Is beauty only fur deep?

For the past 100,000 years or so, humans and canines have coexisted, living as man and his furry best friends. But it turned out that, over the years, certain litters yielded stronger, cuter or more useful dogs, and in order to further develop these traits, man actively bred these special dogs, while probably eating the less stellar pooches. This selective breeding culminated in the numerous types of dogs that people are familiar with today, and with most breeds, it is fairly easy to recognize the distinguishing trait. As their name implies, Golden and Labrador Retrievers are excellent at retrieving things. Back in the day, this meant fetching game, and today, this innate ability can be exploited for retrieving cold beers from the fridge, as well as helping the blind retrieve things, ( for example, more cold beer from the fridge). Bloodhounds were bred for their excellent sense of smell, and Dachshunds for their excellent sense of humor (they not only embrace the nickname "wiener dogs", but they actually came up with it, claimed a crazy homeless person I once ran from).

A (mostly) hairless Chinese Crested

However, while the reason for selecting certain characteristics in dogs, and developing certain breeds, is apparent for some types of our furry friends, in others, it is far from obvious, (at least, to me). Perhaps the most mystifying breed of all is the Chinese Crested, of which my dog Barclay is a member. For reasons unbeknownst to me, people purposely bred balding dogs to end up with a hairless breed that, in my opinion, comprises one of the least attractive breeds out there. Luckily for Barclay, he is a "Powder Puff" Chinese Crested, which means that, unlike his siblings, he was blessed with a full coat of fur, (there is one Powder Puff in every Chinese Crested litter). However, all of his unfortunate brothers and sisters were not so lucky; they all look like tiny, starving mutant horses. But hey, if you're in the market for an emaciated midget pony, perhaps you'll consider a Chinese Crested.

Barclay - Keepin' it real in a green bandanna

Sure, they ain't pretty, but they've got great personalities and make great pets. Barclay has a good temperament, and is very intelligent. In fact, he's not neutered, and I'm sure he'd be more than happy to knock up some Chinese Crested bitch, (sorry, I couldn't resist the opportunity to use that term in its literal sense).

The inspiration for writing this entry stems from two sources: this cnn.com article, Ugly Dog which contains the picture of Sam, a dog who is hideous even by Chinese Crested standards, and from my return to my parents' house to see my dog Barclay, who I believe is on the opposite side of the Chinese Crested cuteness spectrum, (some people have even gone as far as to insist that Barclay is the Brad Pitt of Chinese Cresteds.

Sam - He had a great personality

I can sorta see the resemblance). However, while these two dogs have very different appearances, they do have one thing in common, (besides their breed): they both have, (or in the recently deceased Sam's case, had) owners that love them. After all, an owner's appreciation of his pet often transcends physical traits to find inner animal beauties that the rest of the world often cannot see.

Good for you, Mr. and Mrs. hairless Chinese Crested owners, for loving these dogs in spite of, (or maybe even, because of) their unusually bare bodies. But hey, if any of you change your mind, I hear that Rogaine works wonders...