HOW NOW BROWN CHOW? THEY EXISTED IN 1922
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PROSPECTIVE CHOW BUYERS: Since the very first CHOW STANDARDS were penned in 1906, both the English and American versions have stated only solid colored chows are acceptable, with the most recent Chow Standard stating only 5 distinct colors can be registered. Those being RED, BLACK, BLUE, CINNAMON (or fawn), AND CREAM. Over the years the breed has seen short lived “fads” of non conforming colors or “uniques” such as parti colored, piebald, black and tan and brindle striped, and blue merle chows being marketed to the public. These colors most often indicate mixed breed heritage and have never been a part of the Official Chow Chow Breed Standard in any country, at any time, and cannot be given a registration number as one of the unorthodox colors in purebred registries.
Additionally, the blue merle gene can carry with it a host of health issues including deafness and blindness ……. buyers, please do your research and talk to multiple breeders, your veterinarian, and your local purebred breed clubs about your potential new addition before purchasing. Also, be aware that NO COLOR IN THE CHOW BREED IS CONSIDERED ANY MORE VALUABLE THAN THE OTHERS.
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A few years ago while my husband and I were on holiday at the coast with our dogs, we ran into quite a surprise as we were checking out at this dog friendly motel. 2 stately BROWN chows were being exercised by their owners who just happen to own WESTPORT WINERY in Washington State as well
We had such a nice conversation with this couple and they let me take some photos of the chows who were true to temperament and old style beauty. They looked like a living sepia photograph!! I did find out who the breeder was who specializes in brown chows , not for show but for companions. I have been searching for a long time to find more information on this SOLID color, wondering if it had ever been acceptable or shown in the USA. Below I hit a gold mine (or a chocolate waterfall) in this one short article from 1922. Chocolate dogs were bred to black bitches in China to produce deep red puppies
And to add to the proof there was more than one chocolate chow…here is an ad from 1921 that the Eberhart kennel ran advertising a chocolate female chow for sale.
AND VOILA….RED, CHOCOLATE AND GRAY ARE PREFERRED SHOW COLORS IN THE USA IN 1917 AND 1919…WHAT FINDS
WHEN DID THE ” OTHER ” SOLID COLORS CHOWS DESIGNATION DISAPPEAR FROM THE AKC REGISTRATION FORM? ….THE SAME YEAR THE SMOOTH GOT WRITTEN BACK IN……1986. IN MY HISTORIC STUDIES AND FINDINGS, CHOWS WERE NEVER ACCEPTED WITH COATS DISPLAYING ANY PATTERNS OR PATCHES. MERLE, PIEBALD, BRINDLE ETC. ARE EXTREMELY INCORRECT AND DISQUALIFYING COLORS IN THE CHOW BREED .
1906
COLOR – Whole-coloured, black, red, yellow, blue, white etc. not in patches. (The under part of tail and back of thighs frequently of a lighter colour)
1925
COLOR – Any clear color, solid throughout, or, with lighter shadings on ruff, tail and breeching.
1941
COAT – Abundant, dense, straight, and off-standing: rather coarse in texture with a soft , woolly undercoat. It may be any clear color, solid throughout, with lighter shadings on ruff, tail and breechings.
1986
COLOR
Clear colored, solid or solid with lighter shadings in the ruff, tail and featherings. There are five colors in the Chow: red (light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream. Acceptable colors to be judged on an equal basis.
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