Pekingese Legends

There are two legends about the origin of the pekingese breed. Being one of the oldest breeds and coming from China there are two legends that I heard about the Pekingese Breed. Each of them are simple and involve Buddha. The first legend

The Lion and the Marmoset
A Lion and a Marmoset fell in love and due to their difference in size they knew that their love could not be. So they searched out Buddha and asked him what they could do. Buddha said that he could not transform either of them permanently and was only able to transform one of them for one night. They agreed to this and Buddha transformed the lion to a marmoset for one night. That one night brought about the combination of the lion and the marmoset and all the children of the Marmoset were pekingese.

The other is similar it is called

The Butterfly Lions
A Lion and a Butterfly fell in love. They knew immediately that they could not overcome their differences in size. They went to Buddha and he decided that their love was powerful enough to stand the test of time and felt they should be together forever. SO he changed their size to meet in the middle. This change and meeting in the middle created the Pekingese. 


We think it is the Butterfly lions that truly characterize these little dogs behavior and their nature. Sometimes my little men look like lions and my little girl looks like a butterfly. So the next time your around a Pekingese see if you can see the butterfly and the lion in them.