What a precious photo this is!! I have a number of photos of The Prince and Princess with this charming chow which I will be adding to this page as I get them scanned in . This particular image is an original 1940’s 8×10 photo I acquired with all the info written on the back. Such a treasure trove of Royal and Chow history all in one photo.
The image below was also from 1940 and I would imagine taken at the same time as the above photo as they are wearing the same clothing
The Duke of Kent (late father of the present Duke) gifted his daughter, Princess Alexandra, first cousin to the Queen, a superb chow chow, who boasted the elegant pedigree name of Choonam Li Wu T’song, but was always called by the young princess by it’s pet name Mouff (pronounced Muff)
source:Pets by Royal Appointment: The Royal Family and their Animals by Brian Hoey
Thank you for this photo Pat
Most of these pics appear to be smooth coated chows, as an owner of one I’m more intriguided about his genetic history!
Another point of interest is the number of women with this breed.
Hello Jacqi,
Yes he had a very tight “English” coat as many call it. Not a smooth but a more tailored coated rough (Smuff has been a nickname for this coat type) . Mouff looks to be very “out of coat” after shedding in these photos .
I have been researching what kennel Mouff came from for some time now and will update with my findings soon.
Women certainly dominated in the breeding and show circles. For a long time they were not allowed to judge or hold a position in clubs, but breeding and exhibiting was allowed in the earliest days. This 1914 article kind of sums it up https://chowtales.com/1914-womans-cult-chow/
Thank you so much Jacqi for visiting ChowTales and I very much appreciate your comment ~Sandra