Meet Rocky.
I bumped into Rocky today in Amwell Street in Islington, during a local street fair. There were lots of dogs about but Rocky stood out a mile. I first thought that he was a Chinese Crested dog, but his owner was quick to clarify that he was a cross breed of the Chinese Crested and a Mexican Hairless dog, hence his size. Rocky is roughly a size of a whippet, and Chinese crested is much smaller as a toy breed, so he takes his size after his Mexican ancestor.
He is pratically hairless, bar the tufts of hair on is muzzle, paws and ears, so he needs protection from sunlight. His owner always makes sure Rocky wears sun block SPF 40 when outside to ensure that he is safe and protected in the warm sunny weather.
Rocky is very shy by nature, but he loves swimming and since he has been enjoying the odd dip or two, he had become more confident. It was very much in evidence as I was stroking his delicate skin, and he was happy to accept the attention.
Hairless dogs require a lot of care and attention due to their delicate skin, so I was very happy to see that his owners clearly adored him and took an exceptionally good care of him.
Chinese Crested dog is an ancient Chinese breed. One of the breed roles was to be a companion in bed as a sort of a hot water bottle as their bellies are always rather hot. I must say when I touched Rocky's belly, it was really warm and toasty so he would make an ideal bed companion! The breed originates from Africa and was futher developed in China. Mexican Hairless comes from Mexico of course, and is also known as Xoloitzcuintle (a bit of a tongue twister!) and comes in a variety of different sizes but you can see the breed in Rocky - the steel colured coat and the athletic physique clearly points to his Mexican heritage.
To find out more about the Chinese Crested please visit The Chinese Crested Cub of Great Britain
and to find out more about the Mexican Hairless dog, have a look here.
