The mention of a prince and a Pekingese may bring to mind in some readers a Barbara Cartland romance novel, The Prince and The Pekingese, but there is another story involving these characters, and it’s a legend in the history of the Pekingese. 

Once upon a time, a handsome prince fell in love with a girl, a simple commoner. A peasant though she may have been, her beauty was legendary, and it didn’t escape the attention of an evil wizard. He was, in fact, smitten with her.  She, however, did not welcome his attention, and when she spurned his advances, he bewitched her and turned her into a lotus flower. Not content with wrecking one life, the wizard also made the prince a squirrel.  True love overcomes, and the squirrel looked after his flower every day with tenderness. Such devotion touched Buddha who took pity on the lovers and blessed them. The fruit of their love was the Pekingese,  blessed with the bushy tail of the squirrel, and the delicacy and character of a lotus.

The legends and stories about the origin of the Pekingese breed tend to be all associated with great love and Buddha, and it is likely for this reason that the breed is believed to protect a home from evil spirits.

Image: Pekingese by Janice MacLellan is available as fine art and in home decor and lifestyle items here