Reverend D. Allan Easton was a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic
Society of Great Britain and Ireland and a Member of the
American Oriental Society, the China Institute of America, and
the Tibet Society of the United Kingdom, and the International
Platform Association which unites public speakers and writers of
the free world.
After he completed his studies in Glasgow and New York,
Mr. Easton visited Peking in 1937. From that experience began
his enthusiasm for the rare little Lion Dogs from the Manchu
Palace.
Mr. Easton was one of the first Europeans to visit the
hidden land of Tibet. He made the journey by mule and pony
across a 15,000 foot mountain pass.
Mr. and Mrs. Easton’s first Shih Tzu was purchased in 1961
from the Pennsylvania fancier, Ingrid Colwell. They then
imported dogs from England, Germany, and Holland and produced
their own famous outstanding Chumulari line.
Reverend D. Allan Easton’s theory regarding the
development of two different types of Shih Tzu in Old Peking was
confirmed by a little-known essay written by the Princess Der
Ling. Mr. Easton continually searched for first-hand information
regarding the issue of different sizes in the Shih Tzu.
In this essay, Princess Der Ling describes the royal
kennels. The essay was published in the United States in 1933.
Princess Der Ling wrote about some fascinating information she
received from the Empress Dowager about her beloved Shih Tzu:
“Out of a litter of four,” Her Majesty told me, “there are
seldom more than two which are worth keeping. The others, even
though they have the same father and mother, have something the
matter with them – too short legs, too long bodies, or the wrong
markings. They are inferior.”
“Particular care must be taken with feeding,” explained
Her Majesty. “A Harba Go (Manchu words for this species of dog)
must not be given too much water while he is growing, or he will
become too large, which makes him ugly………”
“Puppies were not killed,” wrote the Princess Der Ling.
“The eunuchs usually took discarded puppies out into the city
and sold them, receiving good prices because the animals were
from the imperial kennels.”
The practice of discarding puppies, which the Empress
Dowager had rejected as inferior in quality, out into the city,
was no secret. It was an accepted practice and was done on a
considerable scale.
The Empress Dowager was intensely fond of animals and even
though she regarded these as poor specimens of the breed she was
glad to see her puppies go to homes where they were valued. It
is speculated that the Empress Dowager probably wished these
would be treated as pets, and not used for breeding, but this
was a matter over which she had no means of exercising effective
control. It is very questionable how much she knew went on
outside the palace walls, as the life of the court was
completely cut off from that of the ordinary citizens of Peking.
It is also not known just how small the Imperial Palace
Shih Tzu was. According to most of Mr. Easton’s writing and
research they were at least 9 pounds, solid and compact. For all
any of us know today, there definitely could have been even
smaller specimens kept in the Palace, and quite possibly could
account for the under 9 pound Shih Tzu we still see occurring
today.
Mr. Easton also writes often that the practice of breeding
Shih Tzu with Pekingese was very common in the Imperial Palace.
As author of this article, I believe this is another factor that
could account for our even smaller versions of Shih Tzu today,
of which some refer to as “teacups.”
Many of the under 9 pound Shih Tzu I live with today are
healthy and they do not have liver shunt disease as the reason
for their smaller size as so many of the advocates of the larger
size Shih Tzu tell the consumer.
It could be medical fact that liver shunt disease is seen
more often in the smaller sizes than the larger sizes, but it is
not a condition specific to the small size Shih Tzu. Any breed
of dog and/or any size of dog can have liver shunt disease. It
is not true that the reason we have less than 9 pound Shih Tzu
today is because they are just the runts of the litter, or they
are sickly specimens of the breed, or they most definitely have
and/or carry the liver shunt disease. There are many of these
little ones that live just as long and healthy lives as the
larger versions. The size of any living creature does not
dictate the health of that creature. I personally like the
little ones just as much as the 9 to 12 pound Shih Tzu. I do not
like a very large Shih Tzu of 16 pounds or more. I still live
with a few as my dear pets and companions, but as I continue
with my breeding program, I search for the lower end of the AKC
standard, which is anywhere from 9 to 12 pounds.
From all that I have read about Shih Tzu history, it was
Shih Tzu weighing at least 9 pounds and not anymore than this
that were the favored and treasured Shih Tzu of the Imperial
Palace. I imagine there were a few weighing even less than 9
pounds just as we see them today who remained in the Imperial
Palace. I can certainly see how people do want to call the
smaller version “Imperial Shih Tzu.” However, as noted elsewhere
in this article, The American Shih Tzu Club and the American
Kennel Club are dead set against this term or any other term to
describe a Shih Tzu.
As a result of the practice of Empress Dowager rejecting
the larger Shih Tzu specimens and sending them out into the city
for sale, it is easy to see how two different types of Shih Tzu
developed in the Chinese capital by the time the breed became
known to the outside world. On one hand, hidden in the palace
and beloved at court were the exquisitely dainty and
well-proportioned little jewels, bred with the strictest
selectivity and carefully screened to conform to the imperial
ideal. On the other hand, and much more accessible to the
general public and bred by them with less discrimination were
the coarser specimens, treasured by those who had long ago
learned to be satisfied with something less than the best.
Mr. Easton felt that in all fairness to the general
public, which do have rights in the matter, the two types of
Shih Tzu should be clearly designated in a manner which is
historically accurate and in no way misleading. He felt the
larger size Shih Tzu should have been known as the “English Shih
Tzu,” since it was in England where most of the larger sizes
were bred. However, many English breeders during his time period
preferred the smaller type. It just seemed obvious that since
the smaller type Shih Tzu had been such a guarded secret of the
Imperial Palace and the larger size Shih Tzu is what all others
outside the Palace got hold of to breed, Mr. Easton felt like
the larger size should just be known as “Shih Tzu,” and the
smaller type should carry the prefix “Imperial” to mark their
special association with the Peking Palace.
The Reverend D. Allan Easton obviously did not get his way
about the official names to distinguish the small Shih Tzu from
the large Shih Tzu. The American Kennel Club today recognizes
only one name for the Shih Tzu, and that is Shih Tzu. They along
with the American Shih Tzu Club do not want anyone referring to
the smaller version Shih Tzu as “Imperial.”
Source: “This is the Shih Tzu,” written by Reverend D.
Allan Easton and Joan McDonald Brearley
Author: Connie Limon, Breeder of pet and show prospect
Shih Tzu in a variety of colors. Visit website at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com
and sign up for our FREE newsletters. Our website provides a
wealth of information. Puppies are sold with health guarantee
and are bred from champion bloodlines. Also visit our Shih Tzu
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Posted by Connie Limon at 2:41 PM 0 comments
Labels: imperial shih tzu
