“I was 16 years old when I first encountered a black pekingese boy, it was in Vienna, Austria, and it was love at first sight. I couldn’t determine what that little adorable, playful gremlling-looking thing was, so I asked; what is it? A cat, a dog? 17 years later that was a question I finally started to get on a daily basis myself.
My now husband and I had finally received permanent residency in Australia. We had come to and age ready to settle down plus I was working from home so there were no longer any excuses to postpone my dream of getting a pekingese. I found a breeder in Melbourne who had two black peke girls for sale; one 6 month old and one 3.5 year old. We decided on the 3.5 year old without having met the two of them – and it was a match made in heaven. We decided to call her ”Mums-Mums” (after a Swedish fluffy cake). Wherever we would go, we brought her. We smuggled her on buses, trains, taxis and in shopping centers. Naturally – she wouldn’t walk herself but be carried in a bag I got for her. I wasn’t aware of that little detail – pekinese don’t like walks – they expect to be carried.
We quite soon decided to get another peke and fell for a gold/red peke boy from a New Zealand breeder. His name was Oscar and he was trained to walk on a leash, at least for shorter walks. We were worried that Mums-Mums wouldn’t approve of the new family member, but luckily it was the opposite. During the first week Oscar was with us, Mums-Mums behaved like a teenager in love, rolling around on the floor, trying to get his attention.
The two of them have very different temperament, but yet always together. Mums-Mums, a bit of a clown, loves playing with stuffed animals that she ”kills”. Oscar loves fetching ball and wrestling. Mums-Mums has zero interest in that. Mums-Mums is a real ”diva”; the kind of a dog that when everyone is upstairs, and she is downstairs, she will call on you until you come and pick her up. She loves hide and seek, but usually her wagging tail gives her away, and if she’s found a place were she really can’t be seen, then thankfully the door-bell works like a charm, every time. Oscar is a real sweat-heart, a cuddly teddy bear who wants to please everyone. Still they cuddle up together, chase each other in the corridor and play.
When we had our baby just before Christmas 2015, we thought a lot about how to make the transition as smooth as possible for the dogs. It just had to work, they are or babies too and it was important to us that they wouldn’t feel replaced or less important to us. So the plan – which turned out well – was to get a pram/stroller with a basket big enough for the dogs, so they could join for walks. They very quickly realised that the new addition to the family came with a nice ride and also a nice place for daytime naps (just in case no one tries to sneak out without them).
Pekingese is a very rare breed today. They are funny little dogs with a lot of humor. Their temperament are not too far from cats; they only care about their mom and dad (and siblings) and don’t bother about anyone else – and they will let you know. Company and visitors are not appreciated.
It is now almost 5 years since we first got Mums-Mums, and another 4 since we got Oscar. Yet today, not a day passes by without people asking what they are. I once overheard two Spanish speaking ladies discussing weather they were ”gatos” or ”peros” (cats or dogs) and decided they must be ”gatos”. Most dogs would find that the greatest offense of all, but I am pretty sure our dogs took that as a compliment.” by Marie
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