Foxingese

The Pekingese originated in China in the 8th century and were treated as royalty. They were bred to be lap dogs during the T’ang Dynasty and were named after the city of Peking, which is now Beijing. They were called the Lion Dog because they have a furry mane like a lion. The story is that the Chinese people believed that the Pekingese was the result of a lion and a marmoset that fell in love and they come in all sorts of colors such as white, brown, red, sable, gray, fawn, cream, and black. They were thought to have magical powers like the ancient guard lions from China and could protect the temples and palaces. This breed was so valued that they had their own servants, and the penalty for stealing one was death. Until 1860, nobody was allowed to own a Pekingese besides royalty and they were not allowed to leave the palace. Western soldiers took over the palace in 1860 and found five of these dogs. They kept four of them and gave one to Queen Victoria. In 1906, they were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club and they are now the 93rd most popular dog breed in America. The Wire Fox Terrier has an uncertain history but is thought to have come from the working terriers of Durham, Derbyshire, and Wales in the 1800s. The Smooth Fox Terrier is also a bit of a mystery but dates back to the 1700s in England. It is thought that they were bred from the Beagle, Greyhound, Bull Terrier, and Smooth Coated Black and Tan Terriers. The Toy Fox Terrier is a mix of the Smooth Fox Terrier, Manchester Terrier, and the Chihuahua and originated in the United States in the 1800s. All of the Fox Terriers were used for hunting vermin and tracking foxes. The Smooth and Wire Fox Terriers were both accepted by the AKC in 1885 and are the 101st and 124th most popular breed in America.