The Chow Chow breed is more than 3,000 years old, some sources say that he is originally from Mongolia, others from China. The fact is that he was brought to the UK from China initially and is officially recognized as Chinese breed.
The Chow Chow was used for hunting, herding, guarding temples, for wool, for pulling sledges and small carts, and as a war dog.

The importation of Chows into the UK began in about 1880. In 1895 the Chow Chow Club was formed. It is seen as the parent club of the breed.

The breed was exhibited for the first time in the United States in 1890, and formally recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1903. The Chow Chow Club of America was admitted as a member club to the AKC in 1906.

The first Chow was registered in Italy in 1901, a male called Dignity, he was imported directly from China.

The first Chow arrived in Poland in the 1920s and the breeding of Chows started after the Second World War.

Nowadays the Chow Chow is used as a companion and a watch dog.

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There is a very old Chinese fairy story which reads as follows: "When the world was beeing created, what dog was allowed to lick up all the little pieces of blue sky which fell on earth when the stars were beeing set in their place?" "The chow" said Li Fu "and that's how he got his blue tongue".