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Curiosity
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The dog with the blue tongue.
A legend tells that while God was painting the sky blue, a Chow was following Him and
cleaned the drops that fell with his tongue.
A poetic explanation for the blue tongue of these delightful dogs whose origins are lost in the
mists of times. The only thing certain is that they come from the East (the Orient), many agree with Mongolia. In Mancuria the
farmers gave them as a dowry to their daughters. The emperor Ling-Ti, more than 3.000 years ago kept them at
court and they were decorated with titles and dignity. It is said that Marco Polo was the first who talked about
them in the West already in the 13th century. In Europe the English were the first who fell in love with this breed,
founding in1895 a Chow-Chow Kennel Club. Two have been the periods of great popularity: in 1930, when the President of the United States of America Coolidge,
had a Chow named Timmy at the White House and from the
1980's up till today.
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Chinchillas for company |
The IACA also breeds chinchillas. Tiny, softly and meek. They are satisfied when in their cages they can nibble a
piece of apple, or a carrot, a handful of hay, always ready to give a lot of affection to whom takes care of them. |
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Navigating in this site you can learn more about this cute "chinchilla friend". |
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Kids are rushing out, inviting us to come up into the house. Inside two chow puppies are running around, they play with Ester, a
sweet little girl with some more problem than her brothers, but with a
beaming smile and two long brown plaits.
The puppies growl against us because they don't know us, faithful
to their primitive instinct of watchdogs. Their tails standing straight
upright look as they have been stuck on their back, giving a sense of tenderness, soft and chubby
like
teddy bears. Then, when Cobar rushes into the room - stately with his
lion-like mane - there's a riot of a merrymaking and cuddles, the kids go wild and they
all together roll on the ground. "This is their way of growing up
together", explains Angela Groesser, president of the IACA, who comes
from Austria, with the conviction that the relationship with the Chow
Chows is an eccellent "pet-therapy".
The subjects are at the disposal of the associates. "We swap them between
us ", explains Angela, " also because to buy a Chow Chow costs about one
and a half up to two million lires." The risults ?
"Miraculous", confirms Angela, "more than a year ago, a friend of us gave
a Chow to his wife who suffered from depression. Some months
later they came to see us together with their dog who had grown up and
helped the woman to recover her smile and the joy of living".
Angela continues, " The sensitivity of these dogs is so sharp that they succeed in perceiving
the problems of persons who are more in need of help, they can
spot a
handicapped, a depressed person and give them more love. "They are
so affectionate that they come and seek you out for a stroke or a cuddle
if you try to ignore them". Angela tells of their devotion
- " One time when I went on
holidays for one week, they didn't "talk" to me for days,
because they couldn't forgive me having left them at home".
I really want to adopt one !
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