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About Yang
We adopted Yang from the Happy Tails Rescue in Mississauga, Ontario. He is 7 years old and a perfect little Pekingese boy. He is incredibly cuddly and such a good boy. He loves people and he attracts crowds wherever he goes.
Yang had a tough time before he came into the rescue. He and his disabled brother were badly neglected. Yang had a broken jaw and needed several teeth removed. His brother didn't make it.
But those days are behind him now. He was fostered by a wonderful lady for almost a year when we found him on Petfinder. After a thorough adoption process we finally met little Yang and it was love at first sight!
He is a lap dog and is always laying either on or near us. He also likes to rub his nose into the side of our legs or into the blankets in the bed, often followed by rolling onto his back and getting a good tummy rub while he's squirming all over the place and grunting. He loves to grab his toys and bring them back to his bed to play with.
He is even more adorable when he's just been to the groomers. They always have to laugh because he sits down and almost falls asleep while he's enjoying getting pampered.
We also have rabbits. Takara loves to torment Yang. She'll sit in front of him when he has a treat. She won't try to take it, just sits a few inches away, head tilted, nose twitching, like she could if she wanted to. He starts a low growl and she sits there like she doesn't have a care in the world, until eventually he will pick up his treat and take it to his doggy bed. Then Takara hops off, pleased with herself that she just psyched out the dog again.
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. And she has. She's loves Yang and our bunnies. Mickey, our Chinchilla bunny doesn't like the idea of either of the dogs much but Takara and Lilly are hilarious together.
Yang and Lilly are adorable together. She initially followed Yang everywhere. She was always one step beside and behind him, wagging her tail, trying to make friends. Yang took to her quickly and they are now very bonded. He greets her excitedly if she's been elsewhere, he shares his doggy bed, toys and treats with her.
She is a happy go lucky doggy, always good natured and wagging her tail but with a bit of a mischievous streak. Yang is an old soul, very serious and calm. They seem to bring out a little of those opposite traits in each other.
We call them the Twin Pekes. My husband is no longer allowed on Petfinder lest we find a third.
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.
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.
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.