Maybe this isn't so odd. (
China zoo under fire for disguising dog as lion)
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| Foo Dog/ a barking African lion |
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| Foo Dog/'lion' |
If
'guardian lions' are
chow chows... that accompanied Mongolian armies... ('Teddy bear'/
Teddy Roosevelt bear was modelled on Queen Victoria's chow chow puppy). Chinese emperors in the Tang dynasty kept
50,000 chows for hunting.
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| Luxury dog ‘with lion’s blood’ sold for $2 million in China (link) |
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| Wikipedia: Chow chow (1915) |
In China, lions and dragons are mythological. Chows are likely a
Tibetan mastiff/Samoyed cross.
