The Legend of Pekingese

There are two origination stories for the Pekingese. The first is the most common, The Lion and the Marmoset:

A lion (the emperial guardian lion) and a marmoset (New World monkeys in the genus Callithrix, which contains 18 species. Most marmosets are about 20 cm long) fell in love. But the lion was too large. The lion went to the Buddha and told him of his woes. The Buddha allowed the lion to shrink down to the size of the marmoset. And the Pekingese was the result.

The second, less-common, originating story is The Butterfly Lions:

A lion fell in love with a butterfly. But the butterfly and lion knew the difference in size was too much to overcome. Together they went to see the Buddha, who allowed their size to meet in the middle. From this, the Pekingese came.

Another legend says that the Peke resulted from the mating of a lion and a monkey, getting its nobleness and coat from the former and its ungainly walk from the latter.

Because the Pekingese was believed to have originated from the Buddha, he was a temple dog. As such, he was not a mere toy. He was made small so that he could go after and destroy little demons that might infest the palace or temple. But his heart was big so that he could destroy even the largest and fiercest. (A book was written from this premise, although the author denies knowledge of the legends: Bride of the Rat God.)

Source: the Wikipedia

Pekingese Dog

I am a Pekingese or Pekinese. I am an ancient breed of toy, originating in China. My breed were the favored pet of the Chinese Imperial court (the ruler of a particular period in ancient China), and our name relates to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty and now houses the Palace Museum.

We, Pekingese or Pekinese dogs are also called Dogs of Foo (or Fu) by the Chinese, and how much we are revered can be seen in the number of Chinese artworks depicting us. We were considered a guardian spirit as we resembled Chinese lions. See picture.

Imperial Guardian lions

The Imperial guardian lions also called Shi, is the powerful mythic protectors that have traditionally stood in front of Imperial palaces, temples, emperors' tombs, government offices, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy establishments. They are still common decorative and symbolic elements at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, and other structures.

If you forgot my breed name, just remember I am a Chinese Dog. Woof woof! and connect my name to the place called Peking, China.

My Source is the Wikipedia.