Why Panda Dogs Are a Bad Idea / Source: Care2

admin     2014年6月18日 19:15

 
Fox News recently reported on the latest dog craze in China: Panda Dogs. While it sounds like a cross between a panda bear and a dog, a Panda Dog is actually a Chow dog groomed to appear like a panda. Allegedly safe dye without chemical treatments is used to change the Chow’s beautiful reddish coloring to black and white. The trendy panda dogs are so popular in Southwest China that pet stores are having a hard time meeting demand. Owners of panda dogs don’t seem to mind paying the high cost or getting them re-dyed every six weeks. They get to tell all of their friends they have a panda dog and turn heads when they walk down the street.
 
What is wrong with this picture?
Chows are known to become fiercely protective of their owners and property. Properly and humanely socialized, they are wonderful dogs. The American Kennel Club states, “the Chow is reserved and discerning with strangers. Their cat-like personalities make them independent, stubborn and less eager to please than other breeds. They require early socialization and training, and some kind of exercise daily. Regular grooming and bathing is a must to maintain their double coats.”
 
Dying their coloring to look like a panda dog, however, makes them even more susceptible to attention. Combine this with people and children uneducated in dog behavior reaching out to them to pet them, and this will only increase their stress and desire to protect. As if that isn’t enough of a recipe for disaster, it is hard to believe that dying fur on their face isn’t harmful to them. If the groomers aren’t also using humane grooming techniques and haven’t been educated in handling Chows, that adds to the Chows’ stress level.
 
Beyond that, the deeper question is why Chows are in such high demand. Last I heard, there were no shortage of homeless dogs in shelters and rescue organizations.
 

© 2013 bestfriendschina.org, all rights reserved