Jatzu

The Jatzu is a hybrid dog, a cross between two very small canines that have been favored as companions by the royal and noble families of the Asian continent for several centuries, the Japanese Chin and the Shih-Tzu. The Shih-Tzu is a very old breed and we can’t be certain of which breeds were the ancestors of this little lively little companion, though most experts believe that they are the result of crossing Tibetan Lhasa Apso breed dogs with a small Chinese breed such as the Pekingese. These friendly and outgoing little dogs were frequently seen at court as far back as the Tang dynasty, from 618 to 907 AD, but it was during the Ming dynasty, which lasted from 1368 to 1644, that they gained popularity with the common people as well. The origins of the Japanese Chin breed have also been obscured by the passage of time. Even the meaning behind the name Japanese Chin is debatable; with some experts believing that the Chin in Japanese Chin indicates that they were originally developed in China, while others maintain that Chin means cat-like, in reference to its small size and its climbing ability. Both breeds were distributed worldwide during the mid-1800s and early 1900s when they were given as gifts to visiting royal families, dignitaries, and certain expeditionary forces. The Japanese Chin was recognized as the Japanese Spaniel in 1888, with an official name change to the Japanese Chin in 1977, while the Shih-Tzu wasn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club until 1969.