When Jacqui Stewart sits down to watch her favourite television programme after a hard day's work, she's not joined by a furry canine friend; she's joined by a hairless canine friend... Suki, who's been with the Stewart family for eighteen months, is a Chinese Crested dog. Before I met Suki, I had no idea what a dog of this sort looked like. For the uninitiated, a hairless Chinese Crested dog is a few inches bigger than your average cat, and only has hair on its head, feet and tail. It's thought that Chinese Crested dogs were once favoured by wealthy Mandarins, and that Chinese merchants introduced them to the West in the 15th century. Now there are very few, if any, Chinese Crested dogs in Mandarin, whereas here in the UK they've become a popular choice for pet owners.  | | One of Suki's puppies. Awww! |
They're certainly popular with Jacqui and her family, who recently played host to a whole gang of the smooth little creatures: "We got Suki when she was four years old, and we've always loved puppies and having them around the house, so after we'd had Suki for twelve months we mated her. She had a litter of four puppies - they were born on the 22nd of October last year. We've just found an owner for the last one." So what are they like? You might imagine that with no fur they're perhaps a little timid, afraid of contact with humans. But that couldn't be further from the truth. While I talked to Jacqui about her dogs, Suki sat curled up on my lap, occasionally licking my hand! Jacqui wonders if the seemingly friendly nature of Chinese Crested dogs might actually be selfishness in disguise: "Because they're hairless they use people to keep them warm, and they tend to use anybody!" And there's me thinking I'd finally become 'a dog person'... Appropriately, Chinese folklore says people born in the year of the dog do tend to be a little bit selfish, but they're also loyal, honest and inspirational. They make good leaders and are often rather eccentric people. Suki's definitely that!  | | Suki and her 'powder puff' pal, Willow. |
As well as Suki, the Stewarts have a Chinese Crested dog of the 'powder puff' variety. These dogs have a mop of hair on their heads too, but they also have a soft and curly layer of fur on their bodies. It was a curious and cruel twist of fate that brought Willow the powder puff into their lives: "We first saw a Chinese Crested in a book about fifteen years ago. We lived in Northern Ireland at the time, and we found out there was a lady in Bangor who had a litter of pups... She had powder puffs and hairless, but they were all spoken for. "Over the weeks we established a bit of a rapport with Roberta, the owner, and she asked us if we'd take one of the puppies back to the UK for another breeder. A few days before we were due to take it, we got a phone call from Roberta and it turned out a neighbour had fallen on the pup and killed it. "Roberta was meant to keep one of the powder puff puppies, who I'd fallen in love with, but she told me to come and collect the dog as she didn't want it in the house. She was just distraught. So we collected the powder puff bitch, and fifteen years on she's still with us." But the loss of one dog's life has lead to the creation of many more, as Jacqui's been breeding dogs ever since. She's overseen the birth of several Yorkie pups, Willow gave birth to one Chinese Crested, and it looks like Suki's recent litter of Chinese Crested won't be her last: "I've always wanted a hairless female of my own... So yes, I have got plans, and the first little female born into a litter is mine!" What a way to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dog! Katy Wright | 
