going up to visit with our family north of Toronto. They were able to run around outside and they especially liked all the treats everyone kept slipping them. Lilly and the girls got along well from the start, and its so cute to see all three roam around together.
The Pekingese Breed
Its hard not to fall in love with a Pekingese. They are incredibly cute, intelligent, loyal and loving dogs. They are one of the oldest breeds of dogs with DNA tests indicating they have remained almost unchanged since their origins in 8th century China. The Foo (lion) dog was bred for only for the Imperial Court. They were fiercely protected and even had their own servants.
In 1860 they were discovered when the British invaded. The Emperer ordered all of the dogs to be killed to prevent their capture but five were found in the Palace. These five Pekingese were brought back to Britain to be given to members of the royal family including Queen Victoria.
Pekes can weigh between 7-14lbs. A smaller type under 7lbs is known as the sleeve Pekingese as they were often carried in the sleeves of the royal family. Pekes can be aggressive with other dogs with impressive displays of growling and barking at dogs several times their size however they can easily form a strong bond to another dog if its a good match. They can live to about 15 years old and health issues usually revolve around breathing difficulty and infections due to their pushed in noses, risk of eye damage and heart related illness. They cannot tolerate the heat so care must be taken especially in summer that they are not outside too long. They must be brushed every day and groomed every couple of months to trim their fur as it can get in the way of their walking if left too long.
They can be stubborn and independent but extremely affectionate and loyal to their owners. They are highly intelligent and understand what you want of them easily. Whether they do it or not will often depend on how much they agree with what you are telling them to do.
Dogs 101: Pekingese
Here's an interesting excerpt from a documentary on Pekingese dogs.
A couple dogs we fostered
Honey has been adopted! Click on her picture to see video and photos of our time with her.
Here's Sharaz, a Pom we fostered. He's also now been adopted! Sharaz's Petfinder page.