Editing Chow Chow (section)

== History ==
[[File:Animal-Photo-Dog-ChowChow-780x652.jpg|thumb|left|Red Craze, a prominent male red Chow Chow, c. Early 1900s]]
[[File:Chow-Chow from 1915.JPG|thumb|left|A Chow Chow in 1915]]

The Chow Chow has been identified as a [[Dog breed#Basal breeds|basal breed]] that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Larson, G|year=2012|title=Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography|doi=10.1073/pnas.1203005109|pmid=22615366|pmc=3384140|volume=109|journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.|issue=23|pages=8878–83|bibcode=2012PNAS..109.8878L|doi-access=free}}</ref> A research study has concluded that the Chow Chow dog breed originated from other indigenous dogs in central China about 8,300 years ago. The ancient breed evolved and manifests both morphological and physiological features, including its dark tongue, coat of fur, and stronger build.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The origin of chow chows in the light of the East Asian breeds|journal=BMC Genomics|author=Hechuan Yang|author2=Guodong Wang |author3=Meng Weng |author4=Yaping Ma |author5=Tingting Yin |author6=Ruoxi Fan |author7=Hong Wu |author8=Li Zhong |author9=David M. Irwin |author10=Weiwei Zhai |author11=Yaping Zhang |year=2001–2010|volume=18 |issue=1 |page=174 |doi=10.1186/s12864-017-3525-9 |doi-access=free |pmid=28201986 |pmc=5312535 }}</ref>

One Chinese legend mentions large war dogs from Central Asia that resembled black-tongued lions. One Chinese ruler was said to own 5,000 Chows. The Chinese also used Chows to pull [[dog sled]]s through swampy terrain, and this was remarked upon by [[Marco Polo]].<ref name="Wilcox1999" />{{rp|11}}

Today, the [[American Kennel Club]] registers approximately 10,000 Chow Chows a year. The [[Canadian Kennel Club]] registers approximately 350.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />{{rp|4–5}}

The English name ''Chow Chow'' is unlinked to any Chinese name such as the modern 鬆獅狗 (''song shi gou'', lit. "loose lion dog") for the same breed, and hence of uncertain origin - possible and folk etymologies refer to [[Pidgin English]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/chow |title=Chow |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=2024-07-16}}</ref>