Why did you get a chow?

[Sirchow]

Someone asked me "Why did you get a chow?" at the training class that Bramble is going to and I wanted to say "Why would anyone choose any other dog?"

But it made me think. I have always wanted a chow from the age of about 7 when we were given a set of Observer books of planes, cars, horses and dogs. Planes and cars were of no interest to me at all and I already had a horse so the dog book was the one I fought my elder sister for and won for the first time in my life! I spent ages going through the book looking at the all breeds and comparing their various merits. But it was always the chow I came back to. My Mum had been born in Hong Kong and had known chows as they were used to pull carts to deliver goods etc and she always said they were not nice dogs. "Very bad tempered". But I would not be swayed. Every time I looked at the picture on the chow page I just felt such a strong sense of longing to have the cute, cuddly, bear like animal. I fell in love way back then. Well that was the best part of fourty five years ago but it always stayed in my mind and when we got Alfie (Tony's choice) I thought we might as well have two dogs as one and the rest is history.

So I wondered why other people had decided on a chow?

[lola chow]

well .....................................I was allowed a dog as a child and i remember i went with my mum and dad to this place with a book to pick a dog i picked a lassie dog and when they rang there was non available ,next choice was my chow brandy i am glad the other wasnt available because no dog compares to the experience of owning a chow and i always said that if i ever got another dog it would have to be a chow then along comes Lola

[Coco Chow]

I love animals and always wanted to have one of my own. My BF being allergic to cats, we choose to have a dog.
We went to dog shows to see the different breeds from our own eyes, to talk to the breeders and owners about their dogs personalities and ask lots of questions.
We eliminated quite a lot of breeds: the dashchunds were too small, the English bulldogs didn't live long enough, the labradors were too common, the jack russels too excited, the bouvier bernois were too big, etc... Then the chow chow people told us their dogs were very cat like, quite calm, that they loved their owners, and they were so beautiful that we decided on a chow.
And it is such a good match ! Perfect decision really!

[chowpups]

as a young teenage (14) my future husbands brother bought one out of a pet store.. He was kind of a loner type guy and wanted a dog and did some research on them and got one. Well, being a petstore dog we all know now what problems they have and his was no different. She passed on quite young, but was a great dog and friend to him.. Later my son saw pics and wanted one. I told him no we have 2 cats and Grandma to take care of ...So one day he persuaded me to go to the SPCA shelter to JUST LOOK.. We left with Oneill our chow/shep. ,I couldn't believe there was a chow mix puppy right in front of us.. one of our best dogs ever.. then as she got older and I did more research on chows we decided to get another one so that Oneill could teach the pup the ropes and help train her to follow in her foot steps.. And thats how Nikki arrived as my Christmas present.. Some of the traits the chow has is what drew us to them. Quite, exercise was not anything like a labador which is good for us old folks..they are not high anxiety type dogs. Just a chilled out furball.. and now Iam hooked.. my son just moved back in for a short time (hes 28 now) and asked "Why are you and Dad not getting another chow for Nikki and you guys" I told him "We're waiting for his wedding day and thats his present".. LOL... and a vacuum too..

[chowhuskylass]

For me huskies were always my breed of choice, Until i met martin who one day came homefrom work absoloutley buzzing about this bear like puppy he saw on his delivery round, wearing a bib sayng "I love daddy!" he went back and found it was a chow, me then only having 'Flash' my first husky, said i would be happy to add to our family but we must research, initially the feedback we got was negative on the chow temp, and after a few weeks we did not know where to look, no internet 7 years ago
At the time i was studying dog behaviour and assisting in temp testing the resident dogs in a shelter, it was my day to test so i trotted down the block to kennel 17 and there sat this half bald black tongue squeeky thing, I fell instantly in love and it was a day before valentines so i thought what a beautiful present for myself, martin was out the window at this point lol.
So i tested her and i did push she was just the sweetest dog all the way through, MINE i thought..So as I was begrudgingly putting her back, i attempted to reserve her DISASTER she was spoken for, I swear I cried like a baby i had already handed her my heart and it was broken in an instant. So I went home and cried the story back to martin. A few weeks later got a call "Do you still want 'Efe'?" I was like HELL YEAH! it happend to be the day before we were due at the shelter.
I bought efe home bald but happy on the 11/3/2003.

We went on to buy our own home and rescue 3 more sibes, lost my first sibe in 07 that devastated me,

we did not think chows were like efe that she was one in a million, it was not until late last year i felt ready to get another dog after losing flash, I could not have another husky the pain of losing flash was just too much and i already had another 3 here whos story was not yet finished, and i had seen a chowling and i could not get the look out of my head and it has become a bit of an obsession, we started looking for a chow, in looking i found a real special couple who let me meet theirs and attended a show and learned the chow temp was not what it was many years ago and in fact they were sweet and breeders make great efforts to have dogs with sound temps, so we got serious about getting another, here we are today!

[tenaciouschow]

Why did I decide on a chow? I didn't, really. In all honesty, chows/dogs never interested me. I was more of a cat person with cat allergies. It was my sister and her love for chows that introduced me to the breed. She adopted a puppy chow (Tacoma) right out of college. During the first few years of Tacoma's life there were a lot of changes: my sister adopted a puppy shar pei, she met her future husband, he and his child moved in with her and the pups, my sister became pregnant, marriage followed, etc. Tacoma struggled to adjust to her new household and soon began showing signs of dominance and aggression. My sister knew Tacoma felt threatened and the best thing she could do was give her away to a good home before Tacoma hurt one of the children. With Tacoma's behavioral problems, she also knew the humane society would be faced with a big challenge and the result could be detrimental to Tacoma. So she asked me if I would be interested in taking her in.

Tacoma had an active part in my life and a special place in my heart. I felt she had been through a lot already, and just needed another chance to prove herself. I knew nothing of the breed aside from what I learned from Tacoma. It was clear to me she wanted to live in a single-household family and she needed to be exposed to lots of people - slowly and in a neutral setting - to improve her socialization skills. So I agreed to be her mom-in-training and the rest is history.

Tacoma and I have grown together by trial and error. (Okay, so I may have cheated a bit by reading some online articles about the breed. Shhh, Tacoma need not know.) Everyone who knew her back then comment on how different she is now. She is the perfect little lady (well almost)… the closest animal to a cat. Our personalities fit. The only question I ask myself now is why didn't I decide on a chow? It is a good thing queen Tacoma chose me.

[Schmooshie]

I am allergic to cats also and my husband is a dog person. Regarding which dog it really is no contest. For my husband he loves dachshunds and second best basset hounds. For me, I love chows. Maybe because I am ethnically chinese, my brain is geared like that but I really think they are the cutest dogs ever. Their squishy faces and round bodies are enough to make your heart melt. Sure other dogs are cute, especially puppies, but chow chows literally make me scream with delight - that is how adorable they are. They put a smile on your face no matter what. I love chow chows. I notice that a ton of females here in China oogle and aagle over Schmooshie but a lot of guys do not. I think the chow chow is the cutest dog ever. It is a mix between a bear, a panda, a lion, a dog. Even when they are not overweight they look chubby and round!

[bubbybear]

I came by my first chow chow a little girl name Sasha by acident. We had bought our new home and it had a big backyard. My husband worked construction and was gone most of the day. My girl friend took me to a friend of hers to see a dog. I wasn't sure what to expect . I grew up on a farm and and always had a dog around. When i went in the house I took one look at her and she stole my heart. She was was this big ball of cream fur. She was 18 months old then. Sasha wouldn't sick so her name became Sheba. She enjoyed life with my husband and i and her sister Gizzmo for 11 wonderful years. She taught me so much and I learn alot. Getting Gizz was another story. The more I got to know her the more I loved her proud stance and every thing about her.My husband likes huskies so when I found a husky/ sheperd puppy she came home for my husband for Valintines. Sheba needed a friend for company and they were insepeable for the next 10years. .

[vicster605]

Why did I choose a Chow??? When i was 16 I saw the most BEAUTIFUL black dog at a ladies house that I was visiting with a friend. I asked her what kind it was and she told me that it was a Chow Chow. I was a cat person at the time but never forgot how BEAUTIFUL her Chow was. I had a black persian cat named Jazz for more than 10 yrs. I worked long hrs and didn't ever think about a dog because of that. Yrs later, when I had more time to spend and didn't want to do liter boxes anymore I decided I wanted to get a dog. I thought......What Kind?? Then I remembered that beautiful black Chow that I saw as a teenager and read about them. Perfect a dog that acts like a cat!!! The things that have always bothered me about other breeds.....digging, barking, chewing and tearing up things, too active, too much mischief, too needy, too goobery, is that a word??? Yo know that pet me, pet me, pet me!!! thing they do??? Chows are a perfect match for me. I got a BEAUTIFUL black Chow who is very much like my beautiful black cat I once had ONLY better with more personality. Then I got Kyra my blue girl but I have to admit that a black Chow is still to me the most beautiful dog I have ever seen, there is just something about me & black animals. I will for the rest of my life have a black Chow or two or one that is close to black in Kyra's case. I adore their personalities and how smart and independant they are. No other breed for me

[JasonandNat]

Well I had one when young and loved him deeply. I've had over 7 breeds and raised, showed and rescued many dogs. I had not had a dog for many years when I met Nat and she had always wanted one. As soon as it was apparent she could not get rid of me, we decided to get a pair, she likes critters in two's. Most wonderful dogs in the world, every owner since the age of man began has most assuredly thought so. ROFL

[Dogdad]

I had always heard chows were nasty and honestly I never wanted one, until I saw a very sad dog on petfinder. It was Maxwell. I tried to educate myself as much as I could , I was nervious until the moment I saw him. Then, thanks to Maxwell I fell in love with the breed. It just takes understanding that they don't behave like regular dogs, one you realize that and how they act they aren't bad, they are just different

[summer_rose03]

My family's first and only dog (Frisco) was 1/4 Chow (or maybe more). He always made you think Chow before either the Shepherd or the Husky (thankfully ). He was an awesome dog who we all loved and adored. For most of my life, he was one of the only dogs I really knew aside from a few family members' dogs (toy poodle, golden mix, dachshund, lab, collie, B/T Coonhound).

We of course loved our Frisco the best. When we lost him last summer at the age of 13.5 yrs, I knew a Chow is what I always wanted. (Plus after being a groomer and meeting many Shepherds and Huskys and the types of dogs my family had, they weren't really for me). So I kept my eye out on Petfinder, usually just to look and dream and not adopt yet, i came across Carter. His resemblance to Frisco was more than I expected to find and I had to meet him and ended up adopting him.

After having Carter and finding out which of his traits are Chow (zoomies!) and which are most likely Husky, I have decided Chows are for me and told my fiance that we will always have a red Chow or Chow mix (maybe 2 ). I have already been defending the breed for many years. I may not always have a full Chow, but I will at least have a mix. And I am a sucker for reds, as that's what Frisco was and Carter is. It is by far my favorite coloring on a dog ever, 2nd being blue merle.

I have only had male dogs, although I would love a female to dress up in girly things, but its the luck of the draw on that. All my dogs will also always be rescues (with exception to a Cairn Terrier, as they are hard to find in rescues, and being a groomer I want them to have the nice wire hair they are meant to have),

[Cara&Haley]

They chose me. I didn't have a say...

[kingalls]

Shiloh chose us and we chose Nahkohe to be her companion...

[Auddymay]

My husband brought a couple different breeds into my life. A GS Pointer named Burt I ended up having to re-home, a Boxer named Bud, who was my protector; and when I first met Brian, he had a Chow-pard, that was every Chow stereo-type you can think of. It was the first animal that ever turned up it's nose to me for a bit of hotdog. Even after I left it, no thank you ma'am. Oh, and he bit without warning, scrapped with any dog he saw, chased away bikes and joggers....a real honey. He was eventually euthanized because of biting a neighborhood kid. When Bud left me, Brian dumped Pippy on me. She was the exact opposite of Bear. Docile, submissive, needy...lol. Must be her Lab half. I thought I would reward her with her 9 years of faithful service and got Lily. That was 4 years ago.

[lightforce18]

Honestly I didn't want a CHOW at ALL. I wanted a Boxer or a German Shepard. My wife has loved chows her whole life I guess. Her dads neighbor had one for 15 years and she always wanted it. So when we got married we looked for a chow/shepard mix so we could compromise. This was a very hard mix to find in my area. One day I looked online and saw an Ad for Chows 4 puppies 375 bux. I gave her the # and she called and immediatley went out there. The last chow they had left was yogi and he had a hernia. I immediatley said NO WAY. Not getting a dog whos already injured. But she begged and cried and all that and I gave in LOL. I told her Next dog we get I pick haha. Well we got Yogi and man he converted me into loving chows now LOL. Sure hes a pain in the *Censored Word* sometimes, but then he just looks at you and runs at you to play and pet him and man you forget about everything else LOL. Hopefully we wont have to get another dog for a LONG LONG time. But if we do it'll probabaly be another chow pure bread or a chow mix lol.

[TJordan]

When I was in 4th grade my dad came home from work with a Big Red Chow in the back of his pickup. Since that day I fell in love and Chan became my best friend. He was the first dog we had. He was already full grown and bigger than me and I loved that. Never have ever thought of a different breed. Chan died when I was senior in high school, everybody was tired of crying (I was a wreck and made everyone sad) So my brother got me a puppy for christmas, Bear the 2nd chow I would own. Bear was so funny and had so much personality. Other people's dogs just didn't have the personality that mine did. Now many years later I have Butters and again, the personality, big fluffy hugable fur. The fact that they really could care less, well I think we have the same personality!

[Luna's Mom]

Well, I am of the "Why would anyone want any other breed of dog?" opinion.
But it goes back to my childhood. From the time I was about 5 years old, I spent summers with my uncle, near the beach. My uncle lived in a wooded area and residences were dotted sparcely through the woods. My uncle had a magnificent, huge, blue male Chow Chow named Puca or Puka (meaning ghost?). That dog was so laid-back, and regally laid around and watched everything going on in the forest. He was so tolerant; my uncle had a crazy cat named Hank who would spontaneously decide to lay up on Puca's back. The two would watch and watch, turning their heads in syncronicity - until Puca would spot someone laughing at them. Then, he'd shake the cat off, indignently, and go back to just watching. When Hank felt really frisky, he would jump on Puca's back and ride there when Puca strolled the neighborhood. That dog never let me out of his site and put up with all the hugs and tugs a little girl can dish out. My parents would never let me have a Chow (the are dangerous, you know), so I made up my mind that when I grew up, that is all I would have - and I have. I have lost track of exactly how many I have had, usually one at a time, but sometimes two. I am now 63.

[Luna's Mom]

I know, I can go on and on about this subject, but vicster605 hit the nail on the head.
When I tell people, they are house broken by 8-10 weeks if they are from free-breeding family pair (the pups I prefer), they don't dig, they don't chew, they don't tear stuff up, they don't bark unnecessarily, not hyper, not pet me, pet me goobery (Yes, that's a good word). People look at me like I am crazy....
Plus - I always have at least two cats (I live on a very remote desert ranch); I have never had a mean Chow; I have never had a Chow that bothered my cats, in fact, they protect them from coyotes. And the Chow is just like another huge gorgeous cat. So classy, sassy and laid-back. My husband told me lately that I NEED to get another baby. I jumped around like a kid at Christmas. Luna is around 8, but in good health. I'm lookin'; I will find my baby.

[LEO's mum]

When I was in high school and when my brother was in junior high, we persuaded(nagged down) our parents to get a dog. We studied the kennel club book on breeds, and looking at the pictures, chows looked too ugly so it was on a definitely no list. We then went to a pet shop in the most classiest area in the country and saw this cute, cuddly puppy. It was love at first site, and so we got a beautiful red girl w/ a black muzzle for our first ever pet. Then after about a year and a half, we went shopping in the district and decided to window shop. We put down our down payment that day and brought home our second chow, a boy chow the next day.

Once you get used to seeing their blue tongue, you can never look back. Pink tongue is just way too vulgar. Once smitten, never forgotten.

After I got married, I've always said we must get a chow. But we were both busy working. I finally got Leonora 3.5yrs ago after 18years of wait...

[Victory]

As a kid we had a Pek and then a collie, I adored both of them. We had to give them up when we moved and I was very upset. After that I had cats as a young adult, even though I am allergic to them, (the allergies have become really bad over time) My mom and dad got MingToy when my dad retired and then LiChi when my mom retired. My dad got real sick and had to go into a nursing home, and then my mom passed away. My brother didn't want them, so I took them. I had already met MingToy when I visited my parents when he was younger but he remembered me and we bonded fairly quickly, LiChi did whatever MingToy did so there were no problems there.

Now I've had four more, Ming, Darkwind, Firesong and Dreamdancer and can't really imagine that I'll ever have another breed exclusively. I'd love to have a Sammie, a Mali, a husky and two chows...but I need a bigger place for them and a big yard for the sammie, they have a lot of energy. But I'll always have my chows....we have the same temperment and I love how loyal they are. And they are big and fluffy and squishy, (even if they think it is silly )And they have funny fat paws and they smell good too. Okay, I'm besotted....

[Buddha4me]

My first Chow came along with the house we bought. We bought my father-in-law's house, and as they were moving to TX with two other Chows, Sheba being the eldest Chow wasn't up to living in a motorhome, and she didn't like the other two Chows. So the deal was she came with the house, I loved her already. She was my best friend for many years. About a year after we bought the house, a family friend came to us with one of Sheba's grand-pup's, Snoopy. The owner was moving to an apartment, and Snoopy was an outside dog, so either we took him, or they were going to put him down...so we had Chow number 2. We had to put both dogs to sleep, and I went an entire year without a dog Then I convinced my husband we had to have a dog, there was no choice but a Chow Chow. They fit our life-style, I wanted a gaurd dog, and well, they are just about the cutest, sweetest, most loyal animal I have ever owned. They don't know they're dogs, I say that Buddha is at one with the world, because he owns it all!

[Sirchow]

I am so glad I asked this question - I have so enjoyed reading all your answeres and they tell a lot about the people who are owned by a chow.

[Luna's Mom]

Yes, this question was a great idea; I have enjoyed reading every word of each reply. It has certainly made me more comfortable in what some people think is my neurosis toward my DOG? I say, "Hey dumby, that's now a DAWG; that is a CHOW CHOW". Like our Chowdren, we who are owned by Chows are a unique, loving, sensitive, hugging, cuddling, loyal breed all our own. . . and we are all beautiful, too. So there !

[Michael's Maggie May]

Had a friend who owned a black male and always admired the dog. Needed fish food one afternoon, walked into the neighborhood pet store and they had a black female in a cage, $400 later and a big bag of dog food and she was mine for the next 16 years. Lost my chinabear this past October and got on the internet with all the breeders in the southeast and posted my wanting another black female. I now own Michaels Maggie May, another black magnificent show dog .Independant, hard headed, gorgeous bitch.